Danish study challenges EU ban on recycled phosphorus in animal feed 

RevoCaP calcium phosphate

A new risk assessment from Aarhus University finds very low levels of undesirable substances and contaminants in phosphorus recovered from incinerated sewage sludge. The findings provide new support for changing EU rules banning the use of phosphorus recycled from wastewater in animal feed. 
 
“The Aarhus study shows why circular raw materials should be judged by their quality, not their origin. If recycled phosphorus meets the same safety requirements as phosphorus from mining, it should be allowed to compete on equal terms. It is time for EU legislation to catch up,” says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ragn-Sells Group. 
 
The risk assessment found that phosphorus recycled using the Ash2Phos process has characteristics that make it suitable for use as a phosphorus supplement in animal feed. Ash2Phos was developed by EasyMining, part of the Ragn-Sells Group. The assessment was conducted by the Danish Centre for Food and Agriculture (DCA) at Aarhus University, at the request of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration.  
 
The researchers found levels of the regulated heavy metals cadmium, arsenic, mercury and lead below or well below EU limits for feed phosphates. PFAS and other organic contaminants are unlikely to be present, according to the study. A separate assessment by the Swedish National Veterinary Institute (SVA) from 2023 concluded that the probability of infectious animal pathogens remaining in phosphorus recovered through Ash2Phos was “negligible”.  
 
“We do not have to choose between purity and circularity. These assessments show that we can effectively remove contaminants and produce highly purified phosphorus from sewage sludge ash. That opens the door to replacing virgin phosphorus with a circular alternative,” says Dr. Sara Stiernström, Manager of Product Development at EasyMining. 
 
Phosphorus is essential for food production and classified as a critical raw material by the EU. The Ash2Phos process recovers phosphorus from sewage sludge ash and produces RevoCaP, a high-purity recycled calcium phosphate whose potential applications include animal feed. 
 
Existing EU legislation prevents it from being used for that purpose. Current rules exclude nutrients recycled from wastewater regardless of how they have been processed or the quality of the final product. Sweden has urged the EU Commission to request a new risk assessment from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a step towards revising the feed legislation. 
 
“Europe’s food production depends heavily on imported phosphorus from Russia and Morocco, while valuable phosphorus in our own waste streams goes unused. Recycling more of what we already have would reduce that dependence and strengthen Europe’s resilience. EU rules should help make that possible, not stand in the way,” says Pär Larshans. 
 
For further comment or interviews, please contact:  
Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, +46 70 927 29 63,  par.larshans@ragnsells.com  
Dr. Sara Stiernström, Manager of Product Development, EasyMining, +46 70 927 28 85, sara.stiernstrom@easymining.com  
Debby Porter Laffitte, Press Officer, Ragn-Sells Group, +46 10 723 24 00, press@ragnsells.com  
 
 
Fact Box: Key Findings of the Aarhus Assessment 
- Animal feed: Phosphorus recovered from incinerated sewage sludge using Ash2Phos has characteristics that make it suitable for future use as a phosphorus supplement in animal feed. 

- Heavy metals: Cadmium, arsenic, mercury and lead were detected at very low levels, substantially below EU limits for feed phosphates. 

- PFAS and other contaminants: The probability of PFAS and other organic contaminants remaining in the recovered phosphorus is low. If present, levels are expected to be extremely low. 

The assessment was carried out by Aarhus University at the request of the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. EasyMining provided process information and analytical data but, according to the report, had no further input or influence on the assessment.  
Read the assessment in full here: https://pure.au.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/466588935/Levering_Vurdering_af_fosfor_udvundet_af_forarbejdet_aske_DCA_120626.pdf