New study investigates recycled phosphate in animal feed 

EasyMining, in collaboration with Aarhus University and the Danish feed company DLG, is launching a project to evaluate how well newly weaned pigs digest a recycled feed phosphate. The study will also compare recycled feed phosphate with other common phosphorus sources, such as di-calcium phosphate and mono-calcium phosphate. This research is pivotal for potential EU approval of recycled feed phosphate as a sustainable feed ingredient. 

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for both plants and animals and listed by the EU as a critical raw material. Currently, the EU heavily depends on imports, primarily from mines located outside Europe. 

“Transitioning to a circular economy is essential for building a sustainable society. Phosphorus is crucial in this context. Recycling phosphorus from sewage sludge ash ensures local production, enhancing countries' resilience and food security,” says Sara Stiernström, Project Manager at EasyMining. 

The project aims to determine the phosphorus digestibility of Ash2Phos' recycled feed phosphate in piglets. The Ash2Phos process, patented by EasyMining, recovers pure calcium phosphate from ash derived from incinerated sewage sludge. 

“We will study how well weaned pigs can digest and utilize the phosphorous present in the recycled feed phosphate by transitioning them from a standard diet to one of four diets: a basal diet without added phosphorous, or the basal diet with recycled feed phosphate, mono-calcium phosphate (MCP), or di-calcium phosphate (DCP),” says Tina Skau Nielsen, Associate Professor at Aarhus University. 

The recycled phosphorus from the Ash2Phos process have a stable quality thanks to the robust process using chemical recycling. 

“Using recycled phosphorus from sewage sludge as a feed phosphate will help substitute virgin materials and save significant CO2 emissions. Recycled phosphorus in animal feed aligns with the EU’s Green Deal and Farm-to-Fork strategy and furthermore live up to our own strategy where we aim to develop and deliver solutions to a sustainable future for the agribusiness” says Troels Olesen, Vice President Animal nutrition from DLG. 

The incineration step before the Ash2Phos process ensures that the raw material, the ash used in the process, does not contain organic contaminants, microplastic, pathogens or prions. The heavy metals in the ash is separated in the process and it produces a high stable quality phosphate. The variation in the content in the ashes accepted for use in the Ash2Phos process does not affect the final quality of the feed phosphate. 

“We aim to leverage the study results to advocate for more circular feed legislation, demonstrating that Ash2Phos' feed phosphate offers a sustainable alternative to mined phosphorus, such as mono- and di-calcium phosphate,” adds Sara Stiernström.
 

For further information, please contact: 

Sara Stiernström, Product Manager at EasyMining, +46 (0)70-927 28 85, sara.stiernstrom@easymining.se   

Emma Ranerfors, Press Officer, +46 (0)70-927 24 16, press@ragnsells.com