"Phosphorus is irreplaceable for the food security of a growing world population. It is considered a finite resource of geostrategic importance." This is how DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde describes the role of the element phosphorus. Phosphorus, which is usually present in the environment as phosphate, is an important basis for plant growth that cannot be replaced. Phosphate is absorbed and excreted by animals and humans, so that phosphate is also contained in material flows such as manure, dung and sewage sludge.
The natural phosphorus cycle is strongly influenced by humans. Natural phosphate reserves are mined to extract raw phosphate, which is used mainly for the production of fertilizers. Its mining in huge surface mines, however, is associated with high environmental pollution and high energy consumption. While natural phosphate deposits are declining, an oversupply of phosphate occurs in agricultural soils in regions with high livestock density, due to the application of agricultural and mineral fertilizers. If soil erosion or runoff occurs, these nutrients enter water bodies and lead to overfertilization.
The concept of Planetary Boundaries offers an approach to quantifying human impact on the natural phosphorus cycle. However, the proposed global limit value is currently being significantly exceeded. From the DBU's point of view, it is therefore necessary to increase phosphorus efficiency in industry and agriculture and to use phosphorus in a closed loop to the greatest possible extent. Phosphorus must be recovered from relevant waste streams such as wastewater, sewage sludge and sewage sludge ash, and reused.
DBU at the IFAT 2018
The DBU presented project examples for phosphorus recovery from 14 to 18 May at IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for water, wastewater, waste and raw materials management in Munich. The following six project partners presented their innovative solutions in hall B4 at DBU booth no. 239/338:
More information: www.dbu.de/ifat
DBU Summer Academy: Future Strategies for Phosphorus and Nitrogen
Current challenges, integrative concepts, technical innovations and communicative approaches for the efficient recycling of the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen were the focus of the 24th DBU Summer Academy from 4 to 6 June at the Evangelisches Zentrum Kloster in Drübeck. In the following three working groups, representatives from science, water management, agriculture, government, the relevant authorities, municipalities and companies discussed:
More on this at: https://www.dbu.de/sommerakademie
