(Attachment) 
AMENDMENT OF THE OFFICIAL STANDARDS FOR NORMAL FERTILIZERS 
 
Under current regulations, the Government of Japan classifies “Fused Silicate Fertilizer”, 
the fertilizer melted in a coke-bed type shaft furnace gasification, as “Silicate Fertilizer” and 
has strictly judged whether their raw materials are adaptable to the official standard.  
The Government of Japan will establish a new official standard to register “Fused 
Silicate Fertilizer” as “Normal Fertilizer” on the basis of judgement whether if it conforms to 
the “Minimum content of main nutrients”, “Maximum permissible content of toxic 
substances” and “Other limited particulars”. 
 
 In addition, the government will establish an official standard for the Raw-material 
Specification of "Ash of burning animal and plant materials" so that ash from burning 
woody biomass can be used as a raw material for fertilizer. 
 For this raw material standard, the government will set the maximum permissible content 
of toxic substances. 
 
(Establishment of the Official Standard for the Following Fertilizer) 
Silicate Fertilizers with three-year-term of validity of registration 
Type of 
fertilizer Minimum content of main 
nutrients (%) Maximum permissible c
ontent of toxic substa
nces (%) Other limited particulars 
Fused 
Silicate 
Fertilizer 1.(1) Acid-soluble silicic acid 
 20.0 SiO2 
  (2) Alkalinity 
30.0 CaO or CaO+MgO 
2.  For a fertilizer with 
guaranteed citric 
acid-soluble magnesium in 
addition to the nutrients 
mentioned in 1 
   Citric acid-soluble 
magnesium 
1.0 MgO 1. Per 1.0 % of the Si
O2 of acid-soluble silici
c acid 
Arsenic     0.004 As 
Cadmium   0.00015 Cd 
Nickel      0.01 Ni 
Chromium  0.1 Cr 
Titanium    0.04 Ti 
Mercury    0.0001 Hg 
Lead       0.006 Pb 
2. Maximum limited c
ontent: 
Nickel      0.4 Ni 
Chromium  4.0 Cr 
Titanium    1.5 Ti 1. Raw materials shall 
meet JISA5031 or 
JISA5032 and be melted 
industrial waste or sludge 
that are paper waste, 
wood waste, fiber waste, 
rubber waste, waste 
plastic, sludge, and solid 
unwanted materials 
related to plants and 
animals used as raw 
materials in the food 
manufacturing industry, 
pharmaceutical 
manufacturing industry, 
and flavor manufacturing industry. 
2. Melted in a coke-bed 
type shaft furnace 
gasification melter by 
adding basic 
calcium-containing 
products. 
3. Particle-size of the 
fertilizer shall be 100% 
through a wire sieve with 
4.75mm openings, and 
also must be 95% and 
more through a wire 
sieve with 2.00mm 
openings. 
4. The fertilizer must be 
recognized not to be 
toxic to plants as a result 
of vegetation experiment 
on toxicity to plants. 
5. The fertilizer must use 
“the certified ingredient” 
which was confirmed by 
the Minister of 
Agriculture, Forestry and 
Fisheries to have been 
produced in processing 
plants which can’t be 
contaminated with bovine 
vertebral column and 
cattle which didn’t go 
through slaughter. 
6. The fertilizer shall be 
hydrocrushed and 
metal-removed by 
magnetic separator. 
 (Establishment of the Official Standard for the Raw-materials Specification) 
Type of the material Requirements of the material 
Ash of burning animal and 
plant materials Potassium-containing materials generated from the combu
stion of biomass (resources that are organic matter derive
d from plants and animals (excluding crude oil, petroleum
 gas, combustible natural gas, and coal)) derived from pl
ants and trees in a facility that exclusively burns such m
aterials (excluding incinerator ash generated from the co-fi
ring of materials that contain or may contain paint or che
micals, or materials derived from such materials) 
 
Annexed Table of toxic substance for the official standard for the Raw-materials 
Specification shown in the table above 
For a fertilizer which guarantee potassium and neither nitrogen nor phosphate   
Per 1.0% of the largest nutrient content of total, potassium, citrate-soluble potassium or 
water-soluble potassium:  
Arsenic             0.004       As 
Cadmium           0.00015     Cd 
Nickel              0.01        Ni 
Chromium          0.1         Cr 
Titanium           0.04         Ti 
Mercury           0.0001       Hg 
Lead              0.006        Pb 
 
For a fertilizer which guarantee more than two of the nitrogen, phosphate or potassium 
Per 1.0% of the total of the largest nutrient content of each nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potassium: 
Arsenic             0.002       As 
Cadmium         0.000075      Cd 
Nickel             0.005        Ni 
Chromium         0.05         Cr 
Titanium           0.02         Ti 
Mercury            0.00005     Hg 
Lead               0.003       Pb