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. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 1
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Recycling nutrients from biowastes
Chris Thornton - European Sustainable Phosphorous Platform
• info@phosphorusplatform.eu
• www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts

2. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 2
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphorus:
essential,
non substitutable,
non renewable
Use of phosphate rock
www.aguiaresources.com.au

3. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 3
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphate rock is on EU Critical Raw Materials list
- Linked to world food security and price instability
- Europe > 90% dependent on imports
- Geo-political concentration of reserves
Without phosphate fertilisers we
could feed around 1/5 of the world
population
Adapted from Dawson et al., Food Policy 2011:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03069192

4. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 4
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Environmental impacts
- Eutrophication
-Ammonia emissions
- Planetary boundaries
Phosphorus is the first cause of
EU Water Framework Directive
quality failure (other than morphology)
http://www.stockholmresilience.org

5. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 5
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphorus recycling
A long history

6. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 6
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
New solutions for today’s world
- only 40% of EU sewage now goes to crops
- increasing concentration of livestock manures
- new potential nutrient recovery feedstocks:
food wastes,bio-energy,food processing …

7. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 7
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphorus recycling potential in EU-27
[kton P/year] Total Recycled Potential
Sewage sludge 297 115 182
Biodegradable solid waste 130 38 92
Meat & bone meal 128 6 122
Total 427-555 153-160 274-396
Manure recycling = 1 736
Mineral fertiliser use = 1 448
Van Dijk & Oenema “Overview of phosphorus flows in wastes in Europe”, 2013, Fertilisers Europe seminar, 6 Feb. 2013.
Updated Van Dijk et al. in preparation 9/2014

8. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 8
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphorus recycling synergies
• Improving sewage treatment (nutrient removal)
• Reducing ammonia emissions
• Anaerobic digestion & biogas
• Avoiding landfill
http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/earthrise/2014/12/re
cycling-phosphorus-2014121693225616272.html

9. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 9
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Nutrient recycling products
• Refined fertiliser products
• Organic fertilisers:
- composts,digestates
- dried pelleted bio-wastes
• Mineral concentrates
• Industrial chemicals:
- phosphoric acid
- P4 (white phosphorus)

10. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 10
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Nutrient recycling products
Key = product must correspond to user requirements needs and
requirements (quality, equipment,logistics …)

11. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 11
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Phosphorus recycling success stories
www.magic-dirt.com

12. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 12
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story – 50 M€ Investment:
Kanton Zürich
• 72 wwtps now deliver
100 000 t/y dewatered sludge
to central mono-incinerator
- 94% vote “Yes” in local referendum
- commissioned 2015
- delivers 15 000 t/y ash for P-recycling
- 40% operating cost savings by energy efficient dryer
• 3,3 M CHF pilot P-recovery installation under construction
- acid P leaching P, solvent extraction  phosphoric acid
See SCOPE Newsletter 119 and http://www.awel.zh.ch

13. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 13
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story:
Waternet Amsterdam West sewage works
• AirPrex struvite precipitation
• Upstream of sludge digesters
• Operational savings:
150 000 € / year
• Improved sludge dewatering:
250 000 € / year
• Increased methane production
• Achievement of 1 mgP/l discharge

14. 14European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform
Success story:
NuReSys
• SME, Belgium
• 8 installations recovering
Phosphorus as struvite
• Potato processing, dairy,
pharmaceuticals,
municipal waste water

15. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 15
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story:
Timac: struvite as maize starter fertiliser
• NuReSys recovered struvite from potato processing
• Non-burning, enabling “ultra location” next to roots
• Micro-granulation
• Ammonium addition for nutrient balance
NuReSys - Scope Newsletter n°121
http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/images/scope/
ScopeNewsletter121.pdf

16. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 16
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story: COOPERL
Brittany pig farmers’ cooperatives
• 400 000 t/y manure processed
to organic fertiliser products
- 150 000 t composted poultry litter
- 150 000 t dried poultry manure
- 100 000 t pig manure (1 100 farms)
• Adapted to specific crops and exported to other regions of France
• Positive farmer acceptance
• TRAC Emeraude stabling system
- liquid solid separation in stable
- reduced ammonia emissions
Supported by EU Investment Plan
http://www.cooperl.com/en/environmental-solutions

17. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 17
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story:
Fertikal,Antwerp
• 180 000 t/y (wet weight) manure
processed to organic fertilisers:
• solid/liquid separation
dried, pelletised
• For agriculture, horticulture
• Distributed
to 25 countries worldwide
www.fertikal.be

18. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 18
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story:
KOTO AlgaeBioGas,Llubljana
• 13 000 t/y household and industry food waste
converted to biogas
• 30 m2 pilot algae pond fed with digestate
• Algae used for energy production,
fertilisers or bioplastics

19. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 19
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Success story:
SARIA UK – Kalfos
• Bioenergy and P-fertiliser (ash)
from combustion
of animal by-products (MBM)
• Authorised for arable and grazing land
• 12 000 tonnes/year
http://www.saria.co.uk/

20. 20European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform
Success story:
Ecophos P-recycling from sewage sludge ash
• Pilot plant operational Varna, Bulgaria
• Produce DCP (Di Calcium Phosphate) for fertilisers, animal feed
• Full-scale plant under construction Dunkerque, France
capacity: 200 000 t/y DCP from low grade P-rock and ash
• Contract to treat 60 000 t/y ash from Netherlands (SNB – HVC Groep)
= 4 000 t/y P
See SCOPE Newsletter 111 and www.ecophos.com

21. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 21
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
ESPP: a coalition for action
• Bring together industry, R&D, authorities, stakeholders
water & waste industries,mineral and organic fertilisers,
chemicals, P-recycling technology suppliers,national & regional
governments,knowledge institutes …
• Build awareness and share a vision
for sustainable phosphorus in Europe
• Dialogue & network expertise and experience
• Assess and propose policy & regulatory developments
• Disseminate innovation, business cases, value chains

22. ISWA – EESC Circular Economy and Biowastes, 14th Nov.2016 - 22
www.phosphorusplatform.eu
Recycling nutrients from biowastes
Chris Thornton - European Sustainable Phosphorous Platform
• info@phosphorusplatform.eu
• www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts