Phosphates are a crucial building block of life, and are decisive in the nutrition of a constantly growing number of humans on our planet. The estimation of usable phosphate reserves is fraught with substantial uncertainty. Worldwide deposits are limited to a few locations, primarily in northwest Africa. But even if there is no threat of severe shortages, sustainable use of the finite resource phosphates is urgently needed, according to DBU expert Dr. Hans-Christian Schaefer.
In order to bring about a change of direction, the DBU began eleven years ago to support the first projects for phosphate recovery, and has continued its involvement since then. An expert discussion on this subject took place as well at the invitation of the DBU in October of last year, under the title: “Phosphates – Efficient Use and Recirculation – What Can Biotechnology Contribute?” As Schaefer stated in summary, the event’s bottom line might be expressed thus: new resource-saving, more efficient approaches to phosphate recycling are emerging via the application of biotechnological methods.
