Nutrients in Agriculture & Society - Sustainable use of limited resources
In view of an upcoming "Peak Phosphorus" and with P fertilizer prices having strongly increased around 2008, interest in P recycling from e.g. sewage sludge has been increasing in recent years.
Meanwhile, the global P reserves have been updated and peak P has been shifted to a less near future. Nevertheless, nutrient cycling at society level and sustainable nutrient management in agriculture should remain a priority. Not only P, but also several micronutrients like Zink, Selenium, Molybdenum, etc. are finite, non replaceable resources which could soon become a concern, and surprisingly have received much less attention to date.
For more information I recommend the lecture of Udo de Haes et al. (2012) "Scarcity of micronutrients in soil, feed, food, and mineral reserves - Urgency and policy options"
The following documentaries are about the "P crisis" and ways to cope with it.
Here is an ARTE documentary (May 2013, 50 min).
[German version] Die Phosphorkrise - Das Ende der Menschheit?
Meanwhile, the global P reserves have been updated and peak P has been shifted to a less near future. Nevertheless, nutrient cycling at society level and sustainable nutrient management in agriculture should remain a priority. Not only P, but also several micronutrients like Zink, Selenium, Molybdenum, etc. are finite, non replaceable resources which could soon become a concern, and surprisingly have received much less attention to date.
For more information I recommend the lecture of Udo de Haes et al. (2012) "Scarcity of micronutrients in soil, feed, food, and mineral reserves - Urgency and policy options"
The following documentaries are about the "P crisis" and ways to cope with it.
Here is an ARTE documentary (May 2013, 50 min).
[German version] Die Phosphorkrise - Das Ende der Menschheit?
[French version] Vers une famine planétaire? - L'épuisement du phosphore
