Status of struvite production and regulation in Europe - North Sea Resources Roundabout (NSSR) meeting 07-10-2016

NSSR Paris 7/10/2016 - 1

www.phosphorusplatform.eu

Status of struvite production and regulation in Europe

Chris Thornton - European Sustainable Phosphorous Platform• [email protected]

• www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts

http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/


mailto:[email protected]


https://twitter.com/phosphorusfacts



NSSR Paris 7/10/2016 - 2


Phosphorus recovery as struvite • Mature technology• Recovers phosphorus P

(and some nitrogen N) from solution as struvite requires liquor rich in soluble P

• Struvite = magnesium ammonium phosphate can be used directly as a fertiliser or blended with N, K, micro-nutrients for specific crops or processed (micro-granulation) for specific delivery to plant

Unitika, Japan, 1990s



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Drivers• Prevent nuisance deposits, abrasion• Improves sludge dewatering• Improves biological P-removal

(avoid return of P from dewatering)• Sale as fertiliser

Waternet Amsterdam: 900 t struvite/y = 400 K€ savings* Thames Water UK: 150 t struvite = 200 KUK£/y savings, 37 K£/y

struvite sales* Berlin Wasser = 720 t struvite/y = 300 K€/y savings Severn Trent UK = 165 KUK£/y savings Aurhus – Suez – operating savings = c. 2x struvite sales income.

ROI = 6 years (* in SCOPE Newsletters n°99, 101, 115, 121 on www.phosphorusplatform.eu )

Severn Trent Water




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Value as fertiliser• Not water soluble• Releases nutrients as plants need them• Does not burn roots• Over 50 published pot trials, field tests, with different

crops show fertiliser effectiveness*• TIMAC (NL)* develops as ultra-localised maize starter

fertiliser• Relatively small production tonnages and green

image: often niche marketing, e.g. sports fields, municipal parks …

(* in SCOPE Newsletters n°43, 121 on www.phosphorusplatform.eu )




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State of implementation• Municipal waste water

- only from sewage works operating biological P-removal with anaerobic sludge digestion (tendency : ↑)- c. 15 plants operational or under construction

• Food industry - several plants• Animal manure

- technically feasible, several R&D pilots- to date farmers not willing to pay for manure treatment- pressure to respect regulations : ↑

NuReSys: struvite from potato processing, dairy food industry, pharmaceuticals industry (since 2006)



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Aquafin Leuven BE, Braunschweig D NuReSysBerliner Wasserbetriebe D, Neuwerk D, Echten NL, Amsterdam WEST NL, Uelzen D, Salzgitter D, Wolfsburg D

Airprex

Thames Water Slough GB, Amersfoort NL, Appeldoorn NL, Canal Isabel II Madrid ES(+ c. 15 sewage works in USA & Canada)

Ostara (Pearl / CrystalGreen)

Calahorra ES PhorWater/DAMOldburgen D, Severn Trent Stoke GB, Tilburg NL PhospaqCastres F NaskeoHelsingborg DK Veolia (Struvia)Aarhus DK, Herning DK Suez (Phosgreen)Offenburg Stuttgart process

Struvite installations full scale in municipal sewage works, operating or underway



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Struvite installations - currently in operation or underway

https://de.batchgeo.com/map/f4c921a4573967d7e18aa0e651cc3264



https://de.batchgeo.com/map/f4c921a4573967d7e18aa0e651cc3264

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Documents ?

Germany Authorised ?Sold as ‘partially solubilised rock phosphate’?

NL Authorised by law 29/3/16 Online*Flanders Authorised by Ministry

letter Online*

Denmark Authorised by Ministry letter Online*

UK Authorised No documents to dateFrance NOT authorisedSpain NOT authorisedUSA Federal? States? No documents to dateCanada Federal? States? No documents to date

* See www.phosphorusplatform.eu/regulatory

Regulatory status of struvite as fertiliser



http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/regulatory

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Regulatory status of struvite as fertiliser:Questions:- “Mutual recognition”If struvite is authorised as a fertiliser in one Member State, (MS)then another should recognise this as applicable on their territory also- but does this apply to the “chemical struvite” ? Only to a specific company’s (authorised) product ?- End-of-Waste:Authorisation as fertiliser does not necessarily mean End-of-Waste- End-of-Waste seems to function differently in different MS: some require a national procedure, some accept company self-declaration



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Status at EU level• EU Fertilisers Regulation (EUFR)

- currently in discussion in Council & Parliament- struvite is NOT included

• STRUBIAS process (struvite, biochars, ashes)- mandate from DG GROW to JRC – launched July 2016- impact assessment / criteria proposal- (should) propose criteria for struvite to add into the revised EUFR as ‘CMC’ (component material category)

Waternet NL (AirPrex)



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Challenges• EU Fertilisers Regulation (EUFR)

- proposed amendments to contaminant limits- political acceptance of struvite from municipal sewage - sewage excluded from compost, digestates in EUFR - “risk” (perceived or real) of pathogens, pharmaceuticals- traceability?

• NL Government- currently also discussing limits on pathogens, pharmaceuticals

• STRUBIAS process- need to input data for Impact Assessment: market potential- data on contaminants, pathogens and pharmaceuticals

Ostara



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Challenges• Standards

- dry matter (crystal water loss 56C) - US AFPC n2 “free water” - ISO/AWI 19745 under development?- plant nutrient availability- organics / organic carbon?- contaminants?

• Quality protocols- what “is” struvite ?- beyond EU Fertiliser Regulation requirements- REACH Substance Identity ?- marketing / user confidence

Naskeo, Castres, France



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Challenges: REACH• Art 2(7)d 1) of REACH:

a “recovered substance” only needs to be registered once. That is, after one producer has registered then others producers do not need to register

• Important to facilitate recycling• Applicable to recovered struvite: letter from DG

GROW to ESPP 7/12/2015 published at www.phosphorusplatform.eu/regulatory

• Struvite registered by Berlin Wasser (Lead Registrant), Aarhus Vand Denmark and by Hoogheemraadschap Amstel



http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/regulatory

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Challenges: REACH• Current REACH dossier is incomplete, out of

date- endpoints not conform to updated ECHA Guidance- no test data for skin irritation/corrosion, eye irritation/corrosion, acute oral toxicity are (read-across used but known to be not applicable for inorganic phosphates)- new study data available should be added- Substance Identity missing “boundary conditions”

• But Art 2(7)d means there is no cost-sharing obligation- so how to organise this ?



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ESPP: a coalition for action• Bring together industry, R&D, public authorities,

stakeholderswater & waste industries, mineral and organic fertilisers,chemicals, P-recycling products and processes …

• Share vision for sustainable phosphorus in Europe• Dialogue & network expertise and experience• Build awareness• Assess and propose policy & regulatory developments• Disseminate innovation, business cases, value chains Membership is open to companies, governments, regions, knowledge centres, NGOs … www.phosphorusplatform.eu/BecomeAMember



http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/BecomeAMember

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Status of struvite production and regulation in Europe

Chris Thornton - European Sustainable Phosphorous Platform• [email protected]

• www.phosphorusplatform.eu @phosphorusfacts



mailto:[email protected]





Government & Nonprofit

Status of struvite production and regulation in Europe - North Sea Resources Roundabout (NSSR) meeting 07-10-2016