Phosphorus supply chain potential turnover of EUR 4.3 billion
This is what the study carried out by Teha's Community Water Value (The European house Ambrosetti) indicates. Data presented during the Workshop "From purifier to biorefinery"
Key points
An all-Italian phosphorus supply chain to limit dependence on foreign countries and create a turnover worth 4.3 billion euro. The estimate comes from a study by Teha's Valore Acqua Community (The European house Ambrosetti), which hypothesises how much could be generated by the development of an Italian phosphorus supply chain between direct revenues, in the valorisation as a fertiliser, and the supply chain, reducing Italia's dependence on imports and strengthening security of supply.
70% comes from abroad
The data, presented during the Workshop 'From sewage treatment plant to biorefinery', in partnership with HBI, 'show how phosphorus recovered from sewage sludge is a strategic element for many industrial sectors (agriculture, chemistry, industry) and that today the EU is 70% dependent on foreign countries and, in particular, more than half from three countries: Russia, Morocco and Egypt'.
Unpublished Opportunity
"The European Union today largely relies on just three countries to obtain the phosphates it needs for its production cycles," comments Benedetta Brioschi, partner at Teha. "This vulnerability makes phosphorus one of the most sensitive raw materials for the continent's agricultural and manufacturing competitiveness. Recovery from sewage sludge represents an unprecedented opportunity: at European level, it can cover up to 21% of the consumption of fertilisers, contributing to the stability of the production system and to the reduction of strategic dependence on foreign countries'.
National supply chain and potential
A national supply chain, starting with water purification, "could cover up to 13% of domestic requirements, reducing dependence on foreign countries on the one hand, and on the other reducing security of supply in the agri-food and chemical-manufacturing sectors, where phosphorus is essential". Analysts pointed out that the phosphate fertiliser market already generates EUR 1.3 billion in direct sales, while the activation of supply and sub-supply chains linked to phosphorus recovery could lead to an additional EUR 2.9 billion.
The perspective
"The new European strategy on wastewater management points us in a clear direction of transforming purification plants into real biorefineries," adds Benedetta Brioschi, "a path that requires vision, investment, and the will to build a community recovery chain. Thanks to available technologies, we can return quality water and recover phosphorus and nitrogen, increasingly strategic resources'.
