BioPhosRec, FHNW School of Life Sciences

Switzerland currently imports around 15,000 tonnes of phosphorus annually, of which 4,500 tonnes are processed into mineral fertilisers. The use of these imported phosphorus fertilisers is problematic because some of them contain high levels of heavy metals, particularly cadmium and uranium, which pollute the environment.

The aim of the project is to produce a new type of recycled fertiliser called BioPhosRec, which is rich in phosphorus (P) and is obtained by upcycling P-rich by-products from the Lake Thun wastewater treatment plant (ARA). The new recycled fertiliser BioPhosRec can be used as an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic phosphate fertilisers and is just as effective in agriculture as the synthetic fertilisers monosuperphosphate (SSP), diammonium phosphate (DAP) or monoammonium phosphate (MAP).