SYSTEMIC · Project

Turning Organic Waste Into Sellable Minerals and Biogas at Industrial Scale

environmentPilotedTRL 7

Imagine every biogas plant in Europe is sitting on a gold mine it doesn't know about. Right now, the leftover sludge from anaerobic digestion — the process that turns food waste and manure into energy — gets spread on fields as low-value fertilizer, or worse, becomes a disposal headache. SYSTEMIC built a large-scale demonstration plant that extracts valuable minerals like phosphorus from that sludge and turns them into products you can actually sell. They tested this at one main site and 4 mirror plants across Europe to prove it works under real-world conditions.

By the numbers

consortium partners across Europe

countries represented in the consortium

mirror demonstration sites in different EU member states

industrial partners in the consortium

SMEs involved in the project

60%

industry ratio in the consortium

total project deliverables produced

years of demonstration plant monitoring

The business problem

What needed solving

Biogas plant operators across Europe face a double squeeze: subsidies are shrinking while digestate disposal costs keep rising. Meanwhile, Europe imports massive quantities of phosphorus — a finite, irreplaceable mineral — from overseas mines, creating supply chain vulnerability and environmental damage at both ends. There is no widely adopted commercial process to recover valuable minerals from organic waste at scale and sell them as quality products.

The solution

What was built

A large-scale demonstration plant for integrated mineral and nutrient recovery from anaerobic digestion waste, plus 4 mirror demonstration sites across different EU member states. Over 33 deliverables were produced across 4 years, including annual construction, monitoring, and demonstration reports documenting the full operational lifecycle.

Audience

Who needs this

Biogas and anaerobic digestion plant operators looking to add revenue streamsFertilizer companies seeking circular phosphorus sources to reduce import dependencyMunicipal waste management companies processing organic wasteAgricultural cooperatives managing large volumes of manure and crop residuesWater utilities dealing with nutrient-rich sludge disposal

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Waste-to-energy / Biogas

mid-size

Target: Anaerobic digestion plant operators

If you are a biogas plant operator struggling with digestate disposal costs and shrinking subsidies — this project demonstrated a fully integrated, multistep recovery process at a large-scale demonstration plant that extracts sellable mineral products from your waste stream. Tested across 4 mirror sites in different EU countries, this approach aims to make AD operators independent of subsidies by turning a cost center into a revenue line.

Fertilizer & Agricultural Inputs

enterprise

Target: Fertilizer producers or distributors

If you are a fertilizer company facing rising raw material costs and pressure to reduce phosphorus imports — SYSTEMIC validated technology to recover quality mineral products from organic waste at industrial scale. With phosphorus being a finite, irreplaceable resource mined overseas, recovered nutrients from this process offer a domestic, circular supply alternative tested across 15 consortium partners in 7 countries.

Municipal Waste Management

any

Target: Municipal waste utilities and organic waste processors

If you are a waste management company dealing with tightening regulations on water pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste — this project built and operated demonstration plants that convert biomass waste into valuable products while reducing environmental impact. The industry-driven consortium with 9 industrial partners proved the technical and economic viability in operational environments.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does the technology actually cost to implement?

The project did not publish specific capital or operational cost figures in the available data. However, the objective explicitly states the goal is to make AD operators 'independent of subsidies' — meaning the economics must work without public support. The cost-efficient investigation of real-world business cases was a core deliverable across 4 mirror sites.

Has this been tested at industrial scale?

Yes. SYSTEMIC was an Innovation Action (IA) that built and operated a large-scale demonstration plant over 4 years, with construction and monitoring deliverables documented each year. Additionally, 4 mirror case sites in different EU member states validated the approach under varying operational conditions.

Who owns the IP and can I license the technology?

The consortium of 15 partners across 7 countries jointly developed the results. With 9 industrial partners and 7 SMEs involved, licensing arrangements would need to be discussed with the relevant technology owners. The coordinator is Wageningen Research in the Netherlands.

What mineral products can actually be recovered and sold?

The project focused on phosphorus recovery as a priority, noting it is a 'finite irreplaceable resource' currently imported from mines. The broader scope includes nutrient recovery and production of secondary raw materials, biochemicals, and biogas from organic waste streams.

Does this comply with EU waste and fertilizer regulations?

Overcoming regulatory, institutional, and operational barriers was an explicit project objective. The consortium investigated real-world circular economy business cases including regulatory compliance across 4 EU member states. Specific regulatory approvals would depend on your country and waste stream type.

How long does implementation take?

The demonstration plant was constructed and monitored over 4 years (2017-2021), with annual deliverables tracking progress. For an existing AD plant adding recovery modules, the timeline would likely be shorter since SYSTEMIC designed modular combinations that can be integrated into existing operations.

Is technical support available for adoption?

The project ended in November 2021, but the consortium includes 9 industrial partners with direct operational experience. Wageningen Research, a leading European agricultural research institution, coordinated the project. Results and technical knowledge are accessible through the project website.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavily industry-driven consortium — 9 out of 15 partners are industrial, with a 60% industry ratio and 7 SMEs. That composition is a strong signal: this was built to work in the real market, not just in a lab. Wageningen Research (Netherlands) coordinated, bringing world-class agricultural and environmental expertise. The 7-country spread (AT, BE, DE, FI, IT, NL, UK) means the technology was tested against different regulatory environments, waste streams, and market conditions. With only 2 universities and 1 research org, the heavy lifting was done by companies that need this to work commercially.

STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCHCoordinator · NL
ACQUA & SOLE SRLparticipant · IT
PROMAN MANAGEMENT GMBHparticipant · AT
NIJHUIS WATER TECHNOLOGY BVparticipant · NL
UNIVERSITEIT GENTparticipant · BE
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI MILANOparticipant · IT
EUROPEAN BIOGAS ASSOCIATION AISBLparticipant · BE
THE RURAL INVESTMENT SUPPORT FOR EUROPE FOUNDATIONparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Wageningen Research (NL) — use project website or search for SYSTEMIC project coordinator contact

Order a report on this consortium See STICHTING WAGENINGEN RESEARCH profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to connect with the SYSTEMIC consortium for technology licensing or implementation support? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the right partner for your specific waste stream and recovery needs.

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