Phosphorus management in Europe in a changing world

Abstract

Food production in Europe is dependent on imported phosphorus (P) fertilizers, but P use is inefficient and losses to the environment high. Here, we discuss possible solutions by changes in P management. We argue that not only the use of P fertilizers and P additives in feed could be reduced by fine-tuning fertilization and feeding to actual nutrient requirements, but also P from waste has to be completely recovered and recycled in order to close the P balance of Europe regionally and become less dependent on the availability of P-rock reserves. Finally, climate-smart P management measures are needed, to reduce the expected deterioration of surface water quality resulting from climate-change-induced P loss.

Fig. 1

Consumption of phosphate fertilizers in teragram P₂O₅ (1 Tg = 10¹² g = 1 million ton) in the world per continent (upper) and per European region (lower) during the period 1960–2012 (FAOSTAT 2014). Note the large drop in fertilizer use at the end of the 1980s and beginning of the 1990s in Europe (upper) and especially Eastern Europe (lower), which resulted from the eastern countries in the former Soviet Union achieving independence and being reassigned (together with their fertilizer use) to Asia rather than Europe

Fig. 2

Hotspots for phosphorus (P) recovery from the wastewater stream (in centralized sanitation systems). Source Kabbe (2013). 1 Direct sludge application in agriculture; 2a P recovery from aqueous sludge phase prior to dewatering; 2b P recovery from sludge liquor after dewatering; 3 P recovery from mono-incineration ash

Fig. 3

Schematic overview of the main options to recover nutrients from manure in different steps

Fig. 4

Conceptual representation of yield and phosphorus (P) loss at increasing soil P content (solid lines) and associated optimal agro-environmental target zones, according to Tunney (2002). Dotted line represent the expected P loss at decreasing soil P content due to mining according to Schoumans and Chardon (2015)