Sheep wool as bio-fertiliser

Problem statement

Our growing awareness of nature and the environment is accompanied by a growing desire to make our own patch of earth more sustainable and nature-orientated. This also applies to the fertilisation of plants. A substantial amount of wool accumulates each year due to sheep farming. Although this matted, oily wool is often not suitable for the production of clothing, it lends itself perfectly to use as a fertilizer. This is because sheep's wool has a number of properties that have a very positive effect on plant growth.

Executive summary

Sheep's wool decomposes slowly and is therefore particularly suitable for high-yielding plants. It has a high nitrogen content of about 10 to 12%, is rich in keratin, and contains sulfur (leading to an improved nitrogen utilization), phosphorus and potassium. In addition, the wool is able to absorb many times its own weight in water to slowly release it to the soil/plant (in dry periods) like a sponge. Unwashed sheep's wool has the advantage of being partially covered with sheep manure or other plant matter, which also acts as a fertilizer. You can either use fresh and unwashed raw wool directly from the sheep or sheep's wool in the form of pellets.

Technology description

Sheep wool has been proposed for fertiliser applications as a good source of nitrogen (Vončina and Mihelič2013). Wool blocks and granules are 100% natural, biodegradable and have no negative impacts on the environment.
Wool geo-textiles are also used for the protection of drainage ditches and steep slopes in gravel pits, providing immediate protection against water erosion and land slides.
Sheep's wool has a number of special properties that can be made use of when fertilising plants. Some key benefits:

1. Rich in nutrients
2. Slow release
3. Sustainable
4. Water-retaining
5. Activates soil life

A wide range of organic sheep's wool-based fertilisers are already available. Production involves the compression of the wool into small pellets. Other organic natural materials are often added to supplement absent nutrients or increase water retention capacity, for example.
The fertiliser has a natural instant and long-term effect. This means some of the nutrients are available to plants immediately after fertilisation and others are released slowly. Since the fertiliser acts for up to five months, a single main fertilisation in the spring is sufficient for many plants. Even in dry spells, the plants enjoy an improved water supply thanks to the fertiliser. Due to the swell effect, the soil is loosened further and the roots of the plants better supplied with oxygen.

Market deployment considerations

Environmental considerations