Phosphorus recovery from iron-coagulated sewage sludge
Thomas Prot (TU Delft - BT/Environmental Biotechnology)
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Abstract
Fertilizers are vital for our society since we use them to grow plants. These plants can produce fruits and vegetables that we can consume or use as feedstock for the animals, ending up in our plates. In short, we need fertilizers to make our food, and we are using an increasing quantity of it with the growing population. Phosphorus is an essential constituent of fertilizers and a critical element for every living organism since it is present in DNA and bones. The current approach is to mine phosphate rock to make fertilizer. This strategy is the only option we have so far to produce phosphorus in large quantities, but it is polluting, and the resources are not endless. In our society, we are trying to replace fossil energies with renewable energy. However, this cannot be done for phosphorus; nothing can substitute it. Therefore, we need to find alternatives to obtain phosphorus without further damaging the planet...