Latvian science-based start-up “P-Agro Minerals” is developing an innovative technology that removes phosphorus from wastewater and enables the recovered resource to be reused in agriculture. The company’s solution is based on a mineral material called letonite, which captures phosphorus from water during the filtration process. Once the filter material becomes saturated, it is intended to be prepared for further use as a soil improvement product. The company is currently testing a pilot system in cooperation with “Ādažu ūdens”, capable of treating up to 20 cubic metres of wastewater per day.
“P-Agro Minerals” was founded in 2022 and currently has a team of eight people, including three scientists, technology transfer and commercialisation specialists, business development experts and laboratory technicians. The company has not yet started selling its products, as it is currently focused on developing and validating the technology under real-world conditions. Commercialisation is planned to begin within the next two to three years.
Excessive phosphorus entering water bodies is one of the causes of eutrophication. Elevated concentrations of nutrients promote the excessive growth of algae and other organisms, reduce oxygen levels in the water and worsen conditions for fish and other aquatic life. Phosphorus and nitrogen are the main nutrients whose excessive release into the environment also contributes to eutrophication in the Baltic Sea. Wastewater treatment plants must therefore reduce phosphorus concentrations to specified limit values before treated wastewater is discharged into rivers, lakes or the sea.
At the same time, phosphorus is a valuable resource – one of the main nutrients required by plants and an essential raw material for fertilisers. Mineral phosphorus resources are limited and concentrated in a relatively small number of countries worldwide, meaning that European agriculture is highly dependent on phosphorus imports.
“Our technology could address two challenges at the same time – helping to remove excess phosphorus from water while recovering this valuable resource so that it can be returned to agriculture. In the long term, this could provide farmers with a locally available source of phosphorus and reduce dependence on imported raw materials,” says Annija Emersone, CEO of “P-Agro Minerals”.
The filtration system developed by “P-Agro Minerals” is designed to be installed at the final stage of the wastewater treatment process. It would receive water that has already been almost fully treated but still requires the remaining phosphorus concentration to be reduced before discharge into the environment. The letonite mineral material placed inside the system captures phosphorus from the water. Once the material reaches its maximum saturation level, it is removed from the filter. The company’s concept is that, without complex additional processing, the material could then be packaged and supplied for use in agriculture.
The company is therefore developing two interconnected products in parallel – a filtration system for wastewater treatment plants and a phosphorus-enriched soil improvement product. The filtration solution is expected to be the first to reach the market.
Various technologies are already used worldwide to remove phosphorus from wastewater. However, some solutions are technologically complex, rely on various chemicals rather than natural materials, and are economically viable mainly for very large wastewater treatment plants. “P-Agro Minerals” sees its potential market niche in the segment of small and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants, where large-scale systems may be too expensive or complex. The company sees interest in this type of solution both in Europe and in other regions of the world.
Within a year, the company has significantly increased the capacity of its pilot system. The previous prototype was capable of treating approximately one cubic metre of wastewater per day, while the current pilot system can process up to 20 cubic metres per day.
“Our next goal is to develop a prototype capable of treating 100 cubic metres of wastewater per day. However, depending on the customer, a commercially viable system may need to process several hundred or even up to 1,000 cubic metres per day,” says Emersone.
“P-Agro Minerals” has also used support from the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) to develop its technology. Under the business incubation programme of LIAA’s Saldus Representative Office, the company developed its new pilot system capable of treating up to 20 cubic metres of wastewater per day. Meanwhile, with support from an innovation voucher and in cooperation with the Austrian Institute of Technology, the company has studied the properties of phosphorus recovered from wastewater and its suitability for agricultural use.
The company expects that another two to three years will be required to prepare the filtration system for commercialisation. In the near future, it plans to file a patent application in Latvia and later extend its intellectual property protection to Europe and selected export markets. At the experimental level, and in cooperation with Latvian and international researchers, “P-Agro Minerals” is also exploring other potential applications for letonite. The mineral material could potentially be used to capture phosphorus in lakes, drainage systems and ditches, as well as agricultural and forest runoff.
The programme is funded under Measure 1.2.1.4 “Support for Improving the Technology Transfer System” of Specific Objective 1.2.1 “Strengthening Research and Innovation Capacities and Introducing Advanced Technologies in Enterprises” of the European Union Cohesion Policy Programme 2021–2027.
