Phosphonates are widely used in industrial and household applications. Phosphorus (P) removal and recovery from phosphonates in wastewater require a (cost-)efficient process. This study developed a two-step approach for this challenge. In the first step, lava rock and expanded clay aggregates (ECA) were used to build two packed O 3 bubble columns (LBC and EBC, respectively) and were compared with a nonpacked bubble column (BC). After 90 min of ozonation, the net production efficiency of orthophosphate (Ortho-P) from a commonly used phosphonate in the textile industry [1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP)] was higher in the LBC (66%), followed by the BC (59%) and EBC (44%). The lowest Ortho-P production efficiency in the EBC was because a high fraction of the produced Ortho-P was adsorbed on the surface of the ECA. However, when the adsorptive packing materials were reused during five consecutive ozonation cycles, the Ortho-P adsorption sites on the packing materials tended to be saturated. As such, the net production efficiency of Ortho-P in the LBC and EBC increased to 86 and 72%, respectively. In the second step, iron-coated sand granules were used to adsorb and recover the produced Ortho-P. Higher Ortho-P recovery efficiencies (66.4% for the LBC and 61.9% for the EBC) and Ortho-P sorption capacities (12.05 mg/g for the LBC and 8.13 mg/g for the EBC) were achieved in combination with packed-bed ozonation. This study provides insights into HEDP removal from wastewater and the recovery of Ortho-P as a valuable resource, which fits within the development of sustainable wastewater treatment processes.