麻豆淫院

A new report on phosphorus, an essential element for Norwegian agriculture and aquaculture, suggests measures to ensure the mineral is recovered and reused.

Phosphorus is one of the building blocks of life and therefore plays an indispensable role in food production.

Currently, large amounts of phosphorus enter the Norwegian food system from abroad in the form of mineral fertilizers, feed components, foods and micro-ingredients for fish and animal feed. However, only a small fraction of this phosphorus ends up as food for humans.

Unfortunately, most of it ends up accumulating in Norway's soil and water systems. This has many disadvantages, especially for the environment.

According to the researchers behind the , phosphorus capture and recycling could help reduce supply risk and the risk of pollution. This is particularly relevant in Norway, where the government has ambitions to increase salmon and trout production from the current 1.5 million tons to 5 million tons by 2050.

Phosphorus: A critical commodity

"The supply of phosphorus is very important and is classed as a critical raw material by the EU," says NTNU professor Daniel B. M眉ller, one of the authors of the new report.

He explains that phosphate rock, the main source of phosphorus for fertilizer and micro-ingredient production, is a limited resource that is only mined in a few countries.

More than 80% of the world's phosphate rock reserves are found in just five countries, and up to 70% are located in Morocco and Morocco-occupied Western Sahara. This high concentration makes many countries vulnerable to geopolitical and economic instabilities, threatening food security.

However, the report says that once phosphorus has been imported, there is much to be gained from keeping phosphorus in circulation by identifying sources and reusing the substance. The EU describes a circular economy as "a model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible."

"Norway has overlooked the potential of fertilizers and fish sludge as a resource. These can be used to meet not only domestic phosphorus demands, but also to make a high-quality exportable product," says Avijit Pandit, a Ph.D. candidate at NTNU and co-author of the report.

Reducing the risk of environmental pollution

Researcher Miguel Las Heras Hern谩ndez works at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), and is also a co-author of the report. He points out that the linear phosphorus economy that currently prevails in Norway risks the accumulation of phosphorus where it isn't necessarily wanted or needed.

"Many decades of overfertilization has led to a build-up of phosphorus in the soil, but also to high concentrations of phosphorus in the Norwegian water system," says Hern谩ndez.

This increases the risk of a phenomenon called eutrophication, a process whereby zones of water become depleted of oxygen. This in turn can lead to fish and plant mortality.

Four steps towards a circular phosphorous economy

The researchers write that achieving a completely circular phosphorus economy will be a complex task.

They have analyzed the benefits and feasibility of four strategies:

• Develop and maintain a national nutrient accounting system.
• Minimize loss and accumulation of phosphorus at the individual farm level.
• Establish infrastructures for the collection, processing, trade and use of fertilizers and fish sludge to produce high-quality recycled fertilizer products tailored to the needs of users in Norway and abroad.
• Adopt a regulatory framework to promote the market for recycled fertilizer products.

About the report

The report is based on work conducted under the MIND-P Project. The researchers studied a circular phosphorus economy in Norway for farm-level agriculture and aquaculture and investigated opportunities for increased circularity.

The project identified farm-level and structural obstacles to more efficient management of phosphorus resources. The MIND-P Project is a collaboration between NTNU and the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO).

The strategies were developed with the support of an advisory panel consisting of representatives from government, the business sector, industry organizations and NGOs.