Phosphorus imports from Russia to the EU hit around €500 million in the first half of 2025, showing a 30% increase from the previous year. This dependency on Russian phosphorus raises concerns amidst the ongoing war in Ukraine. As nearly all phosphorus for mineral fertilisers and animal feed in the EU comes from outside sources, experts stress the need for Europe to recover phosphorus from domestic wastewater. Innovations like Ragn-Sells' RevoCaP could help transition to sustainable practices in farming, yet existing bans on using recycled phosphorus in animal feed hinder progress.
"It is deeply troubling that the EU has become more dependent on phosphorus from Russian mines," says Pär Larshans, Chief Sustainability Officer at the Ragn-Sells Group.
"Closing the loop on phosphorus is not just about the environment - it's about European security and competitiveness. No phosphorus means no food."
Ragn-Sells' innovation company EasyMining has developed a technology that recovers over 90 percent of the phosphorus in sewage sludge ash, producing RevoCaP.
The European Commission recently approved the use of products like RevoCaP as fertiliser in organic farming, but outdated BSE-era rules still ban its use in animal feed.
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