German phosphorus recovery plant due by 2027
Groundbreaking begins for a phosphorus recovery plant to boost Europe's self-sufficiency.
The plant in Schkopau, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, will be the world's first phosphorus recovery plant using the Ash2Phos process.
Phosphorgewinnung Schkopau (PGS) GmbH is building the recovery plant with a capacity of 30,000t of sewage sludge ash. It is scheduled to go into operation in 2027.
According to the company, the plant will recover more than 90% of the phosphorus from sewage sludge ash.
PGS is a joint venture between EasyMining, part of the Swedish environmental company Ragn-Sells, and the German infrastructure and utility company Gelsenwasser.
The European Commission recently approved the phosphorus-containing product, RevoCaP, for use in organic farming. It can also be used as a conventional fertiliser.
The process also recovers other substances, such as iron and aluminium chemicals for reuse as precipitants in sewage treatment plants, as well as sand.
The developers of EasyMining emphasise that the process efficiently extracts pollutants from the material cycles and does not merely dilute or immobilise them.
‘If we are serious about creating a sustainable society, we need to reuse the resources we have already extracted over and over again. This is especially true for critical raw materials, such as phosphorus,’ says Lars Lindén, Managing Director of Ragn-Sells, the parent company of EasyMining.
Germany was the first country in Europe to regulate phosphorus recovery by law.
From 2029, all sewage treatment plants must recover most of the phosphorus from sewage sludge. The plant in Schkopau will help to fulfil this legal requirement.
