We love ecological balance!
EkoBalans aims to recirculate nutrients
It’s all about ecological balance, whether you’re involved in forestry or agriculture. The plant nutrients that are removed from the production system must be returned there! Nutrients should not end up in the wrong place within the cycle, and we must manage the Earth’s resources carefully.
History - here lie untapped resources
It’s the late 1990s, and Gunnar Thelin is conducting research at Lund University on plant nutrition, nutrient balance in forestry, and how ash from tree fuels can be returned to the forest as plant nutrients. During this time, he observes how we waste our natural resources in society. It bothers him. There must be a way to capture the nutrients lost in society’s wastewater streams. He delves into the field of nutrient-rich residual products and becomes increasingly amazed by discussions about dwindling phosphorus reserves and potential food shortages as a result. There should be an opportunity here, if only the untapped nutrient resources in society can be utilized. Furthermore, there are no commercial players in the market. If the nutrient content in our residual products can be sustainably reintegrated into the cycle, we can solve both the problem of depleting plant nutrient resources and the issue of excess residual products. At the same time, we can reduce the risk of nutrient runoff polluting waterways. The nutrients just need to be redistributed from where they are a problem to where they are beneficial.



From problem to circular fertilizer
In 2008, Gunnar initiates the circular economy green tech company EkoBalans, focusing on wastewater treatment plants due to the significant amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen in their residual streams. Directly using these byproducts in agriculture isn’t sustainable, as there may be risks related to heavy metals and organic pollutants. Consequently, EkoBalans embarks on developing processes to separate nutrients from problematic substances. Using the products from these processes, we then create concentrated and specialized fertilizers entirely based on recycled plant nutrients, devoid of heavy metals and other contaminants.
Solutions for nutrient recycling
Building upon the phosphorus and nitrogen recovery technologies, EkoBalans then develops a comprehensive solution for processing residual streams from biogas production, the food industry, and agriculture into circular fertilizer products. Today, EkoBalans not only delivers and operates such facilities but also offers complete concepts encompassing everything from feasibility studies and pilot-scale facilities to refinement and product marketing. EkoBalans’ next steps include integrating recycling into treatment plant processes, allowing for wastewater purification while capturing valuable nutrients. We at EkoBalans aim to combine our technologies and other technical solutions in practical operation, transforming treatment plants into recycling facilities.
