Animals and humans excrete almost percent of the phosphorus they consume in food. In the past, as part of a natural cycle, the phosphorus in manure and waste was returned to the soil to aid in crop production.
Today phosphorus is an essential component of commercial fertilizer. When experts debate peak phosphorus, what they are usually debating is how long the phosphate rock reserves, i. Pedro Sanchez, director of the Agriculture and Food Security Center at the Earth Institute, does not believe there is a phosphorus shortage. Each time this is disproven. All the most reliable estimates show that we have enough phosphate rock resources to last between and more years.
In , the International Fertilizer Development Center determined that phosphate rock reserves would last for several centuries. In , the U. Geological Survey revised its estimates of phosphate rock reserves from the previous And, according to Sanchez, new research shows that the amount of phosphorus coming to the surface by tectonic uplift is in the same range as the amounts of phosphate rock we are extracting now. Global meat consumption from to Photo credit: FAO.
The duration of phosphate rock reserves will also be impacted by the decreasing quality of the reserves, the growing global population, increased meat and dairy consumption which require more fertilized grain for feed , wastage along the food chain, new technologies, deposit discoveries and improvements in agricultural efficiency and the recycling of phosphorus.
Moreover, climate change will affect the demand for phosphorus because agriculture will bear the brunt of changing weather patterns. Most experts agree, however, that the quality and accessibility of currently available phosphate rock reserves are declining, and the costs to mine, refine, store and transport them are rising.
Ninety percent of the phosphate rock reserves are located in just five countries: Morocco, China, South Africa, Jordan and the United States. The U. Despite the prevalence of phosphorus on earth, only a small percentage of it can be mined because of physical, economic, energy or legal constraints.
In , phosphate rock prices spiked percent because of higher oil prices, increased demand for fertilizer due to more meat consumption and biofuels, and a short-term lack of availability of phosphate rock. This led to surging food prices, which hit developing countries particularly hard. With a world population that is projected to reach 9 billion by and require 70 percent more food than we produce today, and a growing global middle class that is consuming more meat and dairy, phosphorus is crucial to global food security.
Yet, there are no international organizations or regulations that manage global phosphorus resources. Since global demand for phosphorus rises about 3 percent each year and may increase as the global middle class grows and consumes more meat , our ability to feed humanity will depend upon how we manage our phosphorus resources. Unfortunately, most phosphorus is wasted.
Only 20 percent of the phosphorus in phosphate rock reaches the food consumed globally. Thirty to 40 percent is lost during mining and processing; 50 percent is wasted in the food chain between farm and fork; and only half of all manure is recycled back into farmland around the world.
Eutrophication in the Caspian Sea. Most of the wasted phosphorus enters our rivers, lakes and oceans from agricultural or manure runoff or from phosphates in detergent and soda dumped down drains, resulting in eutrophication. Over coastal dead zones at the mouths of rivers exist and are expanding at the rate of 10 percent per decade. As the quality of phosphate rock reserves declines, more energy is necessary to mine and process it.
The processing of lower grade phosphate rock also produces more heavy metals such as cadmium and uranium, which are toxic to soil and humans; more energy must be expended to remove them as well. Moreover, increasingly expensive fossil fuels are needed to transport approximately 30 million tons of phosphate rock and fertilizers around the world annually. Sanchez says that while there is no reason to fear a phosphorus shortage, we do need to be more efficient about our use of phosphorus, especially to minimize eutrophication.
The keys to making our phosphorus resources more sustainable are to reduce demand and find alternate sources. We need to:. Cow dung to be used as fertilizer drying in Punjab.
Phosphorus can be reused. NuReSys is a Belgian company whose technology can recover 85 percent of the phosphorus present in wastewater, and turn it into struvite crystals that can be used as a slow fertilizer. New phosphorus-efficient crops are also being developed. Scientists at the International Rice Research Institute discovered a gene that makes it possible for rice plants to grow bigger roots that absorb more phosphorus.
The overexpression of this gene can increase the yield of rice plants when they are grown in phosphorus-poor soil. Also, we do not collect or ask for personally identifiable information on any of our sites. Baking Powder Scientists use phosphorus to make baking powder.
You will find it as the compound calcium phosphate. Go take a look in your refrigerator or cupboards. Maybe your mom keeps baking powder in there for when she needs to do some cooking. When you see that white powder you'll know that scientists used phosphorus to make it.
It's even in some of your cheeses. China and Plates Phosphorus is also used to make dishes. You can keep you phosphorus level normal by understanding your diet and medications for phosphorus control. Phosphorus can be found in foods organic phosphorus and is naturally found in protein-rich foods such as meats, poultry, fish, nuts, beans and dairy products.
Phosphorus found in animal foods is absorbed more easily than phosphorus found in plant foods. Phosphorus that has been added to food in the form of an additive or preservative inorganic phosphorus is found in foods such as fast foods, ready to eat foods, canned and bottled drinks, enhanced meats, and most processed foods. Phosphorus from food additives is completely absorbed. Avoiding phosphorus additives can lower your intake of phosphorus. Phosphorus additives are found on the list of ingredients on the nutrition facts label.
Your kidney dietitian and doctor will help you with this. Below is a list of foods high in phosphorous and lower phosphorus alternatives to enjoy:. Lower phosphorus alternatives to enjoy: water, coffee, tea, rice milk unenriched , apple juice, cranberry juice, grape juice, lemonade, ginger ale, lemon lime soda, orange soda, root beer. Lower phosphorus alternatives to enjoy: rice milk, almond milk, cottage cheese, vegan cheese, sherbet, popsicles.
Lower phosphorus alternatives to enjoy: apples, berries, grapes, carrot sticks, cucumber, rice cakes, unsalted pretzels, unsalted popcorn, unsalted crackers, pound cake, sugar cookies. Your kidney doctor may order a medicine called a phosphate binder for you to take with meals and snacks.
This medicine will help control the amount of phosphorus your body absorbs from the foods you eat. There are many different kinds of phosphate binders.
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