taking the nutrient circular economy forward in europe - resource phosphor ifat conference munchen...

Ressource Phosphor, IFAT, München, 31/5/2016

European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform

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Taking the nutrient circular economy forward in Europe

Ludwig Hermann - European Sustainable Phosphorous [email protected]

www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/

https://twitter.com/phosphorusfacts





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European Sustainable Phosphorus PlatformLaunched 2013• P resources, mining, processing• P recycling • P use efficiency in crop & animal production• Environmental impacts of P-losses• Sustainable and safe food chain, farm to diet• Bio-nutrients circular economywww.phosphorusplatform

.eu

@phosphorusfacts








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ESPP: a coalition for action

• Bring together industry, R&D, public authorities, stakeholders

• Shared vision for sustainable phosphorus in Europe• Dialogue & networking of expertise and experience

Awareness building• Access policy & regulatory developments• Dissemination of innovation, business cases, value

chains





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ESPP action – regulatory developments• EU Fertiliser Regulation recast: taking recovered nutrient products

into account• EU fertiliser criteria development (JRC) :

- ESPP drafts for struvite, biomass ashes and (underway) biochars• Nitrates Directive: “processed manure”• Organic Farming Regulation: proposed validation of recycled P

products• REACH (EU chemicals regulation):

- Art 2(7)d “recovered” substances/by-products- digestates

• BAT BREFs (Industrial Emissions Directive): - pig & poultry production- large combustion plants – waste incineration – food, drink & milk- proposed “Resource Efficiency” BREF

• BEMPs: EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme Regulation) “agriculture”

• EIP-AGRI Focus Group proposal: agronomic use of recovered nutrient products

• Standards: CEN SABE position paper on P-recycling, ISO 275





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ESPP action – innovation and data• Input to defining future Horizon 2020 work programmes• DONUTSS: data on nutrients to support stewardship

http://phosphorusplatform.eu/donutss - decision support for industry, policy making and monitoring, investment- incite establishment of nutrient observatories or systems

• EU Commission DG Research: joint workshop on P-recovery from R&D to market, conclusions published by EU http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/circular-approaches-tophosphorus-pbKI0115204/

• Inventory of R&D projects: online ESPP website• Linking R&D/resource recovery networks: IWA, WssTP,

ARREAU, BioRefine• R&D Projects: dissemination partner, expert advisory committee• Dissemination: Newsletter, website … • Implementation: ESPP industry members,

EU industry federations, agriculture/users …

http://phosphorusplatform.eu/donutss

http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/circular-approaches-tophosphorus-pbKI0115204/






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ESPP communications - R&D dissemination• SCOPE Newsletter• Twitter @phosphorusfacts • Website www.phosphorusplatform.euand international• North America NAPPS

https://sustainablep.asu.edu/ • PCPR Japan• UNEP Global Partnership

for Nutrient Management http://unep.org/gpa/gpnm/gpnm.asp





https://sustainablep.asu.edu/



http://unep.org/gpa/gpnm/gpnm.asp







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Other nutrient platformsBaltic Sea Action Group www.bsag.fi Netherlands 2010 http://www.nutrientplatform.org/Flanders 2012 www.vlakwa.be/en/initiatives/nutrientplatform/ Germany 2015 www.deutsche-phosphor-plattform.de Projects underway: UKFranceCzech RepublicSpain / Portugal…

http://www.bsag.fi/

http://www.nutrientplatform.org/

http://www.vlakwa.be/en/initiatives/nutrientplatform/

http://www.vlakwa.be/en/initiatives/nutrientplatform/

http://www.deutsche-phosphor-plattform.de/



http://www.deutsche-phosphor-plattform.de/

http://www.nutrientplatform.org/

http://www.vlakwa.be/nutrientenplatform/



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Potentials of a nutrient circular economy• Resource consumption

- dependency on imports (phosphate rock, natural gas)

• Synergies- reducing nutrient losses (eutrophication)- biogas and biofuels- precision farming- restoring soil organic carbon

• Farmers income: reducing costs / secondary income

• Distributed employment- nutrients in biomass, sewage, manures are in rural areas

• Innovation: EU world leader in technologies, systems





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Success story:NuReSys• SME, Belgium• 8 installations recovering

Phosphorus as struvite• Potato processing, dairy,

pharmaceuticals, municipal waste water





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Success story:cnp-Technology Water and Biosolids GmbHSME, Germany• 4 installations recovering

Phosphorus as struvite• Municipal waste water

• Berlin Wassmannsdorf• Mönchengladbach (DE)• Echten (NL)• Amsterdamhttp://cnp-tec.com/

http://cnp-tec.com/

http://cnp-tec.com/





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Success story:Waternet Amsterdam West sewage works• AirPrex struvite precipitation• Upstream of sludge digesters• Operational savings:

150 000 € / year• Improved sludge dewatering:

250 000 € / year• Increased methane production• Achievement of 1 mgP/l discharge





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Success story:Thames Water – Ostara Pearl®• Slough municipal wastewater treatment plant, UK• 150 tonnes Crystal Green® fertiliser / year• High quality slow release fertiliserwww.ostara.com



http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/earthrise/2014/12/recycling-phosphorus-2014121693225616272.html

http://www.ostara.com/



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Success story – 16 M€ Investment:COOPERL / Brittany farmers’ cooperative• 400 000 t/y manure processed to organic fertiliser

product- 150 000 t composted poultry litter- 150 000 t dried poultry manure- 100 000 t pig manure (1 100 farms)

• Adapted to specific crops and exported to other regions of France

• Positive farmer acceptance• TRAC Emeraude stabling systemSupported by EU Investment Planhttp://www.cooperl.com/en/environmental-solutions

http://www.cooperl.com/en/environmental-solutions

http://www.cooperl.com/en/environmental-solutions





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• Thermal process for sludge smelting and transfer of phosphates to the slag

• CAPEX 3.5 M€• 500 kg/h sludge• 12% P2O5 in the slag• Commissioning Qu3/2017www.nuernberg.de/internet/krn_mephrec

Success story – 3.5 M€ InvestmentMephrec Pilot Plant Nürnberg

http://www.nuernberg.de/internet/krn_mephrec








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Success story – 75 M€ Investment:HVC – SNB - ecophos• Sewage sludge incineration ash

and low grade phosphate rock• Production of DCP (Di Calcium Phosphate)

for fertilisers or animal feed• Varna Bulgaria: 8 000 t/y pilot• Dunkerque France, commissioning 2017: • 175 000 t DCP from rock• 25 000 t DCP from ash





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Success story – 3.0 M€ Investment:ICL fertilisers Amsterdam & Ludwigshafen• Use of secondary materials in

fertilizer production:- meat and bone meal ash, struvite

• Objective: 100% by 2025• Pilot testing successful• Industrial installations

(storage, handling) plannedwww.icl-group.com

http://www.icl-group.com/





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Success story – Investment not disclosed:ICL - Recophos• Electrothermal production

of white phosphorus (P4) from sewage sludge / ashes• High-value raw material for chemicals:

fire safety, electronics, …• Recophos FP7 pilot project• Technology acquired by ICL in March 2016

www.icl-group.com

http://www.icl-group.com/





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Success story – 50 M€ Investment:Kanton Zürich• 72 ARAs have agreed to deliver 100 000 t dewatered

sludge to one central mono-incineration plant in Zürich Werdhölzli

• 93.7% of population has voted “yes” in the referendum

• Commissioned 2015 • Supplies 35500 MWh/a to

WWTP• 15 000 t ash for P-recycling• ZAR develops P-recycling

solution for implementation 2018

http://www.awel.zh.ch/







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What are the drivers of these successes?• Improving sewage works operation

- struvite recovery - in biological nutrient works only• Regulatory pressure

- P-recovery obligation (CH, D?), limiting N/P loads on cropland• Security of supply

-Elementary P, technical P-compounds• Awareness, public-private initiatives• Some business opportunitiesNOT the price of recovered nutrients





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Ongoing policy initiatives• Circular Economy Strategy – European

Commission- First deliverable – new EU Fertilizer

Regulation (draft)• Regulatory level playing field• Circular public procurement – Finland• Landfill tax – Finland and other countries• Public co-funding of pilot plants - Germany





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What else can be done?• More of the same initiatives?• Enforcing existing regulations? - Less nutrient “disposal” on cropland (N and P in manure and digestion residues• Admixture obligations?• Tax policies

- Taxing resources instead of “renewable” labor?- Taxing landfill disposal?





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Ludwig Hermann - European Sustainable Phosphorous [email protected]

www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts

mailto:[email protected]





