Ragn-Sells manage disposal of all sewage sludge quality types as well as phosphorous recovery from ash for reuse of nutrients and to reduce the usage of limited virgin resources. This requires clear legislation supporting circular flows. - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform

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Ragn-Sells manage disposal of all sewage sludge quality types as well as phosphorous recovery from ash for reuse of nutrients and to reduce the usage of limited virgin resources. This requires clear legislation supporting circular flows.

Description of Good Practice
SDGs & Targets
Resources mobilized

Introduction

Ragn-Sells’s innovation company EasyMining, with potassium, nitrogen and phosphorous recirculation technology can support the returning of fossil-free elements from large waste flows to inorganic fertilisers. The Swedish Government recently convened its new panel of experts on the terms of reference on non-toxic and circular return of phosphorus from sewage sludge. One of the experts on the panel is Lisa Wigh Ragn-Sells, a agronomist and business developer with the focus on recirculation of resources from sewage sludge. At Ragn-Sells we see a future with increased pressure on sewage treatment plants and a greater need to dispose sewage sludge.

Objective of the practice

The European Union depends on imports for 90 percent of its phosphorus. However, sewage sludge from water treatment plants contains large quantities of phosphorus, of which only a minor part is recovered and put to agricultural use today.

Ragn-Sells believes that the practice of returning nutrients from sewage sludge to arable land must grow significantly. Returning nutrients in this way reduces the use of limited virgin resources.
We offer sewage treatment plants the opportunity to have us manage disposal of all sewage sludge quality types with full traceability and careful documentation that adheres to rules and regulations.
The objective of Ragn-Sells’ work is:
- to increase the proportion of recirculated phosphorous in order to reduce the extraction of virgin phosphorous
- to bring about legislation containing requirements for return of phosphorous from sewage sludge to arable land and other productive land (SDG 2.1, SDG 2.3, SDG 2C, SDG 8.4)
- to increase management of nitrogen in order to decrease the need for nitrogen in the form of fertilisers (SDG 8.4, SDG 12.2)
- to ensure that only phosphorous recovery that actually replaces virgin raw materials is counted as fulfilling the legal requirement (SDG 3.9, SDG 9.4, SDG 12.4)
- to bring about legislation that requires phosphorous to be recovered from ash and channelled back into agriculture if sewage sludge is burnt (SDG 9.4, SDG 11.6, SDG 17.16)
- to ensure that the spreading of sewage sludge directly onto arable land takes place in a way that ensures quality and sustainability (SDG 3.9, SDG 12.2, SDG 12.4)
- to ensure that use of sewage sludge, regardless of the means, takes place in a way that does not pose an unnecessary risk of nutrients leaking into waterways, lakes and seas, contributing to eutrophication (SDG 6.3, SDG 6.6, SDG 11.6, SDG 14.1, SDG 15.1). In our sales materials we state which SDGs customers support by allowing us to take care of disposal of their sewage sludge.

Key stakeholders and partnerships

Ragn-Sells innovation company EasyMining driving development of global patent on technology for recovery of phosphorous and other substances from sewage sludge. The ICC used as business example at COP23 Bonn. Ragn-Sells invited to present its technology at the HLPF, UN SDG Business Forum 17 July 2018 in New York. Society and its residents to support sustainable food production and other related industrial processes. Work on influencing municipalities to increase recycled materials in public procurements. Sewage treatment plants in Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Agriculture for the disposal of sewage sludge. Mines LKAB. Legislation on the recirculation of resources must be changed.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

We already offer sewage treatment plants the opportunity to have us manage disposal of all sewage sludge quality types with full traceability and careful documentation that adheres to rules and regulations. We return phosphorous from sewage sludge to arable land and other productive land by that saving virgin resources and increasing the food production with secured fertilizer.

The process patent of Ash2®Phos is in pilot tests in Germany, Denmark and Sweden making use of the ashes from energy recycling on sewage sludge. The patent ReeMAP can be used in mining industry and LKAB (Swedish mining industry) has made a Feasibility showing that a full-scale industrial production of MAP will correspond to an estimated 500 percent of Swedish demand and production of Rare Earth Methals (REE) will amount to about 2 percent world production. The pilot phase will continue through 2020.

Results/Outputs/Impacts

German legislation states that 80% must be recycled and RS’s innovation company EasyMining is the only company that meets their quality requirements. Potential to extract 63,000 tonnes of phosphorous in Germany alone. The impact would be reducing the import of virgin materials by 90%.
Denmark can reduce its imports by 10% by using RS’s technology.
Use of the technology reduces the heavy metal content to 0%, unlike when unearthing virgin phosphorous, which contains cadmium and uranium.
A global patent has been granted for the technology.

The process patent ReeMAP is used in mining industry and LKAB (Swedish mining industry) has made a Feasibility showing that a full-scale industrial production of MAP will correspond to an estimated 500 percent of Swedish demand and production of Rare Earth Methals (REE) will amount to about 2 percent world production. The pilot phase will continue through 2020.

Enabling factors and constraints

Despite detoxification and full traceability, as well as careful documentation adhering to rules and regulations, there is a sceptical attitude towards the spreading of sewage sludge in Sweden. This can then make it problematic to find agricultural sites for disposal of sewage sludge. Legislation is needed to care about the Resources already available.

Chemical processes for the extraction of clean commercial products.

Commercialises patented processes.

Ash2®Phos – phosphorus recovery from sludge ash.
CleanMAP® – energy efficient production of ammonium phosphate.
ReeMAP – ammonium phosphate and REE recovery from LKAB’s mine waste.
Ash2®Salt – salt recovery from waste incinerator fly ash.
Project N – nutrient recovery from waste water.
Preconditions to steer the technology towards more extensive recycling requires legislative changes in order to achieve circular economy. Germany is exemplary in its legal requirement for the recirculation of 80% of sewage sludge.

Sustainability and replicability

Conclusions

Today, 50% of the food produced in the world is dependent on nutrients (including phosphorus) from mineral fertilizers, and the need for these nutrients is increasing. However, 80% of the world’s mineable resources of phosphorus also contains cadmium and uranium which end up as containments in the soil. Additionally, in order to turn these ores into fertilizers, large amounts of fossil fuels are required. This is not sustainable!
Another challenge for cities is to safely handle an increasing amount of hazardous sludge from waste water treatment. Currently, most of the nutrients in the resulting waste are not circulated back to arable land. They are effectively lost to our economies. Legislation is needed now to secure our future.

Zero hunger – as we have only finite resources, circular solutions are required to fulfil the need for sustenance for everyone on this planet.
Waste hierarchy to resource hierarchy is the future for circular solutions.

Other sources of information

Lisa takes place on the Government’s panel of experts on sewage sludge https://www.ragnsells.com/articles/lisa-wigh/
Ragn-Sells and Gelsenwasser enter partnership on phosphorus recovery in Germany https://www.ragnsells.com/articles/ragn-sells-and-gelsenwasser-enter-partnership-on-phosphorus-recovery-in-germany/
Ragn-Sells CEO invited to speak at the UN SDG Business Forum 2018 https://www.ragnsells.com/articles/ragn-sells-ceo-invited-to-speak-at-the-un-sdg-business-forum-2018/
RAGN-SELLS TACKLES WORLD PROBLEM WITH NEW INNOVATION https://www.ragnsells.com/globalassets/1.-ragn-sells-group/articles/180628_ragn-sells_tackles_world_prob_phosohurus.pdf
Ragn-Sells and BIOFOS enter partnership on phosphorus recovery in Denmark https://www.ragnsells.com/about-ragn-sells/newsroom/#/pressreleases/ragn-sells-and-biofos-enter-partnership-on-phosphorus-recovery-in-denmark-2816447
Phosphorus, top of the agenda at World Resources Forum in Belgium https://www.ragnsells.com/about-ragn-sells/newsroom/#/pressreleases/phosphorus-top-of-the-agenda-at-world-resource-forum-in-belgium-2840349 LKAB invests in pilot plants for phosphorus and rare earth metals https://www.lkab.com/en/news-room/press-releases/lkab-invests-in-pilot-plants-for-phosphorus-and-rare-earth-metals/?aid=16447
Återvunnen fosfor – en resurs vi måste ta tillvara https://www.dagenssamhalle.se/debatt/atervunnen-fosfor-en-resurs-vi-maste-ta-tillvara-25987 (in Swedish) Municipalities need circular procure requirements https://www.ragnsells.se/inspireras/kommuner-dags-att-handla-hallbart

Goal 2

2.1 - By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

2.3 - By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

2.c - Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

Goal 3

3.9 - By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

Goal 6

6.3 - By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.6 - By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

Goal 8

8.4 - Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, with developed countries taking the lead

Goal 9

9.4 - By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

Goal 11

11.6 - By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management

Goal 12

12.2 - By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources

12.4 - By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment

Goal 14

14.1 - By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

Goal 15

15.1 - By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements

Goal 17

17.16 - Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

Other, please specify

Pär Larshans

Basic information

Start: 28 January, 2013

Completion: 28 February, 2021

Ongoing? yes

Region

Europe

Countries

Sweden

Geographical Coverage

Entity

Ragn-Sells AB
Type: Private sector

Contact information

Pär Larshans, Sustainability Director, par.larshans@ragnsells.com, +46709272963

Photos