Authors: Sophia Albert, Elke Bloem
Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Crop and Soil Sciences, Bundesallee 58, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany

A multitude of possible contaminants can be contained in bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) because of their complex matrix, and making their chemical characterization of BBFs a challenging analytical task. Therefore, it is important for sustainable agricultural production to develop standard procedures to assess new bio-based fertilizers for possible hazards related to their application in order to guarantee their safety for soils organisms, plants and the environment.

Review Highlights:
• Bio-based fertilizers (BBFs) can contain a
multitude of contaminants.
• Test batteries of ecotoxicological tests are
suitable for the evaluation of BBFs.
• A combined approach of chemical & ecotoxicological evaluation and soil indicators is recommended.
• Ecotoxicity rating helps to advance a sustainable BBF production and to implement circular economy.

Read the full paper here.