Phosphorus recovery for circular Economy: Application potential of feasible resources and engineering processes in Europe.

[Display omitted] • P recovery has the potential to lessen the pressure on P imports dependency of the EU. • European countries have enacted legislation for promoting P recovery. • Waste streams and eutrophic environments can be promising P recycling resources. • Literature review on engineering approaches for P release and recovery is presented. • Commercial engineering applications for P recovery in the EU are assessed. Phosphorus (P), one of the essential and indispensable elements for the growth of living organisms, is finite and nonrenewable for a multitude of applications. Economic P recycling can contribute to sustainable P management and lessen the pressure on P imports of the EU. Several European countries now have paved the way for establishing P recovery legislation and successively implemented compulsory recycling from P-rich wastes. This paper provided a comprehensive review for analyzing the potential of existing P recycling resources and engineering technologies in terms of their feasibility and applicability in Europe. Potential P-rich flows from the waste streams and eutrophic environments were deeply investigated. Regarding their technical principles, application, and availability, different engineering approaches for P release enhancement and P recovery were also reviewed in a critical manner. Moreover, assessments on engineering applications for P recycling considering economic feasibility and environmental benefits were also presented. Wastewater treatment plants show promising recovery efficiency, whereas industrial processes with sludge ashes as input allow up to 95% recovery of P. Collectively, in Europe, efficient and sustainable management of P has been recognized as a necessary strategy to meet the growing demand for mineral P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]