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TransPhoR at the 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference in Spain

As part of the TransPhoR transfer project, FiW was able to represent the BMBF funding programme Regional Phosphorus Recycling (RePhoR) with a poster at the 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference in Lleida, Spain.

As part of the TransPhoR transfer project, FiW was able to represent the BMBF funding programme Regional Phosphorus Recycling (RePhoR) with a poster at the 5th European Sustainable Phosphorus Conference in Lleida, Spain.

The ESPC is one of the largest events on the subject of phosphorus recycling and welcomes several hundred visitors from industry, the fertiliser industry, research and legislation every two years or so. It is organised by the European Phosphorus Platform ESPP.

In addition to Sophia Schüller, other RePhoR participants were also present, including former ESPP President Ludwig Hermann from Promann Consulting, who is involved in R-Rhenania, and Dr Joachim Clemens, who is involved in the SATELLITE and P-Net joint projects with fertiliser manufacturer Soepenberg-SF GmbH and gave a presentation on the iPhos process developed by Soepenberg.

Phosphorus is an essential and non-substitutable building block in all living organisms and is primarily used as a fertiliser for high-yield agriculture. The finite phosphate ore reserves are limited to a few, sometimes politically unstable regions in the world and are increasingly contaminated. Germany, like almost all countries in the European Union (EU), has no raw phosphate deposits of its own and is therefore completely dependent on imports. This leads to major risks in terms of security of supply and vulnerability to price fluctuations. The EU therefore placed phosphorus on the list of critical raw materials back in 2014 to incentivise recycling activities. The recovery of phosphorus from P-rich waste streams, such as wastewater and sewage sludge, plays an important role in securing future supplies.

As part of the BMBF-funded Regional Phosphorus Recycling (RePhoR) programme, large-scale recovery is therefore being implemented and supported in seven joint projects. Various obstacles impede the market entry of fertiliser recyclates. These include inconsistent or unclear legal regulations on pollutant limits, the certification process, but also factors such as the social acceptance of new products.