Tanuki has been awarded the Fertilizer Industry Kookaburra Environmental Award at the 2025 Fertilizer Australia Environmental Awards held in Melbourne on Wednesday 10 September. This award recognises the pioneering work undertaken by Tanuki and joint venture partners Pyrocal and Fertec to develop an innovative fertiliser product that will concurrently tackle critical environmental and agricultural challenges.
The award-winning product is a granulated blend of biosolids biochar and micronised gypsum. The biosolids biochar is produced using Pyrocal’s Continuous Carbonisation Technology, and the natural gypsum is sourced and milled in Australia.
The product immobilises heavy metals present in biosolids as well as significantly reducing pollution risks from PFAS and microplastics, which is a growing global problem. In addition to the environmental benefits, trials have demonstrated the product improves plant performance with the biosolids biochar delivering plant-available phosphorous (1-4%) and carbon (40%), along with calcium and sulphur from the micronised gypsum.
“Our goal was to turn a disposal problem into a productivity solution” said Durell Hammond, Managing Director of Tanuki. “Transforming the biosolids reduces the volume by 90%, reduces harm and creates a fertiliser that performs on par with conventional products. It allows for a much more widespread use of this valuable resource at use rates that meet regulatory requirements and delivers useful soil nutrition benefits.”
Developing this innovative fertiliser product is the result of more than a decade of significant investment by Tanuki, Pyrocal and Fertec and collaboration with government and industry stakeholders, including the Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, Logan Water, The Australian Research Council and research partners UniSQ and CSIRO.
