Towards circular phosphorus: The need of inter- and transdisciplinary research to close the broken cycle

Christian Stamm*, Claudia R. Binder, Emmanuel Frossard, Philip M. Haygarth, Astrid Oberson, Alan E. Richardson, Christian Schaum, Oscar Schoumans, Kai M. Udert

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

25 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is an essential element to all living beings but also a finite resource. P-related problems center around broken P cycles from local to global scales. This paper presents outcomes from the 9th International Phosphorus Workshop (IPW9) held 2019 on how to move towards a sustainable P management. It is based on two sequential discussion rounds with all participants. Important progress was reported regarding the awareness of P as finite mineable resource, technologies to recycle P, and legislation towards a circular P economy. Yet, critical deficits were identified such as how to handle legacy P, how climate change may affect ecosystem P cycling, or working business models to up-scale existing recycling models. Workshop participants argued for more transdisciplinary networks to narrow a perceived science-practice/policy gap. While this gap may be smaller in reality as illustrated with a Swiss example, we formulate recommendations how to bridge this gap more effectively.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)611-622
JournalAmbio
Volume51
Issue number3
Early online date19 May 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Agriculture
  • Science-practice/policy interface
  • Wastewater

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