# New Training to Meet the Global Phosphorus Challenge

Kasper Reitzel, William W. Bennett, Nils Berger, Will J. Brownlie, Sander Bruun, Morten L. Christensen, Dana Cordell, Kimo van Dijk, Sara Egemose, Herbert Eigner, et al.

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Kasper Reitzel, William W. Bennett, Nils Berger, Will J. Brownlie, Sander Bruun, et al. New Training to Meet the Global Phosphorus Challenge. Environmental Science and Technology, 2019, 53 (15), pp.8479-8481. 10.1021/acs.est.9b03519. hal-02619903

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# New Training To Meet The Global Phosphorus Challenge

Reitzel, K., Bennett, W., Berger, N., Brownlie, W., Bruun, S., Christensen, M., Cordell, D., van Dijk, K., Egemose, S., Eigner, H., Glud, R. N., Grönfors, O., Hermann, L., Houot, S., Hupfer, M., Jacobs, B., Korving, L., Kjærgaard, C., Liimatainen, H., ... Metson, G. (2019). New Training To Meet The Global Phosphorus Challenge. *Environmental Science and Technology*, 53(15), 8479-8481. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b03519

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Environmental Science and Technology

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New Training To Meet The Global Phosphorus Challenge

<table><tr><td>Journal:</td><td>Environmental Science & Technology</td></tr><tr><td>Manuscript ID:</td><td>es-2019-035197</td></tr><tr><td>Manuscript Type:</td><td>Viewpoint</td></tr><tr><td>Date Submitted by the Author:</td><td>12-Jun-2019</td></tr><tr><td>Complete List of Authors:</td><td>Reitzel, Kasper; University of Southern Denmark, Biology<br>Bennett, William; University of Southern Denmark<br>Berger, Nils; EuroChem Agro GmbH<br>Brownlie, Will; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Edinburgh<br>Bruun, Sander; University of Copenhagen, Plant & Environmental Sciences<br>Christensen, Morten; Aalborg Universitet, Cordell, Dana; University of Technology Sydney Institute for Sustainable Futures<br>van Dijk, Kimo; European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform<br>Egemose, Sara; University of Southern Denmark, Institute of Biology<br>Eigner, Herbert; AGRANA Research & Innovation Center GmbH<br>Glud, Ronnie N.; Syddansk Universitet, Biology<br>Grönfors, Outi; Kemira Oyj, R&D and Technology EMEA<br>Hermann, Ludwig; Proman Management GmbH<br>Houot, Sabine; French National Institute for Agricultural Research<br>Hupfer, Michael; and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology<br>Jacobs, Brent; University of Technology Sydney Institute for Sustainable Futures<br>Korving, Leon; Wetsus,<br>Kjærgaard, Charlotte; SEGES, Danish Agriculture & Food Council F.m.b<br>Liimatainen, Henrikki; Oulun Yliopisto, Dep. Process and Environmental Engineering<br>Van Loosdrecht, Mark; Kluyver Institute for Biotechnology, Department of Biochemical Engineering<br>Macintosh, Katrina; Queens University Belfast School of Biological Sciences, School of Biological Sciences<br>Magid, Jakob; University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences<br>Maia, Frederico; Smallmatek Small Materials and Technologies Lda<br>Martin-Ortega, Julia; University of Leeds, Sustainable Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment<br>McGrath, John; Queen's University Belfast, School of Biology and Biochemistry<br>Meulepas, Roel; Wetsus,<br>Murray, Michael; NVP energy ltd, Galway Technology Center<br>Neset, Tina-Simone; Linköping University<br>Neumann, Günter; University of Hohenheim<br>Nielsen, Ulla Gro; University of Southern Denmark, Department of Physics and Chemistry<br>Nielsen, Per Halkjær; Aalborg Universitet, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience</td></tr></table>
O'Flaherty, Vincent; National University of Ireland

Qu, Haiyan; Syddansk Universitet, Institute of Chemical Engineering,

Biotechnology and Environmental Technology

Santner, Jakob; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences

Vienna, Department of Crop Sciences, Institute of Agronomy

Seufert, Verena; VU University Amsterdam Institute for Environmental

Studies

Spears, Bryan; Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Edinburgh,

Stringer, Lindsay; University of Leeds, Sustainable Research Institute

Stutter, Marc; James Hutton Institute Aberdeen

Verburg, Peter H.; Vrije Univ Amsterdam

Wilfert, Philipp; IPP-Kiel

Williams, Paul; Queen's University Belfast, Institute for Global Food

Security

Metson, Genevieve; Linkopings universitet
## New training to meet the global phosphorus challenge

Kasper Reitzel¹*, William W. Bennett¹, Nils Berger², William J. Brownlie³, Sander Bruun⁴, Morten L. Christensen⁵, Dana Cordell⁶, Kimo van Dijk⁷, Sara Egemose¹, Herbert Eigner⁸, Ronnie N. Gluud¹, Outi Grönfors⁹, Ludwig Hermann¹⁰, Sabine Houot¹¹, Michael Hupfer¹², Brent Jacobs⁶, Leon Korving¹³, Charlotte Kjærgaard¹⁴, Henrikki Liimatainen¹⁵, Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht¹⁶, Katrina A. Macintosh¹⁷, Jakob Magid⁴, Frederico Maia¹⁸, Julia Martin-Ortega¹⁹, John McGrath¹⁷, Roel Meulepas¹³, Michael Murry²⁰, Tina-Simone Neset²¹, Günter Neumann²², Ulla G. Nielsen²³, Per H. Nielsen⁵, Vincent O'Flaherty²⁴, Haiyan Qu²⁵, Jakob Santner²⁶, Verena Seufert²⁷, Bryan Spears³, Lindsay C. Stringer¹⁹, Marc Stutter²⁸, Peter H. Verburg²⁷, Philipp Wilfert²⁹, Paul N. Williams¹⁷ & Genevieve Metson³⁰

¹University of Southern Denmark, Department of Biology, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark (*contact reitzel@biology.sdu.dk)

²EuroChem Agro GmbH, Reichskanzler-Müller-Str. 23, 68165 Mannheim, Germany

³Centre for Ecology & Hydrology in Edinburgh, Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland, UK EH26 0QB

⁴University of Copenhagen, Department of plant and Environmental Sciences, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark

⁵Aalborg University, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Frederiks Bajers vej 7H, 9220 Aalborg

⁶University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Sustainable Futures, PO Box 123 Broadway NSW 2007, Australia

⁷European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform, 8 Avenue du Dirgeable, 1170 Bruxelles, Belgium

⁸AGRANA Research & Innovation Center GmbH, Josef Reitherstraße 21-23, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Austria

⁹Kemira Oyj, R&D and Technology EMEA, Water treatment, Luoteisrinne 2, FI-02270 Espoo, Finland

¹⁰Proman Management GmbH, Weingartenstrasse 92, 2214 Auersthal, Austria

¹¹French National Institute for Agricultural Research, Route de la Ferme, F-78850 Thiverval-Grignon, France

¹²Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Department of Chemical Analytics and Biogeochemistry, Müggelseedamm 301, 12587 Berlin, Germany

¹³Wetsus, European centre of excellence for sustainable water technology, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands

¹⁴SEGES, Danish Agriculture & Food Council F.m.b.A. Nature and Environment, Agro Food Park 15, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark

¹⁵University of Oulu, Fiber and Particle Engineering, Erkki Koiso-Kanttilankatu 90014, Finland

¹⁶Delft University of Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands

¹⁷The Queen's University of Belfast, School of Biological Sciences and the Institute for Global Food Security, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Belfast, BT9 5DL, Northern Ireland

¹⁸Smallmatek, Rua dos Canhas, 3810-075 Aveiro, Portugal

¹⁹University of Leeds, Sustainable Research Institute, School of Earth and Environment LS2 9TJ, Leeds, UK

²⁰NVP energy ltd, Galway Technology Center, Mervue Business Park, Mervue, Galway, Ireland

²¹Linköping University, Department of Thematic Studies-Environmental Change, SE-58183 Linköping

²²University of Hohenheim, Institute of Crop Science (340h), Fruwirthstr. 20, 70593 Stuttgart Germany.

²³Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark

²⁴National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland H91 TK33

²⁵University of Southern Denmark, Department of Chemical engineering, Biotechnology- and Environmental Technology, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark

²⁶University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Institute of Agronomy, Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24, 3430 Tulln an der Donau, Vienna, Austria.

²⁷VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies, De Boelelaan 1087, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands

²⁸The James Hutton Institute, Environmental and Biochemical Sciences Group, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, Scotland, UK

²⁹IPP-Kiel, Rendsburger Landstraße 196-198, D-24113 Kiel, Germany

³⁰Linköping University, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Fysikhuset, Rum 3D.306 SE-58183 Linköping

## Meeting the Global Phosphorus Challenge (GPC)¹

The sustainable exploitation of phosphorus (P) is essential for food and water security. However, our current poor management of this essential nutrient represents a pressing challenge causing
global scale pollution of water resources² whilst failing to achieve equitable access to fertilizers to support food production world-wide³. This is, in part, due to poor uptake of advances, for example, in new technologies to reduce losses of P from agriculture, in our understanding of P thresholds for ecosystem functioning, and in sustainable urban development approaches focused on nutrient recycling systems. We identify, here, a pressing need to develop a new generation of nutrient sustainability professionals working collectively to implement diverse and interdisciplinary approaches within large scale urban and rural planning, for example, following the UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development, to meet the diverse needs of communities and countries.

## Scaling up adaptive regulatory programmes

At present no public institution has responsibility for governing global P resources. Where present, existing regulations that consider P are dated and fail to address sufficiently the wider aspects of sustainable use, or of future needs to support equitable access to resources globally. For example, the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive and the American Clean Water Act cover some legal and management aspects relevant to the GPC by assigning the obligation to ‘member states’ to bring water bodies to a good ecological status. However, the success of these regulatory frameworks requires trans-boundary actions beyond the ‘member states’, do not account for future increased demand on services and food, and focus predominantly on ecological quality. Therefore, we must incorporate resource planning across existing and emerging national and regional regulatory directives to establish a global framework. Future regulatory frameworks should embrace a robust circular economic model to identify opportunities for P recovery and sustainable reuse; improving access to affordable fertilizers that are culturally acceptable and transforming local food and waste management systems. Despite a lack of collaboration and coordinated governance globally, the EU appears to have many of the pre-conditions to lead the way⁴, and is providing leadership in this respect. For instance, P was added to the EU list of critical raw materials in 2014 and in 2016 the EU adopted the Circular Economy Action Plan; a regulatory framework to extend the economic life of products, materials, and resources. However, policy is not enough. As seen in the large variability in the amount of P recycled from human excreta back to agricultural lands, there needs to be alignment among policies, economic and physical capacity, knowledge, and cultural acceptance to move from theory to action⁵. In an increasingly urbanized world, P cannot be viewed as a national agricultural or local environmental issue. Planning must account for the complex nature of the GPC and the diverse stakeholders involved.

## A way forward through training

Our current, almost linear, economic system is wasteful, extracting P for food production and producing large P pools in agricultural soils (from where it can be lost to the hydrosphere) or in landfills and asphalt concrete. Currently, P management and knowledge is fragmented between diverse sectors (Figure 1) - from the agricultural sector where P-fertilizer is a globally-traded commodity, to the sanitation sector where P is a costly pollutant that requires removal, to the environmental sector where P causes water pollution. To address these challenges, nutrient sustainability professionals must work across academic, industry, and government sectors to equip them with the expertise required to develop adaptive planning programmes focussed on achieving P sustainability targets across scales, but this is seldom done. To catalyse this approach, we argue that a crucial element in addressing the GPC is the need to establish a coordinated program to mentor and mobilise a new generation of professionals with the ability to span disciplinary siloes with the skills, experience, networks and tenacity to ensure transformative changes in the way P resources
are managed. In turn, training in such a way will also allow the mentors to learn and cross boundaries and participate in this new community.

We call for institutions across countries to form networks, and that programs within each institution open their doors to students from different faculties. Opportunities for industrial internships and policy development placement are also crucial so that students not only learn the skills needed in the workplace, but that they also contribute to changes in mainstream industry and policy implementation, including, for example, meeting the ambitions of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This spans from helping local governments to develop nutrient management plans for emerging and growing cities underpinned by circular economy approaches to working across borders to relieve nutrient stress on transboundary water bodies through international nutrient management agreements. Importantly, such professionals should not be simple P specialists, but rather 'system thinkers' who can inform judicious decision making on the management of multiple nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, potassium, and carbon) in the context of their environmental and socio-economic impacts.

Nutrient sustainability professionals must work together to provide evidence on emerging approaches, should they be related to technology and infrastructure or behaviors and practices, to better support the development of effective policy instruments at multiple scales. Only through this interdisciplinary approach can the complex interrelations of the GPC be effectively acted upon to secure agricultural productivity, together with a clean environment, a strong green economy and a closed loop for P.

## References

1. http://phosphorusfutures.net/the-phosphorus-challenge/

2. Elser, J. and Bennett, E. (2011) A broken biogeochemical cycle. *nature* 478, 29-31.

3. Cordell D, White S (2014) Life's Bottleneck: Implications of Global Phosphorus Scarcity and Pathways for a Sustainable Food System. *Annu Rev Environ Resour* 39:161-188. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-010213-1133003.

4. Ahlström H., Cornell S. E. (2018) Governance, polycentricity and the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. *Environ Sci Policy* 79:54-65.

5. Metson, G. S. *et al*. Socio-environmental consideration of phosphorus flows in the urban sanitation chain of contrasting cities. *Reg. Environ. Chang.* **18**, 1387-1401 (2018).
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 1.** Intersectoral gap, in Phosphorus-related research generated with VosViewer and based on 8000 articles using the keyword “phosphorus” in research related to the agriculture, sanitation and environmental sectors. Each circle corresponds to a keyword of the articles and are linked by a line if they co-occur frequently in articles.</figcaption></figure>