Phosphorus is a limited and, in its function as a nutrient, an essential and irreplaceable resource. Essentially, all phosphorus in fertilisers and feed is originally mined from phosphorus-rich rocks, which are finite and distributed in just a few places on the planet.
So, recovery and recycling can play an important role in improving resource efficiency and sustainable nutrient management.
It can be assumed, that 90% of the P entering the WWTP are transferred into the sludge by intended so-called phosphorus removal. Phosphorus is typically removed from the wastewater by biological accumulation in biomass or by chemical precipitation, in the form of barely water soluble phosphates (normally as iron or aluminium phosphates), leading to the highest P loads in the waste activated sludge.
Global Water Research Coalition (GWRC)
