Innovative zinc-manganese fertilizer - ZM-Grow, produced from alkaline batteries, has begun to be used in the UK.

It is noted that ZM-Grow is registered and approved for use in the UK for both conventional and organic farming systems.

"It's a really exciting product, and clean-tech Finnish producers Tracegrow are positioning ZM-Grow as a fertilizer for the circular economy," says Tim Kerr, manager at Hutchinsons UK.

Simply put, Tracegrow has developed an innovative technology to recover, purify and reuse zinc and manganese from alkaline batteries, of which up to 80% of trace elements can be reused.

According to Tim Kerr, ZM-Grow meets all the necessary criteria for sustainable development, offers a lower carbon footprint, and also provides high quality, efficient foliar application.

“ZM-Grow is a sulphate-based concentrate containing 60g/L Zn, 67g/L Mn and 75g/L S. We know that micronutrient balance can help increase nitrogen efficiency, and the new fertilizer can help that especially. when nitrogen prices are at an all-time high,” notes Kerr.

Hutchinsons has been testing and distributing the product for the last two seasons and the feedback from the manufacturers has been nothing but positive.

“The recommended rate is 2-3 liters of fertilizer per 200-400 liters of water. In our testing, we found it to be chemically stable and we had no mixing issues. It passes smoothly through the filters and nozzles, does not clog them, ”said the Hutchinsons manager.

How ZM-Grow is made:

• first, the batteries are crushed, an alkaline mass is prepared;
• after the stages of mechanical pre-treatment, the alkaline mass is transferred to the leaching stage;
• after completion of the leaching and separation of solids, the solution is transferred to the purification stage, where unwanted particles can be removed;
• after purification, the formed solids are separated and the solution is neutralized to approximately pH 4.00;
• if necessary, additional components can be added to the finished product;
• the end result is the most environmentally friendly puff fertilizer in the world.

Recall that for the first time the technology for making fertilizers from batteries was developed in 2019 by Finnish scientists. In 2020, active testing began, conducted by Lithium Australia NL in conjunction with its subsidiary Envirostream Australia Pty.

SuperAgronom.com