Sunday, March 4, 2012

Phosphorus - underrespected resource

Phosphorus is a very important resource for industrial agriculture. Phosphorus is mainly mined from rock phosphorus that is a limited resource.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/phosphorus-000319.htm

Humans don't usually suffer from phosphorus deficiencies and too much phosphorus is not good for you. However, all plants need phosphorus to grow. Without adequate supply of phosphorus growth of plants is very small.
soils.usda.gov/sqi/publications/files/prole.pdf

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/33164

Phosphorus is a limited resource like oil. As we have peak oil, we also have peak phosphorus. Peak phosphorus is estimated to happen soon.

There are no substitutes for phosphorus in agriculture.
http://www.energybulletin.net/node/33164

http://www.naturalnews.com/031516_agriculture_phosphorus.html

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-02/uow-wpu021411.php

Availability of phosphorus defines the fundamental maximum life sustaining capacity of planet earth. In many ways phosphorus is more fundamental to human life than oil. Oil has substitutes, phosphorus does not have any.
http://phosphorusfutures.net/

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/chemical-fertilisers-china/blog/44517/