Recovering phosphorus from sewage sludge ash is very challenging due to the simultaneous contamination with heavy metals. The PHOS4PLANT project is therefore researching alternative methods for leaching and precipitating phosphorus. These could represent an environmentally friendly method for producing high-quality fertiliser based on biological processes. A first step in this direction is the enrichment of acidophilic bacteria from sewage sludge in order to use the microorganisms already present in it for the phosphorus leaching of sewage sludge ash.

Read about the project’s progress in producing ash from sewage sludge in the third newsletter 2025.

The project PHOS4PLANT (ATCZ00043) is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg Austria – Czech Republic 2021 – 2027 programme.