Presentation at the ESPP conference Phosphorus stewardship in industrial applications, Brussels, 01-12-2016 European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) www.phosphorusplatform.eu Sustainable management of nutrients is crucial for agriculture, food, industry, water and the environment. ESPP brings together companies and stakeholders to address the Phosphorus Challenge and its opportunities for the circular economy. Countries: Austria AT Belgium BE Bulgaria BG Cyprus CY Czech Republic CZ Germany DE Denmark DK Estonia EE Spain ES Finland FI France FR Greece EL Hungary HU Ireland IE Italy IT Lithuania LT Luxembourg LU Latvia LV Malta MT Netherlands NL Poland PL Portugal PT Romania RO Sweden SE Slovenia SI Slovakia SK United Kingdom UK Switzerland CH Phosphorus: Fosfor Fosfor Fòsfòr Фосфор Fosfor Фосфор Fosfor Fosfor Фосфор Фосфор Fosforas Fosfors Fuosfuors Fosfor Ffуsfforws Fosfar Fosfaras Fosfaar Fosforus Φωσφορος Ֆոսֆոր Fosfor Fosfor Фосфор Фосфор ফসফরাস فسفر ફૉસ્ફરસનો फास्फोरस Fosfor Fosfori Foszfor Фосфор Фосфор Паликандур Fosfor Fosfor Фосфор Фосфор Фосфор Фосфор Fosfor فوسفور Fosfor Fosforoa ფოსფორი [fūsfūr] זרחן Fosfru Lìn リン 인 ฟอสฟอรัส Photpho 磷 Posporo Fosfor Pūtūtae-whetū Fosforus ഫോസ്ഫറസ് பொஸ்பரசு Fosofo Fosforase Posfori Fósforo Phusphuru Fosforimi Fosforo Fosforon Pesticium

1. CHAPTER :
1
European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform
1st EU Raw Material Week
1st December 2016, Brussels
Phosphorus Stewardship in Industrial
Applications

2. CHAPTER :
2
Carl Szöcs
Senior Research Scientist
Phosphorus Recycling Initiatives
in a multi-sector P Company

3. 3
Engis
Puurs
Les Roches
Augusta
o Products & Technologies
o Managing risks: SEVESO, H&S, Quality, Environment, Food Safety, etc.
o Rational Use of (raw) Materials & Energy (CO2, LCA, wastes,…)

4. 4
o B2B
o Shift from laundry and dishwashing
o Source > 400 kT rock and > 100 kT(P2O5) MGA
www.prayon.com

5. 5
R&D projects’ focus:
www.prayon.com
o Energy
o Precision Farming / Agriculture
o Specialities
o P Technology
 P Recovery

6. 6
P recovery
06/2014  today
About 20 specific studies:
o Mostly B2B related
o From partners, customers and others
o Confidential

7. 7
Spent
reagents
Waste water
treatment
Ashes
Biomass  energy  ashes
Municipal sludges
End of life  second life
Industrial sludges
Food sector

8. 8
Incorporating… with constraints
o Into existing units (integrated processes)
If one coughs,
another sneezes !

9. 9
Incorporating… with constraints
o Win win situation
• overall profitability
• over the complete chain
(materials, logistics, process costs, wastes, etc.)
Risk assessment

10. 10
Risks
o Quality of our productions
+ Safety and environmental issues
o For our installations : often (too) low P2O5
 Reagents & Energy
 Maintenance
 By-products & Wastes
 Water balance
 etc.

11. 11
Each product requires its own
evaluation:
Nature of products
and by-products
Physical aspects
and properties
Quantities,
time, localisation
P-content and
impurities
Variability

12. 12
Phosphoric acid
Spent acids recycling since Y2K
Variability according to the source (process, etc.)
Drift regarding the specs
(metals such as Na & Mg, heavy metals, organic matters)

13. 13
Phosphoric acid

14. 14
Phosphoric acids
Some discarded cases:
Incompatibility with
• process
• materials resistance
• raw materials specs
• internal client specs
• final products specs

15. 15
Phosphoric acids
Currently, 4 recent projects approved by R&D
• 4 out of 7
• other Departments: approval pending
• metal surface treatment
• water treatment
• DE, BE

16. 16
Phosphate salts
1. Calcium phosphate
Substituing calcium phosphate for phosphate rock (> 400 kT)
Actually, 2 R&D projects still running (NL)
2. Struvite
Risk of market overflow due to municipal P recovery
A convenient raw material for a combined production
of phosphoric acid and NP-fertilisers ?
3. Others
Currently, 2 R&D projects running (FR, DE)

17. 17
P-Recovery R&D Studies
Stats and Summary

18. 18
Additional hurdles
Legislation & Regulations Acceptance & ReputationCroesus’ Myth

19. 19
Additional hurdles
o Legislation & Regulations
• Waste, by-product
• Transportation, border crossing
• Fertilisers Directive
• …
o Croesus’ Myth
• Will my residue become a gold mine ?

20. 20
Additional hurdles
o Acceptance & Reputation
• For the general public, P is the environmental enemy
(after the excesses of its use in 60-70’s)
• Is P replacement in laundry really a green solution in
case of Circular Economy ?
• Are we ready to change 40 years of communication
about P in order to support the Circular Economy ?

21. 21
Additional hurdles
o Acceptance & Reputation
• The «Lavoisier Syndrome»:
P from my waste into my plate again ?
How good does one accept it ?
o An organic threat: bioactive molecules
• drugs, hormones, endocrine disruptors, etc.
• from municipal sludges, pharmaceutical industrial
waste, manures from intensive farming, etc.
Is there any other solution than a thermal process ?

22. 22
Introspective
conclusions
Obvious limits of our current approach
o Existing processes
 investments required
o Risk assessment studies
 tedious, costy
Internal debate
o Dedicated unit ?
o Specific new technologies ?

23. 23
For further
debate
Win win win conditions
o A high(er) P-content allows a
reliable recovery with operating
technologies
o A low P-content means
investments to close the loop
Today the P recovery is more expensive
than the phosphate rock.
A sustainable solution should take this
into account…

24. 24
Thank you for your attention