Phosphorus Recycling from Ashes

From collaborative projects in the field of research and development to industrial production

With the amendment of the Fertilization Regulations (DüVM) and the Sewage Sludge Ordinance (AbfKlärV), the German legislator has re-regulated the course for the future handling of sewage sludge in 2017 and made phosphorus recycling mandatory from 2029. As early as 2023, operators of large wastewater treatment plants will have to submit concepts on how they intend to implement the requirements for a phosphorus cycle economy. Since then, the new commitments have been a powerful reshuffle of the waste management industry and lead to a wide range of cooperation projects. More and more actors from the public, business, research and political sectors are joining forces to jointly develop new solutions for phosphorus recovery and to agree on concrete investment projects. In mid-June 2020, the European Commission also announced that it would evaluate the Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC). [1] Three interest groups, consisting of the European Phosphorplatform (ESPP), the German Phosphorus Platform (DPP) and the Dutch Nutrient Platform (NPP), have together published a catalogue of technologies listing methods for phosphorus recovery. [2] The technology catalogue also presents the PHOS4green process developed by Glatt in cooperation with SERAPLANT GmbH.

Meanwhile, at the end of 2020, the development partner SERAPLANT, a fertilizer manufacturer from Saxony-Anhalt, will start operating the first large-scale PHOS4green production plant. The new plant is designed for an annual production of 60,000 tons of phosphate-containing single and multi-nutrient fertilizers.

[1] Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz, Europabericht der Vertretung des Freistaates Bayern bei der EUNr. 11/2020 vom 26.06.2020; Europabericht der Vertretung des Freistaates Bayern bei der EUNr. 11/2020 vom 26.06.2020, https://www.bayern.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/eb-11-20.pdf.

[2] Thornton, Christopher, ESPP – DPP – NNP phosphorus recovery technology catalogue, https://phosphorusplatform.eu/images/download/ESPP-NNP-DPP_P-recovery_tech_catalogue_v_25_2_2020.pdf