Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, a division of Australia’s Incitec Pivot Ltd., Southbank, Victoria, announced on Dec. 13 that it will invest A$38 million in Australian Bio Fert Co. (ABF), Rowville, Victoria, and build the country’s first large-scale sustainable fertilizer plant. Construction of the 75,000 mt/y granular biofertilizer plant near Lethbridge, Victoria, is expected to begin in second-quarter 2022, with completion in mid-2023. It will create about 25 jobs.
IPL said the fertilizer will combine torrefied organic waste materials with carbon and fertilizer products to create a more sustainable fertilizer that improves soil health. The company said the plant will enable IPF to recycle organic waste materials sourced predominantly from the poultry industry to develop products with consistent and guaranteed quality, free from pathogens.
IPL Managing Director and CEO Jeanne Johns said the announcement was an investment in sustainable farming of the future and part of a transformation of the fertilizer business into a soil health company.
“This investment in regional Victoria is a great example of the environmentally friendly circular economy in action and part of a commitment to help our farming customers reduce environmental impacts while using our safe and effective products,” said Johns.
“As Australia’s largest domestic manufacturer of plant nutrition products, we are pleased to be able to demonstrate our support for regional manufacturing with this investment,” said IPF President Stephan Titze. He said it would add to IPF’s suite of market leading products and services and meet the growing demand from Australian farmers for sustainable, effective, and practical fertilizer solutions.
“This innovative Australian technology creates a new product category for farmers, which we can now commercialize and take to market through IPF’s established and respected professional services and distribution network across the East Coast of Australia,” said APF Chairman Andrew Buchanan.
Founded in July 2015, ABF developed a pilot plant, product development, and research facility near Maddingley in Victoria in 2018, where it now produces a series of biological fertilizer formulations. Major ingredients include poultry materials, sea bird guano, and ammonium sulfate.