Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FlashPhos (The complete thermochemical recycling of sewage sludge)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-05-01 bis 2022-10-31
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
The conceptual engineering was the basis for the subsequent pre-experiments and the basic engineering.
• Pre-experiments
Pre-experiments from some milligrammes to tens of kilogrammes of input material delivered real data about the chemistry and physics of the entire FlashPhos process (drying, gasification, P-production, slag valorisation).
• CFD of both thermal reactors
The computed fluid dynamic models and simulation were the start point for the design of the thermal reactors, and will support all further activities with the pilot plant in an iterative process.
• Chemical models of reactions in both stages
The chemical modelling delivered (and goes on delivering) basic data for the CFD and the detail engineering of the pilot plant.
• Process simulation (digital twin) of pilot plant
The process simulation is ready for use in its first version. It currently supports all design activities and will later be used for experimental design and scale-up of the process.
• Basic engineering and safety assessments of the pilot plant
are necessary inputs for the detailed engineering.
• Safety Assessment of pilot plant
Based on the basic engineering data, extensive work on safety issues led to various HAZID and HAZOP workshops, from whose results currently the safety strategy for the pilot is elaborated.
• Detailed Engineering of Dryer-Grinder pilot plant
The dryer-grinder development needs to be ahead of the rest as with it we will produce the input material for the “hot” part of the process.
• Interactive GIS map
Collection of current and expected material flows (sludge and waste) as well as possible locations implemented into GIS map to be constantly updated until the end of the project.
• Accompanying LCA and SEIA
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) are currently in progress, collectively accompanying and influencing the development of the FlashPhos technical and marketing concept.
• Stakeholders and market assessment
Information about FlashPhos stakeholders and the related marke t was elaborated.
• Communication and dissemination activities
FlashPhos brand and CI developed, classical and social media activities launched and updated. Stakeholder databank and communication with relevant stakeholders. Active and passive participation in numerous conferences and trade fairs.
The conceptual engineering was the basis for the subsequent pre-experiments and the basic engineering.
• Pre-experiments
Pre-experiments from some milligrammes to tens of kilogrammes of input material delivered real data about the chemistry and physics of the entire FlashPhos process (drying, gasification, P-production, slag valorisation).
• CFD of both thermal reactors
The computed fluid dynamic models and simulation were the start point for the design of the thermal reactors, and will support all further activities with the pilot plant in an iterative process.
• Chemical models of reactions in both stages
The chemical modelling delivered (and goes on delivering) basic data for the CFD and the detail engineering of the pilot plant.
• Process simulation (digital twin) of pilot plant
The process simulation is ready for use in its first version. It currently supports all design activities and will later be used for experimental design and scale-up of the process.
• Basic engineering and safety assessments of the pilot plant
are necessary inputs for the detailed engineering.
• Safety Assessment of pilot plant
Based on the basic engineering data, extensive work on safety issues led to various HAZID and HAZOP workshops, from whose results currently the safety strategy for the pilot is elaborated.
• Detailed Engineering of Dryer-Grinder pilot plant
The dryer-grinder development needs to be ahead of the rest as with it we will produce the input material for the “hot” part of the process.
• Interactive GIS map
Collection of current and expected material flows (sludge and waste) as well as possible locations implemented into GIS map to be constantly updated until the end of the project.
• Accompanying LCA and SEIA
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) are currently in progress, collectively accompanying and influencing the development of the FlashPhos technical and marketing concept.
• Stakeholders and market assessment
Information about FlashPhos stakeholders and the related marke t was elaborated.
• Communication and dissemination activities
FlashPhos brand and CI developed, classical and social media activities launched and updated. Stakeholder databank and communication with relevant stakeholders. Active and passive participation in numerous conferences and trade fairs.
The FlashPhos process consists of
1. a dryer-grinder stage to produce very fine dust from sewage sludge,
2. a flash gasification step to remove the organic components and impurities,
3. a reduction furnace (“refiner”) to reduce phosphates and extract elemental white phosphorus (P4) from the purified slag and
4. a granulator, in which the liquid slag will be transferred into a cementitious material.
The dryer-grinder (1.) allows us to produce extremely dry and fine dust for the following step by only modifying an existing dryer, 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 one-step Woehler furnaces.
The innovative granulation concept (4.) will enable us to transform the final mineral residue (ca. 40% of the input material) into a marketable product, and recover the melt heat from it at the same time.
Parallel to the development of the technologies and the overall concept, FlashPhos performs profound sustainability studies. These studies have a direct influence on the development in order to enhance the situation of the European society, environment and ecomomy 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.
Based on our development so far, we have formulated this 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 includes, in addition to producing more sustainable white phosphorus and cement, the possibility to offer to all European countries a future-oriented way to remove the contaminants in sewage sludge and other problematic 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. At the same time, we could already establish contacts with various key players in the named sectors, 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 stage to produce very fine dust from sewage sludge,
2. a flash gasification step to remove the organic components and impurities,
3. a reduction furnace (“refiner”) to reduce phosphates and extract elemental white phosphorus (P4) from the purified slag and
4. a granulator, in which the liquid slag will be transferred into a cementitious material.
The dryer-grinder (1.) allows us to produce extremely dry and fine dust for the following step by only modifying an existing dryer, 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 one-step Woehler furnaces.
The innovative granulation concept (4.) will enable us to transform the final mineral residue (ca. 40% of the input material) into a marketable product, and recover the melt heat from it at the same time.
Parallel to the development of the technologies and the overall concept, FlashPhos performs profound sustainability studies. These studies have a direct influence on the development in order to enhance the situation of the European society, environment and ecomomy 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.
Based on our development so far, we have formulated this 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 includes, in addition to producing more sustainable white phosphorus and cement, the possibility to offer to all European countries a future-oriented way to remove the contaminants in sewage sludge and other problematic 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. At the same time, we could already establish contacts with various key players in the named sectors, 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.