Kemira, Veolia combine for phosphorus recovery

Kemira and Veolia Wasser Deutschland are to work togther on the full-scale technology assessment of ViviMag, a patented technology to recover phosphorus and other valuable resources, such as iron, from sewage sludge. The first industrial trial will take place at Veolia’s wastewater treatment plant of Schönebeck, Germany, during 2H.

ViviMag was developed by Wetsus, the European centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, and Technical University Delft, in cooperation with Kemira, other companies and municipal water companies. Both companies said that it “represents an important complement to their sustainable water treatment offering”.

Phosphorus is both a major environmental challenge in wastewater and and a key nutrient for agricultural and industrial applications. In 2020, the EC confirmed it as one of the critical raw materials on the EU Critical Raw Materials List.