SusPhos and the EIC Accelerator: Phosphate From Sewage Ash

SusPhos, a spin-off from the University of Amsterdam founded by chemist Marissa de Boer and based in Leeuwarden, has a patented process to recover phosphate from waste such as sewage sludge ash. Its EIC project said the EU imports 90% of its rock phosphate, a critical raw material, that 90% of used phosphorus is irreversibly lost, and that SusPhos "will create Europe's independent supply of P" by turning waste into phosphoric acid for fertiliser, flame retardant and other industries, according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,999 towards a €4.82 million project from March 2023 to February 2025; CORDIS lists the company under its former name, Neptuna Ventures BV. The final report says all deliverables were completed after an amendment shifted timelines, engineering with suppliers and a contractor was in its final stages, a residual by-product was developed into a circular cement binder, and SusPhos won "the European tender to jointly develop, engineer, construct, and operate our first factory" with the largest sewage sludge incinerator in the Netherlands. In 2025 that partner, SNB, and SusPhos won a Dutch subsidy for the design phase of the plant, planned for construction by 2027 at Moerdijk, according to the European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform's December 2025 newsletter.

Where SusPhos Stands Now

SusPhos and SNB set up a joint venture, S&S Feniks, to take the plant forward. The Dutch DEI+ subsidy covers up to one third of the estimated design cost, with the amount not disclosed, and SNB will put in €25 to 35 million in equity and loan guarantees, ESPP reported. SusPhos's website says the first full-scale plant, SusPhos One, will be realised in 2028 next to SNB, which it describes as Europe's largest mono-incineration plant for sewage sludge, with Bilfinger as engineering partner. SusPhos itself has not announced an equity round since the EIC award.

The Technology: Solvent Extraction From Ash

The process reacts sulphuric acid with incinerator ash and then uses a proprietary solvent to pull out phosphoric acid, which is purified or turned into phosphate chemicals while the solvent is recycled, ESPP explains. The leftover mineral stream holds gypsum, sand, aluminium, iron and 95% of the ash's heavy metals, and SusPhos wants to use it in building materials; the report says tests as a cement binder were promising.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project was meant to perfect the process and prepare a full-scale demonstration plant. It secured a site partner and moved engineering towards construction, and developed two marketable products. Several original deliverables, including the plant location and the number of products delivered, were changed by amendment. The plant itself was not built during the project. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. Process optimisationDeliveredPer final report.
2. Plant partner and siteDeliveredSNB, Moerdijk.
3. Plant financingIn progressDesign subsidy only.
4. Full-scale plantPlannedOperation 2028.

The Money

SusPhos has not published revenue or an equity round with an amount, and no EIC Fund investment has been announced. The plant's announced financing rests mainly on SNB and on Dutch subsidy for the design phase.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

The EU lists phosphate rock as a critical raw material. SusPhos offers a way to recover it from sewage ash inside Europe, and SusPhos says it won a large industrial partner during the EIC project. Whether it works at scale will be known only when the Moerdijk plant runs.

The Verdict

SusPhos and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.