The first economically viable process for phosphate recycling

Descripción del proyecto

Tecnología innovadora para el reciclaje de fosfatos

El fósforo (P) es una materia prima fundamental en la Unión Europea (UE) y un componente vital de los fertilizantes. La UE importa el 90 % de lo que consume y el 90 % de lo que se utiliza se pierde irremediablemente. Ninguna tecnología puede reciclar las cenizas de fangos de depuración (CFD) para que las utilicen directamente los fabricantes de retardantes de llama y fertilizantes a base de fosfatos, y las soluciones de la competencia son caras. Todas ellas utilizan agua como disolvente y se caracterizan por tener un elevado consumo de energía. El equipo del proyecto SusPhos, financiado con fondos europeos, propone una solución de desechos casi nulos que recicla los residuos ricos en P, como las CFD o la estruvita, para convertirlos en fosfatos, sales de hierro y magnesio y mezclas de sílice. Estos compuestos de alta calidad y libres de patógenos son adecuados para la formulación de fertilizantes y retardantes de llama. La solución utiliza únicamente el calor residual, lo cual permite tener unos costes competitivos.

Objetivo

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.