Lakeland Gets Fertilizer Plant Green Technologies; Hopes to Collaborate With USF Poly

The company behind the GreenEdge brand of organic fertilizer will be opening a facility on a 24-acre property on Wilkinson Road. The location was picked because it’s strategically adjacent to the West Lakeland Wasteload Reduction Facility.

Amir Varshovi, president of Green Technologies, the Gainesville-based renewable energy company, said the fertilizer will be produced through extracting nitrogen, phosphorous and other micro nutrients from the biosolids from the wastewater and transforming it into slow-release fertilizer, renewable energy, and other sustainable products.

Biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, are high in organic content and contain nutrients needed by plants, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This makes the biosolids a great source of soil conditioner and fertilizer.

Varshovi, who’s also the company’s chief technology developer, said the advantage with the GreenEdge fertilizer is that it’s organic and works well for Florida’s sandy soils.

“It’s an environmentally effective way to not only clean our water but also to put the nutrients into a commercial product,” he said.

The fertilizer is produced for different markets and is marketed to consumers as well as to fertilizer companies and professional markets such as a golf courses and lawn care service produce.

The company expects to invest at least $10 million and produce about 5,000 tons of fertilizer per year in the first phase. Eventually production will increase to about 10,000 tons a year.

The multimillion-dollar private investment is one of three planned for Central and South Florida. The other two locations are yet to be determined. Green Technologies has facilities in Gainesville and Jacksonville.