This book describes a pathway for sustainable phosphorus management via the Global Transdisciplinary Processes for Sustainable Phosphorus Management project (Global TraPs). Global TraPs is a multi-stakeholder forum in which scientists from a variety of disciplines join with key actors in practice to jointly identify critical questions and to articulate what new knowledge, technologies and policy processes are needed to ensure that future phosphorus use is sustainable, improves food security and environmental quality and provides benefits for the poor. The book offers insight into economic scarcity and identifies options to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impacts of anthropogenic phosphorus flows at all stages of the supply and use chain.
Phosphorus is essential to the production of our food, and it also triggers algal blooms in lakes, rivers, and oceans when it slips through our hands. An understanding of this essential resource and how we have used and misused it over the years is crucial to the sustainability of our well-being on our planet. In this book, world authorities on phosphorus sustainability Jim Elser and Phil Haygarth explain this element's involvement in biology, human health and nutrition, food production, ecosystem function, and environmental sustainability. Phosphorus chronicles the sustainability challenges phosphorus both poses and solves in various contexts. The book begins with its discovery over 350 years ago, moving to its basic chemistry and the essential role it plays in all living things on Earth. Chapters go on to explain the rise in the usage of phosphorus in agriculture and how the increase in the mining of rock phosphate in the mid-20th century was essential for the Green Revolution. However, phosphorus emissions from human wastes and detergents triggered widespread algal blooms in the 1960s and 1970s. While such emissions have been brought under better control with wastewater treatment, diffuse emissions from farming continue to cause water quality degradation. The authors explain how these diffuse phosphorus emissions may worsen with climate change. In ten concise chapters, Elser and Haygarth offer engaging explanations of our historical use and abuse of phosphorus, including the phosphorus sustainability movement and new efforts to sustain food benefits of limited rock reserves following the phosphate rock price shock in 2007-2008. Highlighting new approaches for phosphorus, the two "Systems Innovators" turn toward the emerging set of sustainable phosphorus solutions necessary to achieve a sustainable "phosphoheaven" and avoid "phosphogeddon." The book provides an insider's take on this essential resource and why all of us need to wrestle with the wicked problems this element will cause, illuminate, or eliminate in years to come.
This book focuses on the engineering aspects of phosphorus (P) recovery and recycling, presenting recent research advances and applications of technologies in this important and challenging area of engineering. It highlights full-scale applications to illustrate the performance and effectiveness of the new technologies. As an essential element for all living organisms, P cannot be replaced by any other element in biochemical processes, humans ultimately rely its availability. Today, P is mostly obtained from mined rock phosphate (Pi). However, natural reserves of high-grade rock Pi are limited and dwindling on a global scale. As such, there have been increased efforts to recycle P from secondary sources, including sewage sludge, animal manure, food waste, and steelmaking slag, and so close the anthropogenic P cycle. In addition to various aspects of phosphorus covered by other literature, including chemistry, biochemistry, ecology, soil-plant systems and sustainable management, this book is a valuable and comprehensive source of information on the rapidly evolving field of P recovery and recycling engineering for students, researchers, and professionals responsible for sustainable use of phosphorus.
Extensive research on the agronomic potential and actual effectiveness of phosphate rocks (PRs) as sources of phosphorus has been carried out in Africa, Asia, Latin America and elsewhere. This publication brings together a wide range of available information on key issues regarding the use of PRs in agriculture, including world deposits; characteristics of sources; evaluation methodologies for direct application of PR (DAPR); analysis of biophysical and farming factors; development and use of decision-support systems for DAPR; soil P testing for PR application; available technologies for enhancing the agronomic effectiveness of indigenous PR sources; environmental issues; legislation guidelines; and future research priorities.
The title ‘Phosphorus in Agriculture: 100 % Zero’ is synonymous for make-or-break. And it stands up to the promise. This book sends an important message as it delivers background information, intrinsic hypotheses, validation approaches and legal frameworks, all for balanced phosphorus fertilization in agriculture. This implies firstly that the phosphorus requirement of crop is fully satisfied by applying exclusively fertilizers which contain the nutrient in completely available form. Secondly, environmental demands through eutrophication and hazardous contaminants must not be compromised. The book identifies equally knowledge gaps and deficits in the transformation and implementation of research into practice. Bottom line is that research delivers the tools for a sustainable phosphorus management while legal frameworks are insufficient.
This comprehensive book provides an up-to-date and international approach that addresses the Motivations, Technologies and Assessment of the Elimination and Recovery of Phosphorus from Wastewater. This book is part of the Integrated Environmental Technology Series.
