The Potential Phosphorus Crisis: Resource Conservation and Possible Escape Technologies: A Review

Saba Daneshgar, Arianna Callegari, Andrea G. Capodaglio and David Vaccari
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Saba Daneshgar: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 PAVIA, Italy
Arianna Callegari: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 PAVIA, Italy
Andrea G. Capodaglio: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture, University of Pavia, 27100 PAVIA, Italy
David Vaccari: Department of Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA

Resources, 2018, vol. 7, issue 2, 1-22

Abstract: Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for every organism on the Earth, yet it is also a potential environmental pollutant, which may cause eutrophication of water bodies. Wastewater treatment plants worldwide are struggling to eliminate phosphorus from effluents, at great cost, yet current research suggests that the world may deplete the more available phosphorus reserves by around 2300. This, in addition to environmental concerns, evokes the need for new phosphorus recovery techniques to be developed, to meet future generations needs for renewable phosphorus supply. Many studies have been, and are, carried out on phosphorus recovery from wastewater and its sludge, due to their high phosphorus content. Chemical precipitation is the main process for achieving a phosphorus-containing mineral suitable for reuse as a fertilizer, such as struvite. This paper reviews the current status and future trends of phosphorus production and consumption, and summarizes current recovery technologies, discussing their possible integration into wastewater treatment processes, according to a more sustainable water-energy-nutrient nexus.

Keywords: phosphorus; scarcity; nitrogen; wastewater; eutrophication; recovery (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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