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The context
Phosphorus is a fundamental resource for life, agriculture, and numerous industrial supply chains. The European Commission considers it a critical raw material, as its natural reserves are limited, concentrated in a few countries, and subject to strong geopolitical tensions. At the same time, wastewater treatment plants produce nutrient-rich sludge that is often treated as waste, despite its high potential for recovery.
The F.O.S.F.O.R.O. project was created with the aim of transforming this sludge into a strategic resource for the environment and industry, promoting the circular economy and sustainable development. Thanks to funding from the Lombardy Region as part of the "Collabora & Innova" call for proposals, the initiative aims to combine technological innovation and applied research, enhancing the nutrients contained in sludge and incineration ash.
The Project
F.O.S.F.O.R.O. aims to develop and optimise innovative processes for the recovery of phosphorus and other nutrients, reducing waste and increasing the energy efficiency of wastewater treatment plants. The objective is to produce secondary raw materials and new materials with high added value, contributing to improving the economic and environmental sustainability of sludge management.
The project activities include advanced research, laboratory experiments and full-scale testing at regional facilities, promoting collaboration between industrial partners, research institutions and local stakeholders.
Main objectives
The project partners aim to develop innovative technologies for extracting phosphorus from sludge and ash, reducing waste volumes, improving treatment efficiency and creating new materials such as polymers, biopolymers and additives from recovered nutrients. The project also involves assessing the environmental, economic and energy sustainability of the processes, contributing to the creation of circular phosphorus supply chains in Lombardy and supporting compliance with future European standards for wastewater treatment.
Activities and technologies
The experiments are developed along two main lines: the Water Line, dedicated to optimising biological processes for removing phosphorus from civil wastewater, and the Sludge Line, focused on recovering phosphorus from incineration ash through chemical, thermal and biological processes.
The technologies tested include biological nutrient removal, HydroThermal Carbonisation (HTC) in synergy with methanation, drying and combustion processes, wet and thermochemical phosphorus extraction and chemical stabilisation of residues. The recovered materials can be used as fertilisers or as components for new industrial materials, thus enhancing the value of sludge as a resource.
The digitisation of processes will also be particularly important, thanks to the collection and analysis of experimental data and the use of machine learning techniques to optimise operating parameters.
Partnership
The project is carried out by:
A2A Ambiente S.p.A. (Lead partner)
VOMM Impianti e Processi S.p.A.
Università degli Studi di Brescia
With the support of LE2C – Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster
The role of LE2C
LE2C - Lombardy Energy Cleantech Cluster supports the project by coordinating communication and dissemination activities, promoting the results to businesses, institutions and local stakeholders, and encouraging networking between industrial partners, research bodies and innovative organisations.
The cluster contributes to the construction of Lombardy supply chains based on the circular economy and ensures maximum transparency and visibility of the project through events, information materials and digital tools, in line with the guidelines of the ERDF PR 2021–2027 and with European sustainability and innovation strategies.
Duration and financing
- Duration: 2025–2027 (26 months)
- Total cost: €3,544,317.08
- Regional contribution: €1,706,206.74
A project aligned with European and regional strategies
F.O.S.F.O.R.O. is part of the Lombardy Region's Smart Specialisation Strategy for Research and Innovation (S3) and is consistent with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the National Waste Management Programme (PNGR) and the Regional Waste Management Programme (PRGR). The project continues the path started with “FANGHI – Advanced Forms of Sewage Sludge Management in an Innovative Lombardy Hub”, funded by the “Call Hub Ricerca e Innovazione” (Research and Innovation Hub Call) and integrates with the 'ECO-SLUDGE: ecosystem for a sustainable and innovative sludge management value chain', identified in 2023 as part of the expression of interest promoted by the Lombardy Region to encourage the development and strengthening of industrial supply chains and environmental services, as well as regional production ecosystems.