[Kosh]

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/45534


Summary: The world's supply of phosphorus is expected to be depleted within the century. It's very important for growing food. Unless we can find replacements or a new supply, we're ****ed. 

[Black Wolf]

Hugely important down here in Australia where all our soils are NPK deficient. Biologists have been warning about this for years - the problem is that we take phosphorous from mines in the south pacific, spread it over our crops, lose half of it to the weather and theother half gets absorbed into the plants, which we then eat, and ultimately crap out, and the sewage is pumped off the continental shelf, taking it completely out of the nutrient cycle. I assume this is about a plan to either grab the phosphorous out at sewage treatment plants or pipe old sewage back from off the shelf?

[Polpolion]

Where exactly did all of our phosphorus go? Did it disappear or something? I mean, it's still there unless it radioactively decayed into something else.

[castor]

Leached into seas?

[Mars]

Phosphorus is also used in flourecent bulbs, white LEDs, certain scientific applications, treating steel, ect.

[DREDHAWK]

i might sound stupid but what is phosphorus??

[BloodEagle]

15

[Black Wolf]

Where exactly did all of our phosphorus go? Did it disappear or something? I mean, it's still there unless it radioactively decayed into something else.

Biologists have been warning about this for years - the problem is that we take phosphorous from mines in the south pacific, spread it over our crops, lose half of it to the weather and the other half gets absorbed into the plants, which we then eat, and ultimately crap out, and the sewage is pumped off the continental shelf, taking it completely out of the nutrient cycle.

It's in the deep, dark ocean, feeding bacteria and essentialy out of the nutrient cycle. Also, even if it were back in the nutrient cycle, it wouldn't reach the paddocks where we need it in sufficient quantities to maintain monoculture farming. A lot of what is currently prime agricultural land is actually composed of phosphorous deficient soils, a problem rendered insignificant by super phosphate fertilizers. However, we obtain these fertilizers by mining ancient phosphate deposits, not uncommonly created by millions of years of organic deposition, whether it be through marine life or bird droppings. But, just like pretty much any other ore, all the highest grade stuff has been mined out nowadays, and we've moved on to lower and lower grade stuff to keep the product flowing.

Eventually we're going to reach the end of technology's ability to economically concentrate low enough grade deposits, and the mining will cease, the supply will cease, and a huge fraction of the world's agriculture will cease. We obviously need another source, as phosphorous is fundamentally important to biochemistry - it's one of the big three plant nutrients, along with Potassium and Nitrogen (Collectively, NPK).

[Mika]

Sometimes important things like this slips under my scientific importance radar. I need to do some research about this thing, whether the supply is really declining or not. Thanks for the link in any case. I find it a little strange I haven't seen any mention about this in several magazines that I get to my working place, while it could be expected from them.

One use of phosphorus is converting UV radiation to visible wavelength range. Meaning that quite a lot of illumination would need to be redesigned to keep radiation intake levels low.

Mika

[Nuke]

boy, isn't entropy a *****

[Flipside]

Not quite Entropy, more a case of dispersion, though I see the similarities

[Mars]

Hmm... it's also used in solar panels... ironic really.