Japan’s Strategy - Upcycling Phosphorus for
Reducing its Supply Chain Risk in the HighTech Industry
Hisao Ohtake
The director of the Phosphorus Industry Development Organization of Japan

The full-scale plant to recover P from incinerated sludge ash in Gifu City, Japan.

The alkaline leaching technology

From Mr. K. Goto, Gifu City Office

The recovered phosphorus products are sold to local fertilizer companies for recycling.

Pi fertilizing materials recovered from incinerated sludge ash

HAP

From Mr. K. Goto, Gifu City OfficeStruvite recovery from anaerobically digested sludge at Kobe city4Recovered struvite is sold as a slow-release Pi fertilizer.

Struvite Recovery from Digested Sewage Sludge
D. KogaEngineering and Development Division, SwingCorporation.

5

Challenges for operating P recycling business in Japan

6

Lack of sufficient policy supportand effective economic incentives.

No regulation for phosphorus recoverfrom waste and wastewater.

Little attention to phosphorus recycling.

PIDO

The useof recovered
product technology
for fertilizer
production alone isLackof policy
support Phampers
implementation!
very difficult to make P recycling business economically feasible.

We need to have another complementary way for recycling P
as a more value-added raw material in the high-tech industry.

7PIDO

High-purity P compounds are strategically important raw materials in the high-tech industry.
Electric vehicles

8Semiconductors

Lithium secondarybatteries

Medical products
antiviral vaccines and PCR test reagents
Computers

Photo https://www.webcartop.jp/2016/07/46162

Japan is very vulnerable to the risk of the phosphorus supply chain disruption.

9To improve the resilience to the P supply chain disruption,
we consider it critical to reshuffle the current P value chainthrough technology and business innovation.

Shutter stock10

Technology Innovation based on P recycling
Feed and feed
importFertilizer import

High-Tech Industry
Fertilizer

ExportFeed and feed

Sewage sludge

Fertilizer Use
HighlyModified
efficient
Wet acid
P recovery
process

Finalproducts

Innovative
thermalreduction

ExportElectronics
Foods

SecondaryP
resources
SecondaryP
resources

Automobiles

RecoveredP
products

Phosphoricacid

ElementalP

High valueadded
P
compounds

Medicine
Chemicals
Batteries

Demand chain
Iron ore
importP Upcycling as Another Complementary Way for Recycling
RecycleSteelmaking slag
Animal manure

PIDOSteelmaking slag is potentially the largest secondary P resource in Japan

11Dephosphorization slag

P recovery from steelmaking slag can improve the resource efficiency of steelmaking process,while reducing the emission of CO2.
Iron ore, CaO, Coal

MoltenIron

Steelproducts(Si, P, S,C)
Converter
Dephosphorization
Blast Furnace
Steelmaking slag
(Ca, Fe, Si, P)
RestP recovery
Ca, Fe, Si
Phosphorus

From Prof. Tetsuya Nagasaka, Tohoku University, Japan

Unwanted steelmaking slag is now piled up in steelmaking factory yards!

The P recovery from steelmaking slag has the potential to supply two or
three times more P than does the import of phosphate rock from abroad.

Attempts have been made to use recovered P for the manufacture of phosophoric acid.

Nippon Phosphoric Acid Co. produces merchant-grade phosphoric acid of 90 kt/y.

15

Wet acid process to generate phosphoric acid using incinerated sludge ash
A maximum of 3% (w/w)

AshMixing ash with Pi rockStorage

Sulfuric acid
Phosphoric acid& gypsum

FilterReactor
Phosphoric acidPIDO

Innovation of elemental phosphorus manufacturing process

16

https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/images/2135-white-phosphorus

PP イノベーション︕

https://picpedia.org/handwriting/images/innovation.jpg

https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/vor-350-jahren-apotheker-hennig-brand-entdeckte-den-phosphor.871.de.html?dram:article_id=462132

The production of elemental P is an energy-intensive process strongly depending on locally-sourced electricity. 17
Electric arc furnace (1,300-1,400 oC)

Each ton of P produced requires about 14,000 kWh of electricity. PIDO

Environmental pollution is another challenge for the production of elemental P.

18

Innovative elemental P manufacturing with no P rock and less electricity

19

Recovered or recycled P compounds

Phosphoric acid

Liquid-type P compounds

CarbonRaw materialprocessing

CO and H2 fixation

No toxic pollutants
Condenser
Dry and heating
Precipitator

2H3PO4 = H2(PO3)2 + 2H2O

Reactor2H2(PO3)2 + 12C = 2H2+ 12CO + P4
900-1,000 oC

Storage tank

Minimum electricity
consumption
orno electric arc furnace

PIDO

Initial test study was funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Phosphoric acidElemental P20

P upcycling strategy for expanding P recycling and reducing the P supply risk
Feed and feed
import21

Agriculture
Fertilizer import

High-Tech Industry
Fertilizer

ExportFeed and feed

Sewage sludge

Fertilizer Use
HighlyModifiedefficient
Wet acid
P recovery
process

Finalproducts

Innovative
thermalreduction

ExportElectronics
Foods

SecondaryP
resources
SecondaryP
resources

Automobiles

RecoveredP
products

Phosphoricacid

Elemental
P

High valueadded
P
compounds

P Upcycling as Another Complementary Way for Recycling
Iron ore
importMedicine
Chemicals
Batteries

Demand chain

RecycleSteelmaking slag
Animal manure

PIDO

22

PIDO
Phosphorus Industry Development Organization of Japan

Contact:
E-mail：jimu@pido.or.jp

Director:Dr. Hisao Ohtake
E-mail: hohtake@bio.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp

PIDO The Phosphorus Industry Development Organization of JapanThank you very much for your kind attention and Goodbye！

University of Stuttgart, 7th October, 2014