Acronym Full name Project description Starttime Endtime Funding Website Email Contact person ENRICH Enhanced Nitrogen and phosphorus Recovery from wastewater and Integration in the value Chain The goal of the ENRICH proposal is to contribute to circular economy through the recovery of nutrients from Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and its valorisation in agriculture (either direct use on crops or through the fertilizer industry). ENRICH will tackle this value chain by developing a new treatment train that will be designed, built and operated in an urban WWTP. The products obtained will be mixed in order to find optimal mixtures and the agronomic properties of these products will be validated at full-scale through field tests in order to ensure the viability of the products obtained. Moreover, a business model of the whole value chain will be defined, involving several partners from different sectors, in order to ensure the replicability in other case studies or other EU regions. 1-9-2017 28-2-2021 LIFE+ Sílvia López Palau Phos4You Recovery from waste water FOR YOUr life The Phos4You project will include building demonstration phosphorus recovery installations at sewage treatment sites, innovative phosphorus recovery technologies, new recycled phosphorus products for fertilisers, working on a standard to assess recycled fertiliser quality and addressing social acceptance of recycled nutrient products. Phos4You partners are Lippeverband (lead), Université de Liège, IRSTEA, Cork Institute of Technology, FHNW, Universiteit Gent, Glasgow Caledonian University, University of the Highlands and Islands, Veolia Environnement, Emschergenossenschaft, NV HVC – SNB, Scottish Water. 16-9-2016 14-9-2020 V B NWE Marie-Edith Ploteau QUB from Phosphorus in Ireland and innovative to recover phosphorus from The successful adoption of emerging technologies for the recovery of phosphorus is driven by efficiency, economic viability, purity and/or bioavailability of the recovered product and legislation. The overall aim of this EPA funded project is to investigate phosphorus sustainability within the wastewater sector in Ireland and develop innovative technologies to recover P from wastewaters. 2014 2020 EPA UK dr. Katrina Macintosh
of small for and a supply of raw AgriMax Agri and food waste valorisation co-ops based on flexible biorefinery processing for new high added value Agrimax will develop two pilot processing plants and use them to demonstrate the technical and commercial feasibility of extracting high-value compounds from agricultural and food processing waste. By applying them sequentially, Agrimax will produce a cascade of bio-based compounds with high-value applications, including agricultural materials such as bio-fertilisers, biodegradable pots and mulching films. Agrimax will apply a range of processing technologies, to recover a significant amount of the valuable compounds contained in waste from the growing and processing of cereals, olives, potatoes and tomatoes. These technologies will include: ultrasound-assisted extraction; solvent extraction; filtration; and thermal and enzymatic treatments. Agrimax will construct two pilot processing plants, in Italy and Spain, capable of processing waste from all four selected crops (cereals, olives, potatoes and tomatoes). Local agricultural cooperatives will provide waste for processing and their contributions will be coordinated with the help of an online platform. End users will test the new, bio-based compounds products to validate their cost effectiveness and performance. 1-10-2016 30-9-2020 Horizon 2020, - of residues and side streams from the industry Gianluca Belotti and Emma Needham A blueprint The AgroCycle project will convert low value agricultural 1-6-2016 31-5-2019 Horizon Prof. Shane material application agro- feedstocks
DECISIVE A Scheme for Innovative The DECISIVE project proposes to change the present urban metabolism for organic matter (foods, plants, etc.), energy and biowaste to a more circular economy and to assess the impacts of these changes on the whole waste management cycle. Thus, the challenge will be to shift from a urban “grey box”, implying mainly goods importation and extra-urban waste management, to a 1-9-2016 31-8-2020 Horizon 2020, Marianne Thomsen
catchments, covering a range of agronomic and environmental conditions. Once tested over hot-spots and hot-moments of nutrient delivery, the method could offer an alternative and/or complementary monitoring approach to the existing methodologies of low-frequency and fixed-location nutrient sampling. The tool will improve targeting nutrient sources and mitigation measures to the locations in which they will bring the largest economical, societal and environmental benefits and in turn will help to achieve the aims of the EU Water Framework Directive. Innovative Circular Businesses on Energy, Water, fertiliser & Industries towards a Greener Regional Economy The LIFE iCirBus-4Industries project will demonstrate the use of fly ash from forest biomass power plants as an adsorbent agent for heavy metals and other organic materials in sewage sludge. This will make the sludge suitable for the production of low-impact fertiliser. In a second the project will also demonstrate the viability of a further use in recyclable construction materials of the used biomass that contains heavy metals and organic pollutants from sewage sludge. The project will first characterise the sewage sludge and the forest biomass fly ash. Then, the two-phase sludge treatment to reduce the presence of heavy metals and other contaminants will be validated at laboratory scale. The project will then scale up the process in a prototype sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 100 kg/hour of clean sludge. 16-7-2015 LIFE+ Manuel Martín Castizo and Manuel Ortega Molina In-BRIEF Integrated business model for turning and sewage sludge into renewable energy and The LIFE In-BRIEF project aims to develop and implement a new business model for the resource-efficient management of certain biodegradable waste, increasing its use for bioenergy and in bioproducts. This will be done through an integrated management model for processing different biowaste generated by agri-food enterprises, and sewage sludge from urban waste water treatment, transforming it into renewable energy and high quality fertilisers. 1-9-2015 31-3-2018 LIFE+ Manuel Sanchez
from wastewater factory demonstrate net energy production, optimal recovery of phosphates and economic viability. Its main innovation will be to implement an extra de-nitrification process for the reject water coming from sludge dewatering. The beneficiary will seek to demonstrate its innovative water treatment approach - called "OMZET" - in a municipal wastewater treatment facility. It specifically aims to increase the energy self-sufficiency of the process and recover phosphate, whilst maintaining the high effluent quality. The hydrolysis of biomass will also lead to a significant reduction in sludge production and the associated costs of transporting and incinerating sludge. The combination of energy savings, phosphorus recovery and the reduction of sludge requiring additional treatment offer significant overall economic advantages. The project aims to demonstrate the cost effectiveness and economic viability of the OMZET process by reducing the operational costs for wastewater treatment by 15%. The project expects to demonstrate the high replication possibilities for OMZET in both new and existing wastewater treatment plants across Europe. STOWA Pegasus Phosphorus efficiency in Gallus gallus and Sus scrofa: bridging the gaps in the phosphorus value chain PEGaSus is emphasising monogastric animals since pigs and poultry contribute to achieve global food security but are major phosphorus excretors and sources of P losses. Balancing the phosphorus cycle is crucial towards a livestock production, comprising P-efficiency in animals and plants, P-storage in soils, P-utilisation of microorganisms, and their interactions. The strategic aim of PEGaSus is to provide solutions to secure sufficient supplies of high quality animal products from and economically competitive agro-systems that are valued by society and preserve soil and water ecosystems. To reach this overall aim, five complementary partners from across Europe with expertise in animal biology, social ecology, policy and economy collaborate in three work packages, aiming 1-9-2017 31-8-2020 Area Network on Animal SusAn Klaus Wimmers program
will develop new skills which will help participants to better understand the impact and role of critical raw materials in the whole value chain; enabling them to identify and mitigate risks. Understanding the bigger picture and the interconnected nature of global business and society is increasingly necessary to and valued by industry. SusCritMat is an EU-funded project that brings together the technical and pedagogical expertise of leading educational institutions and business partners. It uses and creates teaching materials which can be combined into different course formats. Multi-media education materials will be made available to participants of summer and winter schools so that they can work with state-of-the-art techniques and data. SUSFANS Metrics, Models and Foresight for European Food And Nutrition Security Strengthening food and nutrition security (FNS) in the EU requires a move towards a diet that supports sustainable food consumption and production. To gauge the policy reforms needed for this major societal challenge, the SUSFANS project will identify how food production and nutritional health in the EU can be aligned. The multidisciplinary research agenda of SUSFANS will build the conceptual framework, the evidence base and analytical tools for underpinning EU-wide food policies with respect to their impact on consumer diet and their implications for nutrition and public health, the environment, the competitiveness of the EU agri-food sectors, and global FNS. Based on a conceptual model of the food chain and its stakeholders, SUSFANS will develop suitable metrics and identify major drivers for sustainable FNS, integrate data and modelling, and develop foresight for European sustainable FNS. Central asset is a coherent toolbox which integrates two complementary strands of state-of-the-art quantitative analysis: (i) micro-level modelling of nutrient intakes, habitual dietary patterns and preferences of individual consumers, and (ii) macro-level modelling of food 1-4-2015 31-3-2019 Horizon 2020, - food and security through based EU policy Hans van Meijl agro-
reduce the environmental impacts of livestock production in the Netherlands: reduction of livestock numbers or integrated manure management (IMM). The project indicates that livestock production represents 3% of Netherlands GDP, so that reducing livestock numbers would have considerable economic impacts, but that significant action to reduce agricultural environmental impacts are recognised to be needed, including greenhouse emissions, ammonia emissions and phosphates. Mature management is expected to have cost impacts for farmers, to offer the benefit of increasing renewable energy production (anaerobic digestion of manure to produce biogas), and may have some negative side-effects (e.g. reduced animal grazing time, as farmers optimise in-stable manure production to input to biogas). Livestock reduction may not have anticipated positive results if production is simply transferred to other regions of the world. Farmers, manure managers, bioenergy actors and other stakeholders are invited to contact the project to participate. - of climate change Enhanced use of fur animal manure The project aims at developing new whole-chain solutions for enhanced use of fur animal manure in cooperation with the fur producers. Special attention is paid to nutrient recycling. The project develops examplatory management chains for enhanced use of fur animal manure and assess their environmental and economical impacts. 2016 2019 Fund for Rural (EAFRD) Sari Luostarinen URBIOFIN of an integrated The aim of URBIOFIN project is to demonstrate the techno-economic and environmental feasibility of the conversion at semi-industrial scale (10 T/day) of the 1-6-2017 31-5-2021 Horizon 2020, Caterina Coll and Jose Maria
project for promoting the and protection of the natural heritage in the wine sector in the South West of Europe the cleaning operations and the liquid spills that are generated during the winemaking stages. the other hand, the cultivation of the vine requires the rational use of fertilizers, being key the adequate contribution of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and other trace elements. The use of fertilizers of mineral origin supposes a high cost for the farmers, besides the environmental impact caused in the water and in the soil. The WETWINE project will provide solutions to the (waste)water treatment problems of the wine industry, based on the development of an innovative pilot system based on anaerobic digestion and water and sludge treatment wetland to promote the value and rational use of the resources of the territory (water and wine growing), and its recycling as fertilizer to limit the generation of waste and soil/water pollution, reducing by 90% the impact on natural heritage. Alvarez (AIMEN) and Alfonso Rivas (INGACAL) YEAST Recycling brewer's spent YEAST in innovative industrial LIFE YEAST aims to develop a new methodology to process (hydrolise) BSY into valuable constituents that can be used as raw materials with high market value in a wide range of industrial applications. The constituent parts include customised yeast extract (CYE), yeast cell wall (YCW), partially autolysed yeast (PAY), and bioactive peptides. The project will test, optimise and scale-up the processing of BSY over the first 13 months of the project. After 21 months, it aims to have demonstrated the use of CYE and YCW in the brewing (AB InBev) and pharmaceuticals (VLPbio) industries to enhance the efficiency of the fermentation process and as a source of nitrogen. At the end of the project, a full engineering package will be developed to transfer the technology to AB InBev breweries. 1-7-2017 30-6-2019 LIFE Pablo Gutiérrez Gómez
project results after its successful completion. Running non-EU funded research Acronym Full name Project description Starttime Endtime Funding Website Email Contact person ASHES Recycling of nutrients from residues of processing of cane straw The project ASHES is a German-Brazilian collaborative research project and is focused on the recycling of nutrients from residues of thermo-chemical processing of by-products sugar cane industry (bagasse/straw) in Brazil. The challenge of the project is to increase the energy efficiency of thermal conversion (combustion/gasification) and to enable the recycling of process ashes to close material cycles by gaining adequate and competitive fertilizers as well as (functional) fillers in (bio-)polymer compounds. For this purpose, phosphorus salts are recovered from bagasse, straw, filtercake and vinasse with leaching and precipitation. The AshDec process was used to increase the availability of phosphorus for plant uptake in the ashes. Additives like sewage sludge and chicken manure were also tested. Different fertilizer formulations are 1-4-2015 31-3-2018 German Federal Ministry of and (BMBF) Martin Meiller German
take place across Steven Lewis’s PhD (the first commencing 26/06/2017) in the School of GeoSciences / UK Biochar Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh and the James Hutton Institute. wastewater purification and nutrients recovery. Towards Microbial systems scaling-up and field Efforts in and scaling-up APPlicative bioelectrochemical systems, including (1) Nutrient recovery during agro-food wastewater treatment, (2) Environmental sensing, and (3) Electrofermentation reactors. 1-9-2015 1-9-2018 Project financed by the SIR2014 Grant, Italian Ministry of and (MIUR). Dr. Andrea Schievano Ecosec mobile struvite reactor ? ? ? ? funding ? From waste to fertilizer - phosphorus and carbon waste mining as nutrient recycling FERTI-MINE aims to recover phosphorus from waste materials in order to reduce the depletion of global rock phosphate resources. By applying different thermochemical conversion techniques (pyrolysis, combustion, gasification, hydrothermal carbonization) for carbonization as well as recovery of ash components, fertilizer products rich in phosphorus and organic carbon will be developed and assessed for their viability, ecological and economic impacts. This innovative strategy 1-9-2014 31-8-2018 The Austrian Agency (FFG) Walter Wenzel & Prof. Dr. Christoph Pfeifer
regional nutrient recycling Calculates regional masses of nutrient-rich materials, processing options and the end-use of products as fertilisers considering regional crop production, field area, field soil status, nutrient losses etc. Allows for comparison on current actions and future scenarios. of and Forestry RAVITA RAVITA nutrient recovery – innovation for direct nutrient recovery from wastewater RAVITA DEMO project contains the building project of the demonstration plant for phosphoric acid production. In the RAVITA process, phosphorus is not recovered from sludge streams but it is recovered in the very end of the wastewater treatment process by post precipitation. Because phosphorus is taken directly from the wastewater, it can be recovered in clearly larger quantities than using other methods. The amount of recovered phosphorus can also be regulated if necessary. The end phosphoric acid contains very little organic impurities or heavy metals. The phosphorus recovery process can be combined with nitrogen recovery by using recycled phosphoric acid in stripping process. Thus the end product is ammonium phosphate. One of the most central advantages of the RAVITA method is that it can be applied to technically different kinds of treatment plants and treatment plants of different sizes. 2015 2019 ministry of Finland as Key project for the circular in Finland) and Helsinki region services HSY Mari Heinonen Rec Alkaline Alkaline battery recycling Rec Alkaline Ltd is developing a method for recycling alkaline batteries, which will raise the recovery rate above 80 percent. The method for chemical processing of alkaline batteries takes place at room temperature so it consumes a fraction of the energy required by the foundry method. Investment costs are also significantly lower than with smelter technology, which requires substantial initial spending. And the recovery rate is almost twice as good as smelters can offer. The company has studied and developed the process for many years. ? ? funding Jarmo Pudas
plants during the growing season and do not remain in the fields to then be washed up to waterways. Finished EU funded projects Acronym Full name Project description Starttime Endtime Funding Website Email Contact person ALL-GAS Industrial scale of sustainable algae cultures for biofuel production This project will demonstrate on large scale the sustainable production of bio-fuels based on low-cost microalgae cultures. The full chain of processes from algal ponds to biomass separation, processing for oil and other chemicals extraction, and downstream biofuel production, as well as the use in vehicles, will be implemented on a 10 ha site. Depending on the methodology chosen during the research phase of the project, and the sustainability analysis, the most suitable site for the objectives will be selected, among a number of selected locations in the South of Spain (Chiclana, Almeria, Sevilla, Arcos, Canary Islands…) Wastewater influent and nutrients will be re-used to stimulate algae growth. The extracted oils will be processed at an existing biodiesel plant (capacity 6000 t/yr of used oils), designed by a consortium partner, which can be converted at reasonable cost. 1-5-2011 30-4-2016 EU FP7 ? ANPHOS The project aimed to apply the struvite process in anaerobic conditions to industrial effluents resulting from 1-12-2002 1-6-2005 LIFE+ Cees van Rij
resource inputs by 2020. root for improved crop Rooting depth impacts the efficient acquisition of soil nitrogen (and water) since nitrate leaches deep into the soil. Phosphate use efficiency could be significantly improved without increasing root depth by manipulating the angle of root growth to explore the top soil where this macronutrient accumulates. The genes that regulate root traits such as angle, depth and density in crops remain to be identified. A key impediment to genetic analysis of root architecture in crops grown in soil has been the ability to image live roots non-invasively. Recent advances in microscale X-ray Computed Tomography (mCT) now permit root phenotyping. Major technical and scientific challenges remain before mCT can become a high throughput phenotyping approach. This ambitious multidisciplinary research programme will be achieved through six integrated work packages. The first 3 work packages will create high-throughput mCT (WP1) and image analysis (WP2) tools that will be used to probe variation in root systems architecture within wheat germplasm collections (WP3). Work packages 4-6 will identify root architectures that improve water (WP4) and nitrate uptake efficiencies (WP5) and pinpoint the genes that regulate these traits. In parallel, innovative mathematical models simulating the impact of root architecture and soil properties will be developed as tools to assess the impact of architectural changes on uptake of other nutrients in order to optimise crop performance (WP6). 1-8-2012 31-7-2017 ERC grant Malcolm Bennett AHP method combined with GIS for organic waste valorisation The GISWASTE Life project offers a MCDA tool which assists decision-makers (private or public waste management bodies and companies) in choosing the option which makes best use of agri-food by-products, rather than treating them as waste products. This tool implements AHP method and GIS to evaluate the main parameters involved in the by-products valorisation 15-7-2013 30-6-2017 LIFE+ David San Martín Errea
and first market application of Loritus’ patented as an and organic waste processing technology commercial excellence of Loritus’ unique, patented Hydrothermal Carbonisation (HTC) technology as a flexible organic waste recovery technology, suitable for converting organic waste streams into carbon neutral biocoal, carbon sequestering biochar, fertility products, water, and local thermal energy. During the project, Loritus will build a full-scale HTC installation to demonstrate its economic and technological performance across a range of commonly occurring waste streams sharing characteristics that make them costly to treat with established technologies. The demonstration will target at least three market applications (sewage sludge, food waste and animal and spent mushroom compost) on a commercial scale (10.000 tonnes/year). Loritus will then operate the full-scale HTC system on a specific organic waste stream, spent mushroom compost, at a mushroom farm in Ireland to finalise the business case for HTC in a real life, industrial scale application. Such a success will induce a multiplication effect across the associated farming cooperative, and provide evidence that clients in other market segments can gain the same HTC cost and environmental advantages. Loritus will prioritise and pursue these segments aggressively. - the of small for and a supply of raw HTCycle Sewage sludge reuse Phosphate recovery with an innovative HTC technology (HTCycle) The objective of the HTCCycle project is to demonstrate and commercialize the technology for hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to the conditions of sewage sludge, showing clearly technical and economic advantages against the current sludge incineration method. HTCCycle aims to increase the amount of sludge converted into high value products such as fuel, activated carbons for water treatment, recovered phosphorus, soil remediation material, carbon sequestration schemes and other applications. The HTCycle process turns the present sewage sludge disposal (incineration) from a costly process into an income-generating activity. 1-7-2015 Horizon 2020, - the of Thomas M. Kläusli
research for an innovative algae based tertiary wastewater treatment system wastewater treatment (WWT) process that can meet increasingly stricter discharge consents for the concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in wastewater (WW) effluents. Elevated levels of N & P are linked to detrimental environmental events e.g. eutrophication. WWT operators require a treatment process that is able to remove nutrients in an energy efficient manner which current technology cannot meet. I-PHYC’s novel patented treatment process uses microalgae (MA) to remove nutrients from WW effluents. MA reproduce rapidly when sufficient nutrients, light and CO2 are supplied. The MA consume the nutrients of the WW until exhausted producing a clean effluent that meets new EU consents and allows the operator to meet its statutory commitments while avoiding financial penalties. The biomass is retained for reactor seeding or harvested for valorisation e.g. anaerobic digestion of biomass to produce electricity. The process has been validated by I-PHYC in a recent field trial (late 2013) at Avonmouth WWT, UK. The field trial was based on a 1 m3 system which replicated all the functions of a commercial scale system. Results from the trial demonstrated a reduction in the tertiary treatment effluent concentration of P and ammonia by >70% and COD by>30%. Currently, I-PHYC is trialling a 20 m3 system onsite at a municipal WWT works with our strategic partner ‘Wessex Water’. 2020, - SME driving and Lo2x water (SCWcO) of urban sewage sludge and wastes The Lo2x project aims to demonstrate the environmental and socio-economic benefits of a synergic co-treatment of sewage sludge and wastes (raw or digested manure, high load food processing wastes, pesticides, leachates and others) with energy and phosphorus recovery through supercritical water co-oxidation (SCWcO). 1-10-2013 30-6-2017 LIFE+ Andrés Pascual Manev Evaluation The Manev project aims were to: (1) Demonstrate that 1-1-2011 LIFE+ Marta
sustainable development of industrial livestock and as renewable (energy) technology in Flanders. Nutrient Clearing House Centralized upgrading plant for the recovery of mineral nutrients and critical metals ? ? ? ? Gert de Bruyn Nutrient recovery Evaluation of for nutrient recovery at Grødaland biogas plant in Rogaland, Norway. The discharge permit of the new Grødaland biogas plant required a preliminary study for the implementation of nutrient recovery technologies for the reject streams of the plant. The project evaluated, technologically and economically, the potential implementation of struvite production processes and evaporation processes for the recovery of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous. 1-4-2015 1-11-2015 Private - Maria M. Estevez NUTS Transition towards Sustainable Nutrient Economy in Finland NUTS is a unique three-year project developing sustainable nutrient economy together with different domains and stakeholders. The project is a part of the Tekes – Towards a Sustainable Economy. In addition, the project involves pioneer work in studying how extensive transitions can be managed and executed within a whole society. ? ? Finnish Mirja Mikkilä Ochre and biochar research Ochre and biochar: for phosphorus capture This project comprised Jessica Shepherd’s PhD research in the School of GeoSciences and UK Biochar Research Centre at the University of Edinburgh. The research aim was to design and test tailored biochars to be used as P recycling materials as a way of using wastewater effluent P to meet agricultural crop P requirements. Biochar 1-9-2012 30-9-2016 of & Icon Water, For links to papers arising from this Kate Heal (University of Edinburgh)
from livestock effluent to prevent water from digestate and wood ash, struvite precipitation from manure digestate. Assessments of fertiliser value of digestates have been carried out on a range of crops including lettuce, beetroot and maize (data under publication). and Fabrizio Adani PRecover Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge to fertilizer The proposed project (PRecover) aims to develop new methods for improving bioavailability of wastewater P capture products, creating a new fertilizer end product. The second aim is to develop a common method for estimating bioavailability of P for efficient and environmentally friendly use of the capture products. World’s mineral phosphorus (P) reserves are diminishing, leading to elevated prices of P fertilizers. For sustainable agriculture practices, new ways of recycling P and closing the circulation are needed. In Finland, P in sewage sludge is the most neglected P source in agricultural production due to, among other things, low bio‐availability of P in the capture products. 1-1-2012 31-3-2015 Finland Ministry of ? Kari Ylivainio RecoPhos Germany Chemical treatment of ash with phosphoric acid to produce a phosphate fertiliser ? ? ? ? ? and Reusing in CGIAR on business models for Resource Recovery Several projects including (1) Reducing the human and environmental cost of growing cities, (2) Solutions for a growing sanitation problem, (3) Exploring business avenues for human waste reuse, and (4) A new vision for waste, and the future. ? ? Multiple donors Pay Drechsel & Marielle Dubbeling