A review on preparation of battery-grade iron phosphate precursor from sludge phosphorus recovery

GAO Jiaqi; HUA Yu; CHEN Shuxian; LI Yan; YUAN Binbin; DAI Xiaohu

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202509020

Volume 43 Issue 9

Sep. 2025

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Article Navigation > ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING > 2025 > 43(9): 198-208

GAO Jiaqi, HUA Yu, CHEN Shuxian, LI Yan, YUAN Binbin, DAI Xiaohu. A review on preparation of battery-grade iron phosphate precursor from sludge phosphorus recovery[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 198-208. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509020

Citation:

GAO Jiaqi, HUA Yu, CHEN Shuxian, LI Yan, YUAN Binbin, DAI Xiaohu. A review on preparation of battery-grade iron phosphate precursor from sludge phosphorus recovery[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 198-208. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509020

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A review on preparation of battery-grade iron phosphate precursor from sludge phosphorus recovery

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509020

GAO Jiaqi^1,2,
HUA Yu^{1,2
,},
CHEN Shuxian^1,2,
LI Yan¹,
YUAN Binbin³,
DAI Xiaohu^{1,2
,}

1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China;
2. National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Shanghai 200092, China;
3. Shanghai Zhongyao Environmental Protection Industry Shaanxi Co., Ltd., Baoji 721000, China

Received Date: 2025-09-08
Available Online: 2025-11-05
Publish Date: 2025-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

The resource recovery of sewage sludge represents a key strategy for China to achieve both pollution reduction and carbon mitigation， as well as the circular utilization of resources. Serving as an “urban phosphorus mine，” sludge accumulates over 90% of the phosphorus present in wastewater， making it an important alternative source for the production of high-value-added phosphate products. This review systematically summarizes the technological routes and research progress for recovering phosphorus from sludge to produce battery-grade iron phosphate. First， the occurrence forms of phosphorus in sludge and their differences from phosphate ores are analyzed， highlighting the advantages of sludge-derived phosphorus in terms of source stability and lower radiological risk. Subsequently， the mechanisms， efficiency， and application potential of phosphorus release technologies—including biological， hydrometallurgical， electrochemical， and thermochemical methods—are compared. On this basis， the roles of purification processes such as ion exchange and membrane separation in enhancing phosphorus purity are discussed， along with the feasibility and specific pathways for producing battery-grade iron phosphate from different sludge sources （activated sludge， chemical sludge， mixed sludge， and incineration ash）. Finally， the comprehensive benefits and future development directions of this resource recovery route are examined. It is proposed that process integration， targeted impurity control， and full life-cycle assessment can facilitate the scale-up and industrial application of sludge-derived phosphorus recovery for battery-grade iron phosphate， offering new strategies for the high-value utilization of sewage sludge.
- sludge,
- phosphorus recovery,
- FePO₄,
- LiFePO₄

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References(70)

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