NPHarvest’s nutrient-recovery technology proves out at industrial scale, drawing strong interest from European operators
Around 30 European wastewater and biogas operators visited the demonstration site within weeks, as NPHarvest reported peak ammonia-nitrogen recovery of 90.6% under tougher-than-designed conditions.
Espoo, Finland (July 2, 2026) – NPHarvest, a Finnish company that recovers nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater, digestate, and industrial side streams, has completed a successful industrial-scale demonstration of its technology in Germany. The trial validated the system under real operating conditions and has drawn strong commercial interest from operators across Europe, who are looking to turn nutrient-rich waste streams into a domestic source of fertilizer inputs.
Commercial interest in the technology has been substantial. Within weeks of the demonstration going live, around 30 wastewater and biogas operators visited the site to see the system in operation
“Europe is asking where it should import fertiliser from next, when part of the answer is already inside its own waste streams,” said Dr. Juho Uzkurt Kaljunen, CEO of NPHarvest. “This demonstration shows the recovery can be done at industrial scale. The strong operator interest tells us the market is ready for it.”
The trial took place over roughly two months at an industrial site in Bakum, Germany, where NPHarvest operated its demonstration unit on digestate with a total-solids load up to three times the system’s design specification. Even under these demanding conditions, the unit reached a peak ammonia-nitrogen recovery of 90.6% and operated within its 70–90% target range whenever conditions were within specification.
The successful trial is a validation of the technology. It clearly demonstrates that the core recovery process performs at industrial scale in real-world conditions.
“When we launched this installation, the interest from operators was already strong — now that the system has proven itself on real digestate, that interest is only increasing,” said Milan Hofmann, Managing Director at Varea Water, NPHarvest’s regional project developer for Central Europe and the UK. “Plants across the region are under pressure to manage nutrients more efficiently, and they want solutions they’ve seen working, not promises.”
The interest in the technology across Europe is confirmed by the fact that the demonstration unit will be deployed in Italy to further assess its capacity to operate in a challenging environment. As EU fertiliser-security policy increasingly looks beyond imports, the company argues that recoverable nitrogen and phosphorus in domestic waste streams should be treated as strategic inputs rather than waste.
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For additional information:
Media kit with pictures
Burak Yirmibesoglu, Business Developer at NPHarvest Oy
burak@npharvest.fi
+358 440 401120
About NPHarvest
NPHarvest, a spinout from Aalto University, is reducing reliance on imported nutrients with its patented technology. NPHarvest grows the net value of wastewater by efficiently capturing, refining, and recirculating nutrients in a way that has not been possible before. This creates cost savings and a positive environmental impact for wastewater treatment facilities, waste-to-energy plants, and animal farms – while also being easy to operate. With €2.2M funding raised from industry-leading investors such as Nordic Foodtech VC and the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. NPHarvest’s team has also won numerous awards for their groundbreaking work, including four awards for academic research, and several pitching awards such as “Save the Baltic Sea 2025” and European Biomethane Week’s “Inspiration Challenge 2024.” Learn more at npharvest.fi.
