Yara Eco Ltd. (former Ecolan Ltd.) refines side streams into products for forestry, agriculture, groundworks and environmental management. The company has invested EUR 8 million into a production plant located in the ECO3 area, and it has built three extensions to the plant buildings that it commissioned in 2017.
Yara Eco manufactures organic fertiliser from side streams from the agricultural industry. The base ingredient is Finnish bone meal, which is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The company makes use of industrial side streams, such as ash from power plants, to make lightweight rock materials and binding agents.
Yara Eco is continuously developing and launching new products that make use of the circular economy. One good example of this is the lightweight rock material, which is manufactured in the ECO3 area. The primary raw materials are fly ash and bottom ash. Groundworks companies can use this material to provide frost insulation, where it replaces the layer of natural sand required to build roads and fields. In 2019, the Pirkanmaa Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment tested the material’s suitability for use in road improvement works in locations including the city of Nokia.
Yara Eco needs to operate close to its circular economy partners. This ensures that potential side streams and users of finished materials are nearby. It also makes logistics cost-efficient and reduces overall emissions.
Yara Eco has around ten employees working in the ECO3 area, while contractors and other partners will be involved as the seasonal fluctuations demand. The spring and autumn are particular busy periods when the demand for products is at its highest. The production plant is highly automated and operates all year round.