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European country transformed phosphorus from sewage into strategic raw material for fertilizers and chemical industry, in a policy that unites sanitation, food security, and circular economy to reduce external dependence and reuse a resource considered essential for agriculture and food production.
The partial recovery of phosphorus present in sewage, sewage sludge, and ashes generated by the incineration of these residues has become mandatory in Switzerland, in a policy that connects sanitation, agriculture, and circular economy to reduce waste and expand the reuse of strategic raw materials.
With this measure, the Swiss government intends to transform an essential nutrient, currently lost in part of the disposal system, into an input for fertilizers and phosphoric acid, reducing import dependence in a global market concentrated in a few supplier countries.
Although phosphorus is indispensable for plants, animals, and humans, Switzerland does not possess significant primary reserves of this resource, a situation that has for years pressured the country to seek alternatives capable of increasing supply security and reducing external vulnerabilities.
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Phosphorus recovery became a priority in Switzerland
In practice, the Swiss strategy relies on a cycle already known to environmental authorities: the nutrient reaches the fields through fertilizers, enters the food chain, and after human and animal consumption, goes into the sewage system.
After the treatment stage, part of this material remains concentrated in the sludge or in the ashes generated by incineration, a scenario that allows for the industrial recovery of phosphorus through specific technologies aimed at reusing the residue.
The topic gained momentum after the prohibition of direct application of sewage sludge in Swiss agriculture, a measure adopted in 2006 due to the risks associated with the presence of pollutants and contaminants in these materials.
With the restriction, an old method of returning nutrients to the soil ceased to be used, while more controlled recycling technologies began to gain ground within the country’s environmental and sanitary policy.
Since 2016, phosphorus recovery has been integrated into Swiss waste legislation.
With the most recent revisions, starting in 2026, the country requires partial recovery of phosphorus from sewage sludge and complete recovery when the material comes from animal meals and bones.
How the sewage reuse system works
Despite the mandatory nature, the legislation does not stipulate that all sludge produced in Switzerland must undergo the phosphorus recovery process, as part of this material may still be used for energy recovery.
According to the Federal Office for the Environment, the minimum target established is to recover 16 kilograms of phosphorus per ton of dry sludge matter, a rate that corresponds to the treatment of approximately 60% of the national volume generated annually.
To organize the transition, the federal government created the SwissPhosphor platform, coordinated by the Federal Office for the Environment since September 2018.
The group brings together federal and cantonal authorities, plant operators, sanitation associations, the agricultural sector, the fertilizer industry, and the scientific community.
There are different technical approaches to enable nutrient recovery within the Swiss system, with models varying according to regional structure and the type of treatment adopted by the facilities.
In decentralized processes, phosphorus is extracted directly from wastewater and sludge at treatment plants, while centralized systems work with the ashes produced after the incineration of this material.
Technology used to transform waste into fertilizers
In recent years, Switzerland has started to prioritize wet-chemical extraction from ash.
This technology gained preference because it offers higher recovery rates and allows meeting strict limits for heavy metals in fertilizers produced with recycled phosphorus.
Three projects represent the most advanced stage of this policy: Phos4Life, in Zuchwil; Phosphor26, in Oftringen; and ZAB, in Bazenheid.
The facilities were planned to produce technical phosphoric acid, phosphoric acid for fertilizers, and fertilizers such as TSP46, P30, and P38.
The destination of the recovered products helps explain the economic importance of the initiative.
Phosphate fertilizer can return to agriculture and horticulture, while high-quality phosphoric acid serves industrial and chemical uses.
Thus, sewage is no longer treated merely as a sanitary liability and becomes integrated into the input supply chain.
Costs and goals of Swiss environmental policy
In addition to environmental and industrial impacts, Swiss policy also foresees permanent costs to finance the implementation and operation of structures responsible for phosphorus recovery.
According to government estimates, building and maintaining specialized plants is expected to cost more than the revenue generated by selling recycled products, a difference that could amount to about 5 Swiss francs per inhabitant per year, covered by sewage fees.
The cantons play a central role in the execution.
As they are responsible for the disposal of municipal waste and sewage sludge, they must adapt their disposal plans by January 1, 2028 and inform whether the sludge will be sent to recovery plants or used as fuel without this step, in permitted cases.
Switzerland also imposes strict limits for heavy metals in fertilizers, which reduces the number of acceptable external sources.
This factor reinforces the interest in an internal, controlled, and traceable source, capable of reducing nutrient losses and increasing supply security.
The Swiss experience shows how urban waste can return to the economy when sanitation and industrial policy are planned together.
Progress still depends on installed capacity, funding, and coordination between regions, but it already repositions phosphorus as a strategic resource within waste management.
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