『Summary
Human activity has quadrupled the mobilization of phosphorus
(P), a nonrenewable resource that is not fully recycled biologically
or industrially. P is accumulated in both water and solid waste
due to fertilizer application and industrial, agricultural, and
animal P consumption. This paper characterizes the industrial
flows, which, although smaller than the agricultural and animal
flows, are an important phosphorus source contributing to the
pollution of surface waters. We present the quantification of
the network of flows as constrained by mass balances of the global
annual metabolism of phosphorus, based on global consumption for
2004, all of which eventually ends up as waste and in the soil
and water systems. We find that on a yearly basis, 18.9 million
metric tons (MMT) of P is produced, of which close to 75% goes
to fertilizer and the rest to industrial and others uses. Phosphoric
acid is the precursor for many of the intermediate and end uses
of phosphate compounds described in this study and accounts for
almost 80% of all P consumed. Eventually, all of the P goes to
waste: 18.5 MMT ends up in the soil as solid waste, and 1.32 MMT
is emissions to air and water. Besides quantifying P flows through
our economy, we also consider some possible measures that could
be taken to increase the degree of recovery and optimization of
this resource and others that are closely related, such as the
recovery of sulfur from gypsum and wastewater (sludge), and fluorine
from wet phosphoric acid production.
Keywords: industrial ecology; industrial metabolism; material
flow analysis (MFA); phosphate; phosphoric acid; substance flow
accounting (SFA)』
Introduction
The industrial metabolism of phosphates
Extraction and processing
Production
Wet phosphoric acid production
Thermal phosphoric acid production
Consumption
Global phosphorus metabolism
Discussion
Notes
References