Note: you are viewing the archived version of our website. Click here to go to our new site.

The Austrian P budget as a basis for resource optimization

Title
The Austrian P budget as a basis for resource optimization
Author(s)
L Egle
O Zoboli
S Thaler
Helmut Rechberger
M Zessner
Year
2013
Type
Journal Article
Source
Resources, Conservation and Recycling
DOI
10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.09.009
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is a finite and non-substitutable resource that is essential to sustaining high levels of agri- cultural productivity but is also responsible for environmental problems, e.g., eutrophication. Based on the methodology of Material Flow Analysis, this study attempts to quantify all relevant flows and stocks of phosphorus (P) in Austria, with a special focus on waste and wastewater management. The system is modeled with the software STAN, which considers data uncertainty and applies data reconciliation and error propagation. The main novelty of this work lies in the high level of detail at which flows and stocks have been quantified to achieve a deeper understanding of the system and to provide a sound basis for the evaluation of various management options. The budget confirms on the one hand the dependence of mineral P fertilizer application (2 kg cap −1 yr −1 ), but it highlights on the other hand considerable unex- ploited potential for improvement. For example, municipal sewage sludge (0.75 kg cap −1 yr −1 ) and meat and bone meal (0.65 kg cap −1 yr −1 ) could potentially substitute 70% of the total applied mineral P fertil- izers. However, recycling rates are low for several P flows (e.g., 27% of municipal sewage sludge; 3% of meat and bone meal). Therefore, Austria is building up a remarkable P stock (2.1 kg P cap −1 yr −1 ), mainly due to accumulation in landfills (1.1 kg P cap −1 yr −1 ) and agricultural soils (0.48 kg P cap −1 yr −1 ).
More Information
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.09.009

Tags

Back Incorrect or incomplete information? Click here to report this.

This website provides meta data on papers and other publications, with links to the original publications. These papers may be copyrighted or otherwise protected by the publishing journal or author. Some journals provide open access to their publications. When possible we will try to include abstracts and more details for open access publications. For more details, follow the link to the original document and/or contact the publisher/author.