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Russian startup puts chicken droppings for good use

The Zeol startup team has presented an organic mineral fertilizer from bird manure and zeolite. It is cheaper than any analogues and, according to tests, can increase crop productivity by almost 50%. Several companies from the Gulf countries have already become interested in this agricultural innovation.

Bird droppings are one of the most common types of organic fertilizer in Russia due to their high nitrogen content. A large poultry farm produces about 35K-80K tons of chicken manure a year. Manure is also considered hazardous to the environment, as ammonia and other compounds released in the process of its decomposition get into the groundwater and pollute it. Zeol, a company from Tatarstan, has developed an organic and mineral fertilizer based on bird droppings and resolved the pollution problem by adding zeolite, a mineral widely known for its sorbent properties.

Entrepreneur Fanil Bagautdinov, a co-founder of the company, has been selling zeolite mined in Tatarstan for several years. The reserves of the Tatarsko-Shatrashansky zeolite deposit are estimated at 88.3 mio tons (13.3% of the total zeolite reserves in Russia), so using the mineral in the region where it is produced is very relevant. In 2018, Bagautdinov hired specialists from the Kazan National Research Technological University. Led by Doctor of Chemistry Yury Galyametdinov, the team developed a technology based on using the so-called microbial consortium. The two-day process lowers the hazard class of bird manure and converts it into an effective fertilizer.

“There are several other companies in Russia that produce similar fertilizers,” Fanil Bagautdinov says. “Usually, the manure is baked to ensure safety, but it is a rather expensive process. All we do is mix the litter, zeolite and the microbial consortium in the required proportions. This reduces our costs and, accordingly, the end price of the product.”

The company raised funds for its project by winning two tenders organized by Tatarstan’s Investment and Venture Fund: the Start-1 and Start-2 tenders brought RUR 1 and 3 mio ($15.7K and $47.2K), respectively, which were spent, among other things, to purchase part of the granulation and packing line components.

The prototypes of Zeol fertilizers are now being tested in several labs, including foreign ones. According to Bagautdinov, the first experiments with using this organomineral fertilizer have shown an increase in wheat yield by up to 50%. Moreover, Russia is not even the main market for the company; the Gulf countries have also shown interest in their product.

“These countries are particularly concerned about raising the efficiency of their agriculture and are ready to invest in it,” Bagautdinov explains. “Another factor is that people there are more focused on environmentally friendly products, and use organic fertilizers more often – unlike the Russian market, which is, unfortunately, dominated by non-organic products.”

Zeol fertilizer samples are being tested in Bahraini laboratories. If the test results confirm the declared fertilizer properties, Bahraini agricultural holdings will sign contracts with the Tatarstan-based company. Another advantage of such cooperation compared to the Russian market is higher revenues: countries such as Bahrain are ready to buy fertilizer at a price 6-8 times higher than domestics customers. Exports will generate commercial payback and profit and enable Zeol to continue research and develop news projects in Tatarstan.

Creating zeolite-containing fertilizers is not the company’s only area of activity; Zeol’s plans include selling both the finished product and the technology of using zeolite for decreasing chicken manure’s hazard class. This is in demand among large poultry factories which are facing an acute problem of waste disposal. Chicken manure is classified as hazard category 3 fertilizer; fines for violation of its storage and disposal amount to RUR 500,000 ($7,900) per ton. Companies’ autonomous processing of manure with the use of zeolite will allow them both to avoid administrative penalties and to start producing fertilizers that can further be sold or utilized on companies’ fields. Large poultry factories often make use of adjacent areas to grow feed crops.

Zeol’s immediate plans also include completing laboratory testing and making major deals on fertilizer deliveries, as well as seeking additional investments from Tatarstan’s Investment and Venture Fund under the Start-3 program.

By Natalya Bobrenok

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