Prayon wants to close the loop on phosphorus

Through various research projects, the Prayon Group is working on recovering phosphorus from “waste”. This world leader in phosphate chemistry has two production sites in Belgium, one in Engis and the other in Puurs.

Prayon is committed to recycling at all levels of the chain, both internally and also for the outside world. This applies not only to the company’s own products and waste, but also to waste from outside its own plants. In short, everything that can enter the loop of the phosphorus circular economy.

Prayon’s technology for phosphorus recovery

Prayon’s technology allows phosphorus to be recovered from the ash produced when sludge from wastewater treatment plants is incinerated. The result is purified phosphoric acid, which can ultimately be used in horticulture or water treatment.

Its portfolio of sustainable technologies has been completed with the acquisition of part of the Belgian company Ecophos, including the semi-industrial validation centre in Bulgaria.

Phosphorus recovery from the dairy industry

Prayon is taking part in the European Reflow project, which aims to recover phosphorus from the waste generated by the dairy industry. For the past year, Prayon has been hosting Vishal Zende, a doctoral student from the University of Limerick. The idea is to be able to reuse this recovered phosphorus to make fertilizer.

At Prayon, Vishal Zende is working towards making the recovery processes developed in the laboratory, achievable on an industrial scale.

Extract every bit of phosphorus

As part of the European Phos4You research project, Prayon is working with the University of Liège to develop a system for recovering phosphorus directly from water treatment plant sludge, rather than from the ash resulting from its incineration. The aim is to find a solution to the residues during phosphorus recovery and to use the end product to create a calcium phosphate used in fertilizer production.