Inventory of Good Practices of Sustainable and Circular Phosphorus Management in the Visegrad Group (V4)

Marzena Smol (), Paulina Marcinek (), Zuzana Šimková, Tomáš Bakalár, Milan Hemzal, Jiří Jaromír Klemeš, Yee Van Fan, Kinga Lorencz, Eugeniusz Koda and Anna Podlasek
Additional contact information
Marzena Smol: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, J. Wybickiego 7A St., 31-261 Kraków, Poland
Paulina Marcinek: Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, J. Wybickiego 7A St., 31-261 Kraków, Poland
Zuzana Šimková: Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Košice, Park Komenského 19, 04 001 Košice, Slovakia
Tomáš Bakalár: Faculty of Mining, Ecology, Process Control and Geotechnologies, Technical University of Košice, Park Komenského 19, 04 001 Košice, Slovakia
Milan Hemzal: Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory–SPIL, NETME Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology–VUT Brno, Technická 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
Jiří Jaromír Klemeš: Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory–SPIL, NETME Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology–VUT Brno, Technická 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
Yee Van Fan: Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory–SPIL, NETME Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology–VUT Brno, Technická 2896/2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
Kinga Lorencz: Bay Zoltán Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research, Kondorfa utca 1 St., H-1116 Budapest, Hungary
Eugeniusz Koda: Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159 St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Anna Podlasek: Institute of Civil Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), Nowoursynowska 159 St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland

Resources, 2022, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: The most important raw material needed for food production is phosphorus (P), which cannot be replaced by other elements. P is listed as a Critical Raw Material (CRM) for the European Union (EU). It is an element essential for human nutrition and is used for fertiliser production. The key importance of P for human life is evidenced by the fact that if there were not enough P in fertilisers, we would only be able to feed 1/3 of the world’s population. Unfortunately, in Visegrad Group (V4) countries, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, and Hungary, there is a lack of mineral deposits of phosphate rock. Therefore, there is a strong need to cover the demand for the P by importing from countries of varying stability, both economic and political, such as Russia, China, or Morocco. It is risky; if the borders for deliveries of goods are closed, it may be impossible to meet the needs of P. On the other hand, V4 countries have large secondary P resources in P-rich waste, which are lost due to P is not recovered on an industrial scale. The paper presents the importance of P raw materials in V4, the revision of primary and secondary P sources that can be used in agricultural systems, as well as the structure of import and export of P raw materials in these countries. In addition, examples of good phosphorus recovery practices in the V4 countries are presented. They include a list of initiatives dedicated to the sustainable management of P resources, and examples of P recovery projects. Implementation of P recovery for internal P-rich waste in V4 could ensure the safety of food production in this region. Such and similar initiatives may contribute to faster independence of the V4 countries from the import of P raw materials.

Keywords: phosphorus; resources; critical raw materials; Visegrad Group; V4; sustainable management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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