Phosphorus and Energy Recovery from Manure and Digestion Residues

Abstract

Human and animal excrements, in particular manure, stand for a significant and undisputable source of plant nutrients and renewable energy. In Europe, only 36% of P-inputs to soils originate from primary resources (rock phosphate) whereas 63% come from animal and human excretions applied to cropland as manure, digestion residues and sewage sludge. Simultaneously these waste flows represent a potential hazard to human health and aquatic bodies because of pathogens and eutrophication. Management of these waste flows is far from being sustainable, in part due to the lack of efficient processing technologies. A cooperative InnoEnergy—EIT financed KIC Knowledge and Innovation Community—research project pursues development and demonstration of highly efficient technologies to overcome the constraints and to yield renewable phosphate fertilizers and energy from waste flows that may have a combined technical energy potential of 3,600 PJ/year and an annual phosphate recovery potential of 4.5–5.5 million tonnes (as P₂O₅) in Europe.