Work

Product-Oriented Phosphorus Recovery from Wastewater and Waste Streams: Sources, High-Value Products, Technologies, and Techno-Economic Assessment

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Phosphorus recovery from wastewater and waste streams has become increasingly critical for addressing phosphate-rock supply insecurity and eutrophication control. Building on previous reviews of phosphorus recovery technologies and product applications, this review presents a product-oriented perspective for evaluating phosphorus recovery, explicitly integrating phosphorus sources, process design, product quality, application requirements, regulatory considerations, and life-cycle assessment (LCA) or techno-economic assessment (TEA). Collectively, the available evidence indicates that phosphorus sources differ substantially in phosphorus concentration, speciation, and impurity profiles, underscoring the importance of source–product matching for effective phosphorus recovery. Different phosphorus sources, therefore, require tailored recovery pathways to produce products that satisfy specific quality and application requirements. Product quality is governed primarily by process design rather than by the recovered mineral itself, with purity, contaminant control, regulatory compliance, and end-use suitability ultimately determining the environmental and economic value of recovered phosphorus. A meaningful comparison of recovery pathways further requires harmonized LCA/TEA, as environmental and economic outcomes are highly sensitive to system boundaries, functional units, and allocation assumptions. In addition, regulatory requirements are emerging as a key determinant of product commercialization and should therefore be incorporated throughout process design and technology development. Overall, this review highlights a shift from removal-oriented phosphorus recovery to product-oriented phosphorus recovery, emphasizing the production of high-quality, application-specific phosphorus products as the foundation for technology selection, product innovation, and the transition toward a circular phosphorus economy.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su18147497