Circular, carbon & waste-free project

This is the out development of a new technology to recover white phosphorus from sewage sludge ash and bone meal, further referred to as the process. The company is a Dutch technology start-up founded in 2020. Its mission is to take the process to commercial level and roll it out internationally. Great strides have already been made. The driving force is a chemical engineer who is also the designer of this patented process.

Background
Phosphate / Phosphorus linear use - finite resources. Of the Dutch phosphate imports, 35% is lost via wastewater treatment sludge. This phosphate, as part of a waste, is used linearly. In Germany, Switzerland and Austria, it will be legally required in a few years to recycle phosphate from sludge. Dutch and Belgian water boards see recycling as a social responsibility. Worldwide, there is a lot of attention for it.

Opportunities
Large-scale Phosphate / Phosphorus recycling from sewage sludge incineration ash has not yet materialized, despite the pressure of the upcoming regulatory requirement. Numerous recycling technologies are under development; a few are at TRL8. These are mostly based on acid leaching, separation, cleaning and thickening. This requires many chemicals, large plants, is cost-prohibitive and often produces large quantities of residues. Thermal methods are energy intensive, have a large CO2 footprint (e.g. Thermphos in Vlissingen, until 2012). (Unwanted) modifications to water treatment are required for reasonable efficiency.