Added-value from innovative value chains by establishing nutrient cycles via struvite

• Cost–benefit analyses reveal the economic viability of struvite precipitation.
• Struvite precipitation and its usage as fertilizer lead to a higher added-value.
• Added-value gains result mainly from reduced costs in wastewater treatment.
• Added-value gains in wastewater treatment are higher than in crop production.
• The distribution of the added-value is determined by the marketing strategy used.

The establishment of nutrient cycles has been widely proposed as a strategy for an efficient management of nutrients such as phosphorus (P). Global reserves of phosphate rocks are limited and are being increasingly depleted. At the same time, P is disposed of via various substance-streams in wastewater treatment. Establishing nutrient cycles may solve these problems and lead to innovative added-value chains with a higher added-value. The objective of this paper is to assess the added-value of P-recovery from sewage sludge via struvite precipitation and its application as fertilizer in Berlin-Brandenburg (Germany). The added-value from struvite precipitation was determined by performing a cost/benefit analysis based on data from standardized questionnaires and interviews with operators of wastewater treatment facilities. Surveys of 146 farmers were used to ascertain what crops were cultivated in the study area and to gauge the willingness of farmers to substitute struvite for conventional mineral P-fertilizer. Benefits from using struvite were found by calculating the fertilizer costs when struvite is substituted for conventional mineral fertilizer. The results indicate that the precipitation of struvite and its use as fertilizer generates added-value gains for wastewater treatment facilities (416,000 €) and for crop producers (35,000 €). In wastewater treatment, struvite precipitation reduces operating costs and yields additional revenues through struvite sales. In crop production, fertilization costs are reduced by substituting struvite for mineral P-, N- and Ca-fertilizers. The distribution of the added-value in the struvite value chain is determined by the marketing strategy of struvite. Farmers may obtain a higher share of added-value if struvite is marketed via direct sale.