ABOUT US
We are the company that seeks to improve water quality across the globe.
WHO WE ARE
Phoslock Europe Gmbh is a wholly owned subsidiary of Phoslock Environmental Technologies (PET) of Melbourne, Australia. PET is the manufacturer and intellectual property owner of Phoslock, a geo-engineered phosphorus-binding clay material developed by the Commonwealth Scientific Research Organization (CSIRO) of Australia in the nineties. In addition to Phoslock, PET manufactures and supply a range of other solutions for water remediation.
With operational bases in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy, Phoslock Europe GmbH is the exclusive licensee of the Phoslock technology across Europe.
We help water managers improve water quality worldwide by controlling phosphorus release from the sediments of lakes and reservoirs using the novel product Phoslock.
Phoslock Europe has applied Phoslock to more than 300 water bodies across Europe, with applications resulting in improved water clarity, reduced in-lake phosphorus concentrations and as a result of a Phoslock application, Chlorophyll-a concentrations and cyanobacterial concentrations have been reported to decline in many instances.
Applications have been undertaken on drinking water reservoirs, lakes, ponds, urban ponds, impounded rivers, water bodies used for recreational activities (swimming/fishing/water-based sports), water bodies with environmental designations (e.g. sites of Special Scientific Interest, Special Areas of Conservation, Ramsar sites and water bodies that come under the remit of the European Water Framework Directive).
WHAT IS PHOSLOCK?
Phoslock was developed in Australia by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), to remove phosphates from water. The active element in Phoslock is lanthanum (a rare-earth element) which has a strong affinity to bind with phosphate. This forms an insoluble and biologically inert compound, Rhabdophane. Phoslock is comprised of 95% bentonite and 5% lanthanum.
It is manufactured through a controlled ion-exchange process whereby cations within the bentonite are exchanged with lanthanum cations. The result is that lanthanum held within the bentonite structure retains its ability to bind phosphate, but does not readily dissociate, i.e. will not form free ions in water.
Phoslock is manufactured as a dry granule which makes it easy to transport and store.
How is Phoslock applied to a water body
When used in lake restoration, Phoslock is usually added to a water body as a slurry. Phoslock is mixed with in-situ lake water and sprayed over the water’s surface. As Phoslock sinks, it strips phosphate from the water column. Once settled on the sediment, Phoslock continues to bind phosphate released from the sediment, until the lanthanum binding sites are saturated, at which point no further binding will take place.
