This website aims to provide an information platform on the recycling of phosphates.

Why ? Because closing the phosphate cycle reduces consumption of phosphate rock resources and reduces energy consumption (greenhouse gas emissions). read more

What ? Phosphate is present in sewage (from human urine and excrement, food wastes, detergents …), animal wastes, and certain industrial waste streams (metallurgy, food industry …).  read more

How ? Phosphate can be recycled by many routes: by using animal wastes or sewage biosolids to fertiliser agricultural land, use of sewage nutrients in biomass production, use of sewage sludge incineration ash as a raw material in the phosphate industry, precipitation of phosphates in sewage works or animal treatment (as struvite, calcium phosphates …) read more

Where ? A majority of phosphates in sewage and animal wastes worldwide is already recycled through agricultural use of biosolids, but this is not feasible where waste streams exceed agricultural needs (intensive animal production, large cities, urban areas). A number of phosphate recovery installations are operational recycling phosphate from sewage into industry or as a mineral fertiliser.

A wider development off P-recovery will require a combined movement of R&D and process development, water industry involvement and regulator pressure.

This website aims to provide an information basis for this development of phosphorus recycling, necessary for sustainable development.