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Sustainable Management of Phosphorus: Recent Trends, Advances and the Way Forward

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 7818

Special Issue Editors

School of Engineering, Deakin University, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
Interests: sustainable phosphorus management; circular economy; global environmental change and sustainability; waste management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Environmental Science and Management, North South University, Dhaka-1229, Bangladesh
Interests: Material flow analysis; Resource decoupling; Environmental sustainability; Natural resource management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The importance of the sustainable management of phosphorus (P) for global, regional, and local food and water security is well known. Numerous studies over the past decade have adequately assessed the sustainability challenges for phosphorus and identified the reasons for inefficient management in all systems of the anthropogenic P cycle, starting from the mining and ranging to fertilizer production, agricultural (crop and livestock) production, food consumption, waste management, and water bodies. Based on the quantification of phosphorus flows at various geographical scales over single or multi-year timeframes, studies have also identified the key pathways or hotspots of phosphorus loss/wastage from these systems. Considering these research findings, efforts for developing strategies and technologies for sustainable phosphorus management in these systems are already underway. Although a sufficient knowledge base for minimizing phosphorus loss/wastage and enhancing recovery and recycling to reduce the dependency on mineral fertilizers has been developed, there is still room for improvement—particularly in terms of translating research findings into policies and their implementation. At this stage, it is essential to have a clear understanding of the progress made in terms of knowledge base and innovation for phosphorus sustainability, and to identify any gaps or limitations and determine research needs or actions for filling that gap to formulate and implement effective policies for sustainable phosphorus management. This Special Issue is an attempt to work towards that.

We encourage submissions of both original research and critical review articles that address, but are not limited to, the following topics:

  • Recent advances in phosphorus sustainability strategies or technologies;
  • Phosphorus nexus with nitrogen, water, and/or energy for sustainable management;
  • Emerging/future challenges of phosphorus sustainability and mitigation measures;
  • Progress in social movements, national and international initiatives, or platforms towards phosphorus sustainability.

Dr. Rubel Biswas Chowdhury
Dr. Mohammad Sujauddin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Phosphorus
  • Sustainable management
  • Recovery and recycling
  • Phosphorus use efficiency
  • Nutrient management in agroecosystem
  • Circular economy
  • Sustainability
  • Food production
  • Agricultural production
  • Waste management
  • Food security
  • Ecosystem conservation
  • Water resources
  • Water pollution
  • Substance flow analysis
  • Environmental policy
  • Phosphorus technologies

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 1005 KiB  
Article
A Circular Economy for Phosphorus in Sweden—Is it Possible?
by Dag Lorick, Robin Harder and Magdalena Svanström
Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 3733; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13073733 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3071
Abstract
More sustainable management of phosphorus requires comprehensive understanding of phosphorus stocks and flows. With the purpose of shedding light on the possibilities for an increased level of recirculation of phosphorus in Sweden, phosphorus flows entering and exiting biomass production sectors were quantified along [...] Read more.
More sustainable management of phosphorus requires comprehensive understanding of phosphorus stocks and flows. With the purpose of shedding light on the possibilities for an increased level of recirculation of phosphorus in Sweden, phosphorus flows entering and exiting biomass production sectors were quantified along with waste flows, that is, flows that are not currently utilized in biomass production. Relevant waste flows were also characterized in terms of phosphorus concentration, plant availability, contamination and geo-spatial distribution. The theoretical recirculation potential of phosphorus in Sweden was then estimated. The results indicate that there is a large potential for making phosphorus management more circular, especially regarding the utilization of phosphorus in sewage sludge as well as wood ashes from the forestry sector. Moreover, there is a large amount of phosphorus in mining waste that could potentially be used for fertilizer production. It is concluded that the amount of phosphorus in flows fit for recirculation in forestry could more or less balance today’s output. In agriculture, however, recirculation can only sufficiently replace imported mineral phosphorus at current demand if the phosphorus in mining waste is utilized. Thus, if the goal is to replace all of the mineral phosphorus, the agricultural sector also has to become much more efficient in its phosphorus usage. Full article
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13 pages, 280 KiB  
Review
How Effective Are Existing Phosphorus Management Strategies in Mitigating Surface Water Quality Problems in the U.S.?
by Shama E. Haque
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6565; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13126565 - 09 Jun 2021
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3972
Abstract
Phosphorus is an essential component of modern agriculture. Long-term land application of phosphorous-enriched fertilizers and animal manure leads to phosphorus accumulation in soil that may become susceptible to mobilization via erosion, surface runoff and subsurface leaching. Globally, highly water-soluble phosphorus fertilizers used in [...] Read more.
Phosphorus is an essential component of modern agriculture. Long-term land application of phosphorous-enriched fertilizers and animal manure leads to phosphorus accumulation in soil that may become susceptible to mobilization via erosion, surface runoff and subsurface leaching. Globally, highly water-soluble phosphorus fertilizers used in agriculture have contributed to eutrophication and hypoxia in surface waters. This paper provides an overview of the literature relevant to the advances in phosphorous management strategies and surface water quality problems in the U.S. Over the past several decades, significant advances have been made to control phosphorus discharge into surface water bodies of the U.S. However, the current use of phosphorus remains inefficient at various stages of its life cycle, and phosphorus continues to remain a widespread problem in many water bodies, including the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie. In particular, the Midwestern Corn Belt region of the U.S. is a hotspot of phosphorous fertilization that has resulted in a net positive soil phosphorous balance. The runoff of phosphorous has resulted in dense blooms of toxic, odor-causing phytoplankton that deteriorate water quality. In the past, considerable attention was focused on improving the water quality of freshwater bodies and estuaries by reducing inputs of phosphorus alone. However, new research suggests that strategies controlling the two main nutrients, phosphorus and nitrogen, are more effective in the management of eutrophication. There is no specific solution to solving phosphorus pollution of water resources; however, sustainable management of phosphorus requires an integrated approach combining at least a reduction in consumption levels, source management, more specific regime-based nutrient criteria, routine soil fertility evaluation and recommendations, transport management, as well as the development of extensive phosphorus recovery and recycling programs. Full article
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