Phos Cycle Limited

What Phos Cycle Limited does

Phos Cycle Limited, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Birmingham, United Kingdom, operates a circular-economy platform that recovers phosphates and sulfates from expired ABC fire-extinguishing powder and converts them into a carbon-neutral NPKS liquid fertilizer (N: 5, P: 7, K: 0, S: 9). The company runs a two-part model: an upstream Disposal Solutions service that provides waste industry and fire extinguisher service providers with an eco-friendly alternative to landfilling expired ABC powder, and a downstream Liquid Fertilizer product sold to farmers and agricultural operations for use on crops including potatoes, wheat, and lettuce. The core technology is a patented process (IP filed in 2021) that recovers valuable raw materials from a waste stream present in roughly half of all fire extinguishers globally, with yields and product efficacy validated by independent NIAB trials in 2022 demonstrating yields comparable to conventional mined fertilizer.

The company monetizes through one-time fertilizer sales to the agricultural sector and professional-service fees for waste disposal. Its go-to-market combines enterprise field sales — including a notable collaboration with Tesco on the UK's largest low-carbon fertilizer rollout ('Greener Greens') — with event-driven awareness building at industry conferences such as CUPGRA and Venturefest. Strategic support has come from Innovate UK (three grant tranches in 2019, 2020, and 2022), two private investment rounds (2019 and 2022), and academic partnerships with the University of Birmingham (founding collaborator), University of Greenwich, University of Wolverhampton, and NIAB for R&D and field validation. The company operates a pilot plant, maintains a small team (1-10 employees) led by co-founders Omair Mahmood (Finance) and Helias Andriessen (Innovation/Commercial), and has been recognized as a finalist at the National Diversity Awards 2022 for innovation.

Name

Phos Cycle Limited

Legal name

Phos Cycle Limited

Website

https://phoscycle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Fertilizers

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing (325312), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAEAEAB

Phosphate Fertilizers (MAP/DAP/TSP)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Chemicals & Industrial Materials/Fertilizers & Agricultural Chemicals

SECONDARYAFABACAB

Water-Soluble Fertilizers (WSF) & Fully Soluble NPK Blends

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Inputs & Agrochemicals/Specialty Fertilizers (Controlled-Release, Water-Soluble, Foliar)

SECONDARYAFABABAB

Phosphate Fertilizers (MAP, DAP, TSP, SSP)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Inputs & Agrochemicals/Fertilizers (Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash)

Keywords

• Waste recycling services
• Liquid fertilizer production
• Phosphate recovery
• Circular economy solutions
• Sustainable agriculture inputs

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Liquid Fertilizer Sales: Selling carbon-neutral NPKS liquid fertilizer to farmers and agricultural operations. Product is suitable for planting stage of wide variety of crops including potatoes, wheat, and lettuce. Revenue generated through direct sales to agricultural sector.
2. Disposal Services (Upstream): Providing sustainable disposal solutions for expired ABC powder from fire extinguishers to the waste industry. Offers an eco-friendly and economical alternative to landfilling.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Phos Cycle Limited operates a circular economy model that recovers phosphates and sulfates from expired ABC (fire extinguishing) powder and converts them into a carbon-neutral NPKS liquid fertilizer. The company provides upstream disposal services for the waste industry and downstream fertilizer sales to farmers and agricultural operations. Its patented process diverts ABC powder waste from landfills and produces a sustainable, low-carbon alternative to mined phosphate fertilizers.

Product overview

Phos Cycle Limited operates a two-part circular economy model consisting of Disposal Solutions (upstream service) for eco-friendly disposal of expired ABC powder from fire extinguishers, and Liquid Fertilizer (downstream product) - a carbon-neutral NPKS liquid fertilizer made from the recycled powder. The Disposal Solutions service provides the waste industry with a sustainable process to handle expired ABC powder, which is then processed through Phos Cycle's patented technology to recover phosphates and sulfates, ultimately producing the Liquid Fertilizer product for use by farmers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Disposal Solutions An upstream service providing an eco-friendly and economical solution for the disposal of expired ABC powder from fire extinguishers, diverting this waste from landfills and reintegrating it into the economy. Targeted at waste disposal companies and fire extinguisher service providers seeking sustainable alternatives to landfilling.
• Liquid Fertilizer A carbon-neutral NPKS liquid fertilizer (N: 5, P: 7, K: 0, S: 9) derived from recycled ABC powder in expired fire extinguishers, designed to improve soil and crop health while reducing farmers' carbon footprint. Suitable for the planting stage of a wide variety of crops including potatoes, wheat, and lettuce. Validated by NIAB 2022 independent trials demonstrating equal yields compared to conventional mined fertilizers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Equal crop yields compared to conventional mined fertiliser (NIAB 2022 trials)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TescocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Official collaborator on Tesco's 'Greener Greens' trials - UK's largest low-carbon fertiliser roll-out. Aims to increase food security and cut carbon footprint of Tesco's vegetable supply chain. Partnership provides market access and credibility.
• NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021R&D partnerships for product trials. Conducted independent trials on potato crops demonstrating equal yields to conventional fertilisers. Trials set up at NIAB headquarters in Cambridge for networking with breeders and growers.
• University of GreenwichminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Academic collaboration for research and development activities.
• University of WolverhamptonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Academic collaboration. Co-founder Omair Mahmood spoke at Earth Day 2022 held at Wolverhampton University business school.
• University of BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Official academic collaborator on the project from beginning. Working with Phos Cycle receiving Innovate UK funding alongside the company. Provides research support and academic credibility for the recycling technology development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nutrien: World's largest crop inputs and services provider, producing potash, nitrogen, and phosphate fertilizers globally. Broad incumbent competitor in the same agricultural fertilizer market; represents the scale player whose distribution and customer relationships Phos Cycle could eventually plug into via partnership or licensing.
• ICL Group: Israel-headquartered specialty minerals and fertilizer company producing phosphate-based fertilizers and specialty plant nutrition products. Broad incumbent in phosphate fertilizers with a specialty/sustainable plant nutrition focus; competitively comparable on end-product positioning in specialty fertilizer markets.
• CF Industries: Major US-based nitrogen fertilizer producer that has expanded into low-carbon and blue/green ammonia and downstream plant nutrition. Broad incumbent in fertilizer supply competing for the same farmer customers and increasingly focused on sustainability narratives similar to Phos Cycle.
• Veolia: Global leader in waste management and resource recovery with growing exposure to nutrient recovery, biosolids, and circular-economy services. Broad incumbent comparable on the upstream waste-collection side of Phos Cycle's two-part model and a potential infrastructure or offtake partner as Phos Cycle scales.
• Yara International: Global Norwegian-headquartered fertilizer giant producing nitrogen, phosphate, and compound fertilizers with growing emphasis on low-carbon and specialty products. Broad incumbent serving the same farmers and crop-input distributors; competition and potential partnership/acquisition counterparty for sustainable phosphate technology.

Direct peers

• Ostara (Multiform Harvest): Canada/US-based company that recovers phosphorus and nitrogen from wastewater streams and converts them into slow-release crystalline fertilizers (Crystal Green). Direct peer - nutrient-recovery-from-waste business model and end-product positioning as a sustainable phosphate fertilizer closely parallels Phos Cycle's approach.
• CCm Technologies: UK-based company that produces low-carbon fertilizer from captured industrial CO2 and waste feedstocks (e.g., poultry litter, biosolids). Direct peer - UK-headquartered, similarly uses industrial waste streams to produce sustainable fertilizer with a low/negative carbon footprint, sharing the same sustainability-driven value proposition for farmers.
• EasyMining: Swedish company developing processes to recover phosphorus and other nutrients from waste ashes and sludge for reuse as fertilizer. Direct conceptual peer - both recover phosphate-bearing nutrients from industrial/urban waste streams and convert them into agricultural inputs, addressing the same critical phosphorus scarcity problem in a circular-economy model.

Emerging players

• Phospholutions: US-based startup that has developed RhizoSorb, a phosphorus fertilizer technology that improves nutrient use efficiency and reduces runoff. Emerging peer addressing the same end-user need for more sustainable phosphate fertilizer performance, though from an efficiency rather than waste-recovery angle.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phos-cycle

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Phos Cycle Limited