The first economically viable process for phosphate recycling

Descrizione del progetto

Una tecnologia innovativa per il riciclaggio del fosfato

Il fosforo (P) è una materia prima critica nell’UE e un componente fondamentale dei fertilizzanti. L’Unione europea importa il 90 % di quanto ne consuma, mentre il 90 % del fosforo che utilizza viene irreversibilmente perduto. Non esistono tecnologie in grado di riciclare le ceneri dei fanghi di depurazione affinché possano essere utilizzate in modo diretto dai produttori di fertilizzanti e ritardanti di fiamma a base di fosfato. Per di più, le soluzioni concorrenti sono costose in quanto impiegano tutte l’acqua come solvente e consumano un’elevata quantità di energia. Il progetto SusPhos, finanziato dall’UE, propone una soluzione di processo che genera una quantità quasi nulla di scarti capace di riciclare i rifiuti ricchi di fosfato, come le ceneri dei fanghi di depurazione o la struvite, in fosfati, sali di ferro e magnesio, nonché miscele di silice. Questi composti ad alta qualità privi di agenti patogeni sono idonei per la formulazione di fertilizzanti e ritardanti di fiamma. La soluzione concepita da SusPhos si avvale esclusivamente di calore di scarto, offrendo costi associati competitivi.

Obiettivo

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.