Ecophos leader in the production of phosphates
After having invested in March 2016 more than 60 million euros in a new production unit in Dunkerque, northern France, the Belgian company Ecophos currently injects 10 million euros in a research centre in Bulgaria. This project aims at creating a site where the chemical phosphate recovery processes can be tested and presented to interested clients.
Ecophos is active in the chemical sector and is specialized in waste recycling for the purpose of extracting phosphate. The company is based in the Louvain-la-Neuve Science Park, near the university, where companies active in research, innovation and high technology are established. At present Ecophos employs 250 persons with a turnover of 130 million euros and aspires to become the world’s leading producer of phosphates over the next five years.
This Walloon enterprise was founded in 1996 by the Belgian-Moroccan Mohamed Takhim, with the objective of commercializing licences for extraction and upgrading processes for phosphate, a substance that is essential for the production of agricultural fertilizers and that is used for animal feed. This essential chemical component is becoming increasingly scarce and the price is constantly rising. Hence the need for recycling from sludge from waste treatment plants or for extraction from certain ores.
Today, Ecophos stands for 25 % of the European phosphates production and plans to continue growing and to invest. Its projects are supported by institutional investors such as GIMV, Capricorn or Colruyt.