Nutrient Recycling in Fertilisers: N and P Recovery in the EU

Nutrient recycling in EU fertilisers focuses on recovering nitrogen and phosphorus from livestock manure, sewage sludge, and industrial emissions. The presentation at the ESNI Conference 2024 outlines recovery potentials of 0.6 million tonnes/year for phosphorus and 1.7 million tonnes/year for nitrogen. It details struvite and calcium phosphate production, market opportunities in organic farming, and biorefinery processes including thermal hydrolysis, P-precipitation, and hydrothermal carbonisation. Key barriers include high costs and lack of market frameworks. The EU Fertilising Products Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 and CE marking requirements are central to product conformity. Applications in greenhouse horticulture, green steel, and carbon removal are explored, with research ongoing at Wageningen University. Biogas and syngas production from fish sludge and biogenic waste offer additional value chains, while high-purity ammonium phosphate and biochar show promise for niche markets.