Global use of phosphorus is currently unsustainable, as we are not only depleting the Earth’s natural reserve at an exponential rate but over half of the phosphorus applied will end up in our waterways, contributing to the harmful algal blooms. Currently, the US is spending almost $5B each year to clean up phosphorus pollution in our water, and according to the EPA, more than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, close to 2.5 million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, and more than 800 square miles of bays and estuaries in the United States have poor water quality because of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Being the second most abundant nutrient applied for food production, it is imperative changes be made quickly.
A company called “Phospholutions” is now developing improved ways to capture and recycle phosphorus from a wide variety of applications, including agriculture and aquatic management. The company’s solutions naturally reduce phosphorus loads entering our water systems, ultimately decreasing eutrophication that damages our nation’s most important waterways. Current treatment and environmental remediation technologies are inadequate and often cost-prohibitive.
RhizoSorb® technology from Phospholutions utilizes an all-natural and highly porous mineral to greatly enhance fertilizer efficiency through a chemical bond that controls both nutrients and the release to optimize plant uptake. I should mention, it’s a soil amendment with no nutritional composition that has also been shown to act as a natural plant growth regulator of root development, meaning too much available phosphorus in the soil can stunt growth and too little can lead to deficiencies. RhizoSorb’s® stable chemistry locks it in the soil, acting as a reservoir for phosphorus.
As we move to a model of only applying what we need, learn more how Phospholutions is creating cost-effective, sustainable approaches to reducing phosphorus loads at “Responsible Phosphorus Use at Scale,” a webinar to be held October 8 at 3 pm CDT featuring Hunter Swisher, CEO of Phospholutions. Click HERE to register.
