São Paulo – FertBrasil, a chain that works on introduction of new nutrients into Brazilian soil, will have one of its technologies studied by a global group for discussion of the future of phosphorus. In March, Vinicius Benites, a researcher at the Soil Unit at the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), also the coordinator of FertBrasil, presented in Morocco the Brazilian research on swine and poultry droppings, adopted as the case study for the forum.
This global group, which has representatives from 32 countries, is called Transdisciplinary Processes for Sustainable Phosphorus Management (Global Traps) and was formed by Zurich Technological Institute (ETH), in Switzerland, and the International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC), from the United States. Both organisations called representatives from several regions of the world, among them researchers, politicians, lawyers and farmers, to show solutions for sustainable use of phosphorus.
Some specialists show that phosphorus is one of the natural resources that should end before the end of the century. The talks started by the group, however, do not show that. “Phosphorus is not going to finish, but exploration costs are rising each year,” says the researcher. According to him, high content mines are running out and the production peak should take place from 2015 to 2020. After that, the tendency is for decline, as phosphorus will have to be found in deeper mines that are harder to explore.
In this scenery, routes are being sought to guarantee the production of phosphorus, which is used as fertilizer mainly in tropical regions, like Brazil and Africa. The land in these regions is poor in phosphorus. The FertBrasil network, led by Embrapa, with participation of other research institutions in Brazil, has been working on the theme because Brazil is a great consumer of phosphorus. The country is in fourth place in the global ranking in terms of consumers and third in imports. The main producer is China, and the largest reserves, 85 billion tonnes, are in Morocco.
The FertBrasil research on phosphorus recycling consists in formulation of organomineral fertilizers from swine and poultry droppings. The phosphorus used in crops ends in the products cultivated there, like grain, and then into the body of those who consume it, humans and animals, explained Benites. That is why the idea is to recover it from the droppings. In poultry and pork, the volume of phosphorus in droppings is 250,000 tonnes a year, 20% of the domestic demand, said the researcher.
According to Benites, the case study should grant international prominence to the technology, with the possibility of transferring it to other countries, mainly in Africa, and also results in visibility in Brazil, alongside decision makers. If the idea is adopted after the Global Traps case study, it will become part of a document with practices that are examples will be recommended for global use.
In the first three months of this year, Brazil consumed 5.3 million tonnes of fertilizers, according to the National Association for the Promotion of Fertilizers and Lime (Anda). In the whole of last year, a total of 28.3 million tonnes were used. Brazilian production was 2.1 million tonnes in the first quarter and 9.8 million tonnes in 2011. Imports reached 2.9 million tonnes from January to March and 19.8 million tonnes in the whole of last year, according to the Anda.
*Translated by Mark Ament
