The processes uses enzymes to recover phosphorus bound in biochemical molecules within solid waste such as animal manure, combined with mechanical drying of the remaining solids.
"In preliminary experiments, we could show that these enzymes can release inorganic phosphate from model compounds," said Jennifer Bilbao, who manages the PhosFarm project in Stuttgart, Germany.
The project aims to create a pilot plant capable of recovering up to 90 per cent of phosphorus from farm animal waste, of which the EU generates more than 1,800 million tonnes a year.
Currently European agriculture depends on imports of mineral phosphorus from other parts of the world.
