NPHarvest Launches Industrial-Scale Wastewater Nutrient Recovery Demo at Biogas Plant in Ankara

Finnish cleantech startup NPHarvest, which specializes in recovering nutrients from wastewater with up to 90% efficiency, officially launching its first industrial-scale Nutrient Catcher demo unit at the Aslan Biomass biogas plant in Ankara, Türkiye.

• Russia's share of EU fertilizer imports has grown from 17% in 2022 to 30% now. In 2024 alone, imports rose by more than 33% to around $2 billion (€1.75 billion). With the EU announcing new significant tariffs on Russian fertilizers, European agriculture is facing the prospect of fertilizers doubling in cost by 2028.
• Pressure to find alternative sources is at an all-time high to prevent further economic volatility for millions in the EU and ensure food security, a critical building block for Europe’s defense.
• NPHarvest’s patented industrial-scale system provides a circular, energy-efficient solution for recovering critical nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, directly from wastewater streams, including black water, liquid digestate, and manure.
• The modular technology produces high-purity ammonium sulfate and amorphous calcium phosphate, both essential raw materials for fertilizer production, by utilizing hydrophobic membrane stripping. The process operates without the need for heating, pressure, or aeration, relying solely on alkaline and acid dosing, which makes it highly cost-efficient and easy to operate.
• In Ankara, NPHarvest’s technology is expected to recover approximately 93 tonnes of ammonium sulfate and up to 73 tonnes of phosphorus-based product in a year’s time, with the potential to recover 3,255 tonnes of ammonium sulfate and 2,555 tonnes of phosphorus-based product through a full-scale installation. These recovered nutrients would otherwise be lost in wastewater, often leading to environmental damage and wasted economic potential.
• The Aslan Biomass facility, which previously trucked nutrient-rich wastewater to regional fields and farms, is reaching its capacity for nutrient load. It will now recover resources on-site, cutting environmental impact and operating costs. Türkiye, with over 2,000 wastewater treatment plants and a growing cleantech ecosystem, offers significant expansion potential for nutrient recovery technologies.