It is no secret that Northern Ireland’s poultry industry produces significant volumes of manure. While this manure is a valuable fertiliser resource, it has also contributed to the nutrient management challenges facing the environment.

Among the many strategies and roadmaps developed to address these challenges, while allowing the poultry sector to continue to grow, is the processing of nutrients and their export from the country. Last week, the Irish Farmers Journal visited a business outside Newry, Co Down, which is doing exactly that.

Explosion in sales

Dr Paul O’Hora, sales director with SoilWorx, explained that the company was established in 2020 and has experienced significant growth.

“We’ve seen an explosion in sales and product development since entering the market,” he said. The company takes in poultry manure from farms across Northern Ireland and transforms it into pelletised fertiliser products that are finding markets ranging from local tillage farms to coffee plantations in Vietnam.

SoilWorx is owned by College Proteins, a long-established bio-waste management and rendering business based in Nobber. Since acquiring the Newry site in 2020, the company has invested approximately £15m in upgrading the facility and its infrastructure, with commercial production commencing in 2023.

The result is a modern manufacturing operation capable of processing up to 65,000t of poultry manure annually and producing between 40,000t and 50,000t of finished fertiliser pellets each year.

SoilWorx is located in Newry, Northern Ireland.

Poultry manure is delivered to the site and tipped into intake hoppers.

Fully automated

Much of the SoilWorx operation is automated, with minimal manual handling throughout the production process. Poultry manure is sourced from a network of farms across Northern Ireland, either directly or through haulage contractors. Once delivered, the manure is tipped into intake hoppers, the last point at which operators see the material before it emerges as a finished, bagged product.

From the hoppers, the manure is conveyed by screw augers into a rotary dryer, where temperatures can reach up to 115°C for over two hours.

The drying process serves two key purposes. Firstly, it significantly reduces the moisture content of the material, increasing dry matter levels from approximately 60 to 70% to around 90%. Secondly, it forms part of the sterilisation process, helping to ensure the final product meets strict regulatory standards by eliminating potential pathogens.

Following drying, the material undergoes a second pasteurisation stage, where it is held at 70°C for 60 minutes.

The dried manure is then ground into a fine powder using a hammer mill before entering one of three pelleting lines. Depending on the product specification, additional ingredients can be incorporated at this stage.

The pelleting process compresses the material into dense pellets measuring approximately 5mm in diameter and 10mm in length. The finished pellets, which have a moisture content of just 4 to 6%, are then cooled, screened and packaged into bags ranging from 5kg retail packs to 600kg bulk bags.

The facility currently operates around the clock for six days each week.

The manure is fed into the dryer using screw augers.

The rotary dryer reduces moisture content and sterilises the manure.

Products

The company makes a range of certified organic fertiliser products aimed at both organic and conventional farming systems.

It’s flagship product is Dynamo, a straight poultry manure pellet certified by the Organic Trust UK and approved for use in organic farming. Alongside this, SoilWorx produces a number of specialist blends, including N-Boost and K-Boost, which are formulated with different nutrient profiles for different cropping systems. N-Boost incorporates feather meal to increase nitrogen levels, while K-Boost contains added sulphate of potash.

The standard Dynamo pellet has an NPK analysis of 4-1-3. K-Boost increases potassium levels to 3-1-15, while N-Boost has a higher nitrogen content of 8-1-1. However, O’Hora believes that focusing exclusively on NPK values overlooks much of the product’s value.

“If you compare purely on nutrient content, an organic fertiliser will often appear more expensive than a conventional fertiliser,” he said. “But what you’re also getting is organic matter, trace elements and the soil health benefits that come with those.”

The company sees demand from both certified organic growers and conventional farmers. According to O’Hora, many conventional growers are increasingly viewing organic fertilisers as foundation products rather than direct replacements for synthetic fertiliser. The company is also developing a new generation of organo-mineral fertilisers that combine organic manures with conventional mineral nutrients.

“This is an area where we’re seeing significant growth,” O’Hora said. “For farmers who want to improve soil health while still maintaining access to readily available nutrients, organo mineral fertilisers can provide a useful middle ground.”

The dried manure is then processed through a hammer mill.

The manure powder is subsequently fed into one of three pelleting lines.

Application

The pellets are sold around the world and are aimed at agricultural, horticultural and retail markets. The company currently exports significant volumes of product to Britain, mainland Europe and Asia, with customers using the pellets on crops ranging from cereals and vegetables to coffee and sugar cane. O’Hora said that the pellets flow well through fertiliser spreaders, with no issues around bridging due to their size and consistency. They are particularly suited as a starter fertiliser incorporated into the seedbed, although they are also widely used in standing crops. Spreader testing has also shown that the pellets can be accurately applied at widths of up to 36m, while maintaining their physical integrity.

The pellets are formed using high pressure dies.

The pellets can be spread accurately at widths of up to 36m.

Looking to the future

As demand continues to grow, SoilWorx is exploring further expansion. One area of interest is the development of additional drying and conditioning facilities that would allow the company to process wetter poultry manures, including layer manure. This could increase the volume of material that can be handled, while providing another outlet for poultry producers facing tightening environmental regulations.

“We’re taking nutrients from regions where they are in surplus and moving them to areas where they’re needed,” O’Hora said.

The company is also examining opportunities to improve its energy efficiency.

While the drying process currently relies on LPG, O’Hora believes future developments could involve renewable energy sources such as biomethane generated through anaerobic digestion. Solar panels already installed on-site provide a proportion of the facility’s electricity requirements, helping to reduce operating costs and emissions.

For now, however, the focus remains on scaling production and expanding market reach. With growing interest in soil health, nutrient efficiency and circular economy solutions, SoilWorx believes the market for organic and organo-mineral fertilisers will continue to grow.

Condensate captured during the evaporation process is rich in ammonia.

The finished pellets are bagged and sold around the world.

Watch

See the video from our visit to SoilWorx: