Periodic Reporting for period 2 - FlashPhos (The complete thermochemical recycling of sewage sludge)
Reporting period: 2022-11-01 to 2024-04-30
Elemental white phosphorus (P4) is a strategic raw material with high criticality due to its irreplaceability for key industries, for example in the food, pharmaceutical and electronic sectors.
Currently, the European Union is almost completely dependent on white phosphorus imports from Kazakhstan, Vietnam and China. As trade with these countries is often not reliable, and the delivered P4 qualities are low, the supply for European industry is not secured on a long term.
Yet, there are enough phosphorus reserves in Europe veiled in sewage sludge to cover the EU’s whole demand on white phosphorus plus up to 25% of the phosphate consumed in the EU for other applications.
On the other hand, most European countries don't have a sustainable sewage sludge concept regarding the environmentally sound disposal and recovery of valuable materials at the same time:
Currently more than 60% of the European sewage sludge is used in agriculture and landscaping. In this way, hazardous organic pollutants and millions of tons of microplastic once removed from sewage are spread in the environment.
The aim of FlashPhos is to demonstrate at a large scale a thermochemical process to sustainably produce high-quality white phosphorus using as input material sewage sludge paste as it comes from the sewage treatment plants. With our plants implemented in industrial host plants (e. g. cement factories), we will be able to offer a sludge disposal and P-recovery concept to almost every region in Europe.
The technical demonstration is accompanied by profound studies of the economic, ecological and societal interactions of the concept. Together with the process engineering know-how achieved and data produced with the related pilot actions, this will lead to a market replication concept including
• the basic engineering of the first industrial scale FlashPhos plant implemented in the designated host industrial plant and
• a viable concept to manage all input resources and market all FlashPhos products,
in order to enable the planned market entry in 2025.
FlashPhos will then be the first and unique technology in Europe producing white phosphorus for the chemical industry, providing at the same time a future-proof solution for the problematic sewage sludge disposal.
It is expected that FlashPhos plants will be able to cover 50% of the European P4-demand by 2040. This will be possible by recycling 15% of the sludge currently generated in Europe in an economically and ecologically sound and climate-friendly circular economy process.
Currently, the European Union is almost completely dependent on white phosphorus imports from Kazakhstan, Vietnam and China. As trade with these countries is often not reliable, and the delivered P4 qualities are low, the supply for European industry is not secured on a long term.
Yet, there are enough phosphorus reserves in Europe veiled in sewage sludge to cover the EU’s whole demand on white phosphorus plus up to 25% of the phosphate consumed in the EU for other applications.
On the other hand, most European countries don't have a sustainable sewage sludge concept regarding the environmentally sound disposal and recovery of valuable materials at the same time:
Currently more than 60% of the European sewage sludge is used in agriculture and landscaping. In this way, hazardous organic pollutants and millions of tons of microplastic once removed from sewage are spread in the environment.
The aim of FlashPhos is to demonstrate at a large scale a thermochemical process to sustainably produce high-quality white phosphorus using as input material sewage sludge paste as it comes from the sewage treatment plants. With our plants implemented in industrial host plants (e. g. cement factories), we will be able to offer a sludge disposal and P-recovery concept to almost every region in Europe.
The technical demonstration is accompanied by profound studies of the economic, ecological and societal interactions of the concept. Together with the process engineering know-how achieved and data produced with the related pilot actions, this will lead to a market replication concept including
• the basic engineering of the first industrial scale FlashPhos plant implemented in the designated host industrial plant and
• a viable concept to manage all input resources and market all FlashPhos products,
in order to enable the planned market entry in 2025.
FlashPhos will then be the first and unique technology in Europe producing white phosphorus for the chemical industry, providing at the same time a future-proof solution for the problematic sewage sludge disposal.
It is expected that FlashPhos plants will be able to cover 50% of the European P4-demand by 2040. This will be possible by recycling 15% of the sludge currently generated in Europe in an economically and ecologically sound and climate-friendly circular economy process.
• Conceptual engineering of the FlashPhos process
Basis for pre-experiments and basic engineering.
• Pre-experiments in lab scale
delivered real data about chemistry and physics of the FlashPhos process. Continued to support the scale-up and de-risk pilot experiments.
• CFD of both thermal reactors
CFD models and simulation helped to design the thermal reactors, and will support pilot plant trials and optimisation.
• Chemical models of reactions in both stages
delivers basic data for CFD and detail engineering of the pilot plant.
• Process simulation (digital twin) of pilot plant
"Virtual FlashPhos Plant" ready; has supported all design activities and is now used for experimental design and scale-up.
• Basic engineering of plot plants accomplished.
• Safety Assessment of pilot plant
Various HAZID and HAZOP workshops performed, resulting in the pilot plant’s safety strategy.
• Detailed Engineering and construction of Dryer-Grinder pilot plant accomplished.
• Dryer-Grinder pilot experiments
The DG pilot up and running. Experimental results with led to significant changes in operation mode and hardware configuration. We are positive to undercut the goal of grains < 300 µm.
• Detailed engineering of the Flash reactor and refiner pilot plants ready.
• Status Flash Reactor pilot plant
All components procured and mostly assembled. Start of commissioning November 2024.
• Status Refiner pilot plant
All components procured; reactor under construction.
• Interactive GIS map
Collection of current and expected material flows, transport distances and possible locations implemented into GIS map to be constantly updated. First version of interactive map set published.
• Scale-up of FlashPhos and integration into cement plant
Basic engineering of industrial scale FlashPhos plant in progress. First data for integration into cement plant collected, possible challenges identified.
• Accompanying LCA and SEIA
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) in progress, accompanying and influencing the development of FlashPhos’s technical and marketing concept.
• Internal IP management
Internal IP management plan set up; two patents related to slag granulation filed.
• Stakeholders and market assessment
Information about FlashPhos stakeholders and related market elaborated.
• Communication and dissemination activities
FlashPhos brand and CI developed, classical and social media activities launched and updated. Communication with relevant stakeholders. Participation in conferences and trade fairs. Publication of several peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter about P-recycling (in print).
First of a series of FlashPhos workshops and seminars planned for October 2024 in Milan.
Basis for pre-experiments and basic engineering.
• Pre-experiments in lab scale
delivered real data about chemistry and physics of the FlashPhos process. Continued to support the scale-up and de-risk pilot experiments.
• CFD of both thermal reactors
CFD models and simulation helped to design the thermal reactors, and will support pilot plant trials and optimisation.
• Chemical models of reactions in both stages
delivers basic data for CFD and detail engineering of the pilot plant.
• Process simulation (digital twin) of pilot plant
"Virtual FlashPhos Plant" ready; has supported all design activities and is now used for experimental design and scale-up.
• Basic engineering of plot plants accomplished.
• Safety Assessment of pilot plant
Various HAZID and HAZOP workshops performed, resulting in the pilot plant’s safety strategy.
• Detailed Engineering and construction of Dryer-Grinder pilot plant accomplished.
• Dryer-Grinder pilot experiments
The DG pilot up and running. Experimental results with led to significant changes in operation mode and hardware configuration. We are positive to undercut the goal of grains < 300 µm.
• Detailed engineering of the Flash reactor and refiner pilot plants ready.
• Status Flash Reactor pilot plant
All components procured and mostly assembled. Start of commissioning November 2024.
• Status Refiner pilot plant
All components procured; reactor under construction.
• Interactive GIS map
Collection of current and expected material flows, transport distances and possible locations implemented into GIS map to be constantly updated. First version of interactive map set published.
• Scale-up of FlashPhos and integration into cement plant
Basic engineering of industrial scale FlashPhos plant in progress. First data for integration into cement plant collected, possible challenges identified.
• Accompanying LCA and SEIA
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) in progress, accompanying and influencing the development of FlashPhos’s technical and marketing concept.
• Internal IP management
Internal IP management plan set up; two patents related to slag granulation filed.
• Stakeholders and market assessment
Information about FlashPhos stakeholders and related market elaborated.
• Communication and dissemination activities
FlashPhos brand and CI developed, classical and social media activities launched and updated. Communication with relevant stakeholders. Participation in conferences and trade fairs. Publication of several peer-reviewed articles and one book chapter about P-recycling (in print).
First of a series of FlashPhos workshops and seminars planned for October 2024 in Milan.
The FlashPhos process consists of
1. a dryer-grinder to produce very fine dust from sewage sludge,
2. a flash gasification to remove the organics and impurities,
3. a reduction furnace (“refiner”) to reduce phosphates and extract elemental white phosphorus (P4) from the purified slag and
4. a granulator transferring the liquid slag into a cementitious material.
The dryer-grinder (1.) allows us to produce extremely dry and fine dust for the following step, without having to implement an energy-consuming extra grinding step.
The combination of gasification (2.) and reduction (3.) allows us to produce a very pure white phosphorus, compared to the product from the conventional P-production.
The innovative granulation (4.) will transform the final mineral residue (ca. 40% of the input material) into a marketable product, and recover the heat of the melt.
Parallel to the conceptual and technical development, FlashPhos performs sustainability studies, directly influencing the development in order to enhance the situation of the European society, environment and economy compared to the status quo. This is for example by introducing a technological concept with a completely circular material flow, using only secondary resources with no solid residues to be disposed of.
Our vision by 2025:
"FlashPhos goes to market in Europe: first process in the world to sustainably produce white phosphorus for the chemical industry in a full circular economy model, surpassing the quality of white phosphorus on the market today."
This full circular economy model offers to all European countries, in addition to producing more sustainable white phosphorus and cement, a future-oriented way to remove contaminants in sewage sludge and other wastes from the biosphere, which they are currently strongly polluting.
Through our communication and dissemination activities we have made FlashPhos known to relevant stakeholders from the industry, politics, academia and the public. We already established contact to various key players, which we will deepen and multiply in the coming project years, in order to provide FlashPhos a good start position for market entry in 2025.
1. a dryer-grinder to produce very fine dust from sewage sludge,
2. a flash gasification to remove the organics and impurities,
3. a reduction furnace (“refiner”) to reduce phosphates and extract elemental white phosphorus (P4) from the purified slag and
4. a granulator transferring the liquid slag into a cementitious material.
The dryer-grinder (1.) allows us to produce extremely dry and fine dust for the following step, without having to implement an energy-consuming extra grinding step.
The combination of gasification (2.) and reduction (3.) allows us to produce a very pure white phosphorus, compared to the product from the conventional P-production.
The innovative granulation (4.) will transform the final mineral residue (ca. 40% of the input material) into a marketable product, and recover the heat of the melt.
Parallel to the conceptual and technical development, FlashPhos performs sustainability studies, directly influencing the development in order to enhance the situation of the European society, environment and economy compared to the status quo. This is for example by introducing a technological concept with a completely circular material flow, using only secondary resources with no solid residues to be disposed of.
Our vision by 2025:
"FlashPhos goes to market in Europe: first process in the world to sustainably produce white phosphorus for the chemical industry in a full circular economy model, surpassing the quality of white phosphorus on the market today."
This full circular economy model offers to all European countries, in addition to producing more sustainable white phosphorus and cement, a future-oriented way to remove contaminants in sewage sludge and other wastes from the biosphere, which they are currently strongly polluting.
Through our communication and dissemination activities we have made FlashPhos known to relevant stakeholders from the industry, politics, academia and the public. We already established contact to various key players, which we will deepen and multiply in the coming project years, in order to provide FlashPhos a good start position for market entry in 2025.