Phosphorus recovery from SynGas ash
From sewage sludge to sustainable phosphorus resource
The SynGas process produces a mineral product that can be used as a phosphate fertilizer or resource for the phosphoric acid production.
The ash produced in the KOPF SynGas process contains a high concentration of the nutrient phosphorus. Phosphorus is an elementary and vital component of all natural organisms and is thus directly responsible for bone and plant growth, for example. Due to limited and dwindling reserves worldwide, a return of phosphorus to the natural material cycle is indispensable. In the Kopf SynGas process, this is made possible by using the ash as a natural raw material for mineral fertilizer.
During wastewater treatment in the sewage treatment plant, a large number of different pollutants remain in the sewage sludge. These include organic substances such as viruses, hormones and worm eggs, as well as industrial toxins, heavy metals, drug residues and microplastics. In the KOPF SynGas process these pollutants are thermally destroyed and finally separated in the various purification stages. This ensures that they are banned from the material cycle and no longer pose a danger to humans or the environment.