Project description
Innovative technology for phosphate recycling
Phosphorus (P) is a critical raw material in the EU and a vital constituent in fertilisers. The EU imports 90 % of what it consumes and 90 % of what is used is irreversibly lost. No technology can upcycle sewage sludge ash (SSA) for direct use by manufacturers of phosphate-based flame retardants and fertilisers, and competing solutions are costly. They all use water as a solvent and are characterised by high energy consumption. The EU-funded SusPhos project proposes a near-zero-waste process solution that upcycles P-rich waste like SSA or struvite into phosphates, iron and magnesium salts, and silica mixtures. These high-quality, pathogen-free compounds are suitable for formulating fertilisers and flame retardants. The solution uses only waste heat, allowing competitive costs.
Objective
In the EU, phosphorus (P) is listed as a critical raw material. It is essential for life and there is no known substitute. P is a vital constituent in fertilisers; the EU's agricultural need is 3.9 Mt/yr. We import 90% of what we consume, and 90% of what we use is irreversibly lost. The SusPhos solution upcycles P-rich waste like Sewage Sludge Ash (SSA) or struvite into phosphates, iron & magnesium salts, and silica mixtures. Our high-quality, pathogen-free compounds are suitable for formulating fertilisers and phosphate-based flame retardants (FR). Reaction by-products are fine-chemicals in their own right, making our technology a near-zero waste process. Currently, there is no technology except ours that can upcycle SSA for direct use by FR or fertiliser manufacturers. Competing solutions for P recycling are cost-prohibitive. They all use water as a solvent, which means high energy requirements for solvent evaporation. Our patented solution uses merely waste heat, which allows us to price our phosphates on the same level as if they were derived from mined phosphate rock.
We will create an independent EU supply of recycled P, reducing the EU’s dependence on supply and price volatility. By 2026, we project revenues of €33m and a >20% displacement of conventionally produced phosphates. Our circular P will eliminate CO2 from rock phosphate transport and reduce pollution caused by mining. Our “urban mines” (SusPhos plants) will create hundreds of jobs across the EU, and at SusPhos, we are striving to strengthen female leadership and inspire women to choose to conduct their higher education and build carriers in chemical engineering and raw materials (currently very male-dominated sectors). With the support of Women TechEU, we aim to upgrade our rollout plan and sharpen our business development skills so that we can grow large enough to become a leading technology provider for circular P, and to become and influential player in deep-tech innovation ecosystem.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry alkaline earth metals
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.3.2 - European innovation ecosystems
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIE-2021-SCALEUP-01
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1506 DR ZAANDAM
Netherlands
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
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