Phosphorus recovery gains political momentum – Minister Willingmann visits the PG Schkopau construction site

This was his second visit, having previously attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the plant in spring 2025.

“The recovery of precious phosphorus is a key issue for the future and is therefore a perfect fit for Saxony-Anhalt as a region of future technologies,” explained Willingmann.

“I am delighted that Gelsenwasser and EasyMining are making progress with the construction of their phosphorus recovery plant. As a region with a strong agricultural sector, we also have a keen interest in this. Our farms rely on phosphorus that is free from pollutants. Thanks to the future recycling capacity, they will need to import less of it from abroad. We should continue to consistently support the circular economy in this sector too in the coming years,” Willingmann said. 

The plant, currently under construction, will process up to 30,000 tonnes of sewage sludge ash from 2027 onwards and recover the phosphorus it contains in such a way that it can be put to direct use as pollutant-free calcium phosphate. The material, known as RevoCaP, can be used in various applications – as a raw material for industrial processes, for fertiliser production, as a ready-to-use slow-release fertiliser, and as phosphate for animal feed. RevoCaP is also approved for use in organic farming.

The plant utilises the Ash2Phos technology developed by EasyMining, a company belonging to the Ragn-Sells Group, which extracts more than 90 per cent of the phosphorus from sewage sludge ash. The heavy metals also contained in the ash are safely separated and disposed of during this process. The iron and aluminium contained in the ash can also be recovered and put to industrial use.

“With the Ash2Phos plant in Schkopau, the region will take on a pioneering role in phosphorus recovery. The project creates new jobs, boosts regional value creation and underlines our confidence in the region’s potential. We believe in Schkopau as a location for innovative circular economy solutions and sustainable technologies, and we are grateful for the support we receive in the region,” said Anna Lundbom, Managing Director of PG Schkopau. With a view to the plant coming on stream in 2027, PGS’s next recruitment drives are planned for the second half of the year.

The partners EasyMining and Gelsenwasser, who are jointly constructing the plant, are calling on the federal government to consistently pursue the course it has set out on to strengthen the circular economy. This includes, in particular, the implementation as planned of the obligation to recover phosphorus from sewage sludge, which comes into force in 2029, as well as the harmonisation of German fertiliser legislation with European requirements. This would provide planning certainty for investments whilst also ensuring clarity for users and consumers.

In the run-up to the minister’s visit, Dr. Christian Kabbe, Managing Director of EasyMining Germany GmbH, and Dr. Florian Herbst, Operations Manager at Phosphorgewinnung Schkopau (PGS), welcomed Member of the Bundestag Michael Kellner and representatives from Germany Trade & Invest to Schkopau.

The discussion centred on the importance of an efficient domestic phosphorus supply as a means of contributing to raw material security and reducing Germany’s dependence on imports. PGS’s large-scale, continuous phosphorus recovery process can make a significant contribution to this. However, this requires a reliable political and regulatory framework – both through compliance with the statutory deadlines for phosphorus recovery and through the creation of the regulatory conditions for the use of recovered phosphorus (RevoCaP) in the animal feed sector.