Producing Fertilizers with Recycled Phosphate
Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth that cannot be replaced. As phosphate rock becomes scarcer, ICL is looking at various alternatives. There is a possibility of recycling phosphate. Currently, available secondary phosphate, found in sewage sludge as well as in meat & bone meal ash, is used for landfill. The potential to use this untapped resource of phosphate exists.
ICL is advancing in the process of developing the proper technologies and working with governments on the relevant regulatory requirements.
ICL The Netherlands Amfert has recently opened its first innovative Phosphate recycling unit
In early 2019, ICL The Netherlands Amfert (Phosphate BU) has celebrated the opening of its first innovative Phosphate recycling project unit, which is aimed at using recycled phosphates from waste streams as a raw material. This project was encouraged by a subsidy of 500,000€ from the Dutch Province of Noord-Holland (Regional Government in the Netherlands). This collaboration demonstrates the growing circular economy innovations.
To successfully use recycled phosphates in the plant, appropriate storage silos and other equipment were acquired. These allow to feed ash from sewage sludge and bone meal into the plant’s acidulation unit. The project ambition is for ICL Amsterdam to substitute up to 25% of phosphate rock with recycled sources. In addition to the financial benefits to be gained from this substitution, there also exist substantial environmental benefits. The Dutch government’s investment in this project will allow a circular phosphate economy, i.e using a valuable ingredient more than once and increasing recycling rates for food production. This innovative effort is unprecedented in the global Phosphate industry.
The project demonstrates ICL's innovative culture, as well as its commitment to sustainability, and further strengthens its cooperation with local authorities in the environmental area.
Using secondary sources also means less transport and therefore a significant reduction in ICL Fertilizers’ carbon footprint.
SYSTEMIC - Being part of a circular solution to biowaste
ICL Fertilizers Europe is part of a consortium that is creating a roadmap to find solutions to bio-waste and close the loop of the nutrient cycle. ICL is a member of the EU-funded SYSTEMIC project. As a fertilizers producer, we expect this innovative project to have a positive impact on sustainability for future generations in Europe.
Biowaste, such as animal manure, sewage sludge and food and feed waste, form the most abundant waste stream in Europe. These pose severe challenges in terms of inefficient resource use, disposal and environmental pollution, such as leaching of nutrients to groundwater in drinking water supply areas.
These waste streams are also the most prominent potential resource for the production of biogas and the recovery and reuse of mineral nutrients used for fertilization such as phosphorus (P), nitrogen (N) and potassium (K). There are significant amounts of N and P that are available in the waste streams which can be recovered and reused.
Currently, the production of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) mineral fertilizers requires non-renewable resources (finite P rock) and the use of natural gas (to produce N fertilizers from N2 in the air).
Systemic Innovation
The goal of the SYSTEMIC project is to create ways to implement new nutrient recovery and reuse (NRR) technologies on five state-of-the-art anaerobic digestion demonstration plants, in order to demonstrate that the combination of anaerobic digestion and nutrient recovery forms a prerequisite for the valorization of bio-waste in an economically viable manner. This creates a pathway for a circular economy.
This circular approach offers an economically viable solution for the processing of biowaste while reducing CO2 emissions and preventing nutrient losses
Partnering to Create a “Circular Economy” for Phosphorus
Life on earth is dependent on nutrients. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K) constitute the three major nutrients required for plant growth and are crucial for the world’s food supply chain. There are currently no artificial substitutes for phosphorus and potassium. On the other hand, access phosphorus can also cause environmental issues.
ICL is taking part in initiatives that are focused on circular economy and the sustainable use of phosphorus. ICL is a member in the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform. The European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform (ESPP) brings together companies and stakeholders to address the Phosphorus Challenge and its opportunities.
Sustainable management of phosphorus and other nutrients is crucial for agriculture, food, industry, water and the environment." ESPP
ICL The Netherlands Amfert is a member of the Nutrient Platform, a cross-sector network of Dutch organizations that believe in a pragmatic approach towards nutrient scarcity. The Nutrient Platform unites water, agriculture, waste and chemistry with the government, knowledge institutes and NGOs to achieve a goal of recovering phosphorus from ‘waste’ streams, recycling it and using phosphorus more sustainably.
ICL is one of the leading companies in the Netherlands in recycling phosphates
ICL The Netherlands Amfert is one of the Nutrient Platform’s success stories. The company is one of the Netherlands leaders in recycling phosphates. A good example is co-operation between ICL’s phosphate plant in Amsterdam and the water company, Waternet, which is also a member of the platform. Waternet collects several residuals from the Amsterdam sewage system, among which is struvite, a phosphate mineral. ICL uses struvite as a raw material in its production process as a source for phosphorus, nitrogen and magnesium.
In October 2016, ICL, other members of the Nutrient Platform and the Dutch Government signed an agreement, ‘Ambition Nutrients 2018’, to further increase nutrient recycling.
an inspiring example of closing the phosphate loop''
Mrs. Sharon Dijksma, Dutch State Secretary for the Environment
ICL is also a member of the DPP, the German Phosphate Platform.
