Summary of the Deliverable

The deliverable presents the first output of WP 1, mapping the status of nutrient- recovery (NR) across the EU-27 by identifying and quantifying the bio-based input streams that can supply nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) for fertiliser
production – urban wastewater (including sewage sludge), food-industry waste, industrial wastewater and brine. Publicly accessible databases (the European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register, the European Industrial Emissions Portal and the
Industrial Reporting Database) were used to locate the streams, their volumes and the associated pollutant profiles, although a two-year data gap (2020-2022) limits the robustness of the conclusions.

The analysis shows that only 1.6 % of the EU-generated urban wastewater load was discharged untreated in 2016, while 96 % is connected to collection systems, but the destination of the load varies widely among Member States (e.g., Romania, Italy,
Hungary and Bulgaria have the highest untreated or unreported loads).

Furthermore, industrial and municipal wastewater together emitted tens of millions of kilograms of total nitrogen and several thousand tonnes of total phosphorus in 2020, far exceeding emissions from the chemical sector and underscoring the large pool of recoverable nutrients.

A catalogue of NR technologies currently deployed or under development in the EU is provided (e.g., struvite precipitation, calcium-phosphate precipitation). The technologies are classified by maturity (full-scale, TRL ≥ 6, pilot or R&D) and linked to the recovered products that can serve as economically important nutrient-resource- based bio-based fertilisers.

Key barriers identified include high NR implementation costs, the need for additional purification to remove contaminants (e.g., cadmium, uranium, heavy metals) that can accumulate in fertiliser products, and regulatory complexity (compliance with the Fertilising Products Regulation (FPR) and REACH, as well as the definition of Component Material Categories). The deliverable therefore recommends launching the interactive platform defined in D1.5/D1.6 (WP 1) to continuously track bio-based input streams, NR technologies and the resulting nutrient-resource products, and to close the data gap for 2020-2022.

Overall, the document underscores the urgency of replacing non-renewable phosphate rock (which supplies approximately 80 % of global fertiliser production) and reducing dependence on energy-intensive nitrogen synthesis, aligning the NR agenda
with EU policies such as the Sustainable Phosphorus Platform, the Integrated Nutrient Management Action Plan and the upcoming Fertilising Products Regulation.

Download File

Download the Full version of the Deliverable here.