Phosphorus

An Element Critical for Life

T H E P E R I O D I C TA B L E ’ S E N D A N G E R E D E L E M E N T S

1 2

H Limited availability, future risk to supply He

Hydrogen Helium

3 4 Rising threat from increased use 5 6 7 8 9 10

Li Be B C N O F Ne
Serious threat in the next 100 years Boron Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Fluorine Neon

15
Lithium Beryllium

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
Na Mg Al Si P S Cl Ar

P
Sodium Magnesium Aluminum Silicon Phosphorus Sulfur Chlorine Argon

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

K Ca Sc Ti V Cr Mn Fe Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge As Se Br Kr
Potassium Calcium Scandium Titanium Vanadium Chromium Manganese Iron Cobalt Nickel Copper Zinc Gallium Germanium Arsenic Selenium Bromine Krypton

37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54

Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Tc Ru Rh Pd Ag Cd ln Sn Sb Te I Xe
Rubidium

55
Strontium

56
Yttrium

*
Zirconium

72
Niobium

73
Molybdenum

74
Technetium

75
Ruthenium

76
Rhodium

77
Palladium

78
Silver

79
Cadmium

80
Indium

81
Tin

82
Antimony

83
Tellurium

84
Iodine

85
Xenon

86
Phosphorus
Cs Ba 57 - 71
Hf Ta W Re Os lr Pt Au Hg TI Pb Bi Po At Rn
Cesium Barium Hafnium Tantalum Tungsten Rhenium Osmium Iridium Platinum Gold Mercury Thallium Lead Bismuth Polonium Astatine Radon

87 88 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118

Fr Ra ** Rf Db Sg Bh Hs Mt Ds Rg Cn Nh Fl Mc Lv Ts Og
Francium Radium 89 - 103 Rutherfordium Dubnium Seaborgium Bohrium Hassium Meitnerium Darmstadtium Roentgenium Copernicium Nihonium Flerovium Moscovium Livermorium Tennessine Oganesson

57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71
*Lanthanide
series La Ce Pr Nd Pm Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er Tm Yb Lu
Lanthanum Cerium Praseodymium Neodymium Promethium Samarium Europium Gadolinium Terbium Dysprosium Holmium Erbium Thulium Ytterbium Lutetium

89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103

**Actinide
series Ac Th Pa U Np Pu Am Cm Bk Cf Es Fm Md No Lr
Actinium Thorium Protactinium Uranium Neptunium Plutonium Americium Curium Berkelium Californium Einsteinium Fermium Mendelevium Nobelium Lawrencium Source: Chemistry Innovation Knowledge Transfer Network

Phosphorus
Phosphorus is essential for life and has no substitute.
Phosphate rock is a finite resource that was formed Solving the phosphorus problem is
critical to meeting U.N. Sustainable
from the mineralization of dead sea creatures over Development Goal #2: End hunger,
tens of millions of years and then lifted to the land achieve food security and improved
nutrition and promote sustainable
via tectonic uplift. It is one of the three key
agriculture.
ingredients in fertilizer.

Where is it from?
Phosphorus is present in soils, to different
degrees, depending on the bedrock.
However, most applied phosphorus
P H O S P H AT E R O C K M I N I N G
comes from phosphate rock mining.

71% of the world’s phosphate rock reserves

MOROCCO are in Morocco, some of which comes from
71%
the contested region of Western Sahara.5

Phosphorus in the soil is distributed

unequally around the globe. For example,
the soils in sub-Saharan Africa have very
little phosphorus in them naturally. Where
phosphorus is lacking, fertilization is
necessary for agricultural productivity.

How is it used?
ANIMAL FEED
90% of phosphate rock is FERTILIZER 5%
82%
used for food production.1
FOOD ADDITIVES
2–3%

Phosphate is used in detergents to make them more

efficient, but has been largely banned in the U.S., Europe
and elsewhere due to its environmentally damaging role
in eutrophication. However, in some parts of the U.S., it is
still used in dishwashing and industrial detergents.

Why is it a critical element?

S U P P LY C H A I N L O S S 80% P H O S P H O R U S L O S T

80% of phosphorus is lost or

wasted in the supply chain from
mine to field to fork.2

MINE FIELD FORK

Most phosphorus is ultimately lost to water bodies

via agricultural runoff and waste water.

Excess phosphorus in water causes algal blooms and

eutrophication. It’s estimated that eutrophication
costs the United States $2.2 billion annually.3

S U P P LY / D E M A N D
CD
PRODUCTION

Peak phosphorus is estimated

AB
(Mt/a of P)

between 2025 and 2084, after which

F
high-quality sources of phosphorus E
will diminish and become harder
and more expensive to extract.1

At the same time, phosphorus YEAR

2025
2033
2070
2084
2102

2311–2411

demand is rising with most demand

coming from developing countries.
A Mohr & Evans (2013)
There are no substitutes for B Cordell et al. (2009), Cordell & White (2011)
phosphorus in agriculture. C GPRI (2010), Cordell et al. (2011)
D Walan (2013)
E Fixen (2009)
F Van Kauwenbergh (2010)

What can we do about it?

CHEMISTS INDIVIDUALS INSTITUTIONS

Innovation for More Choices to Decrease Programs to Recover and

Efficient Phosphorus Use Phosphorus Demand Recycle Phosphorus

■ Improving soil fertility ■ Wasting less food ■ Recovering from waste

monitoring and fertilizer decreases the demand treatment plants the
application. for phosphorus, and three million tons of
composting kitchen phosphorus we pass
■ Making innovations in
scraps keeps through in our urine and
time-release fertilizer.
phosphorus in the soil.4 feces globally each year.2

■ Eating a diet with less ■ Recycling industrial

meat and dairy reduces phosphorus waste, such
phosphorus-heavy as phosphine oxides.
livestock rearing.4

Find out more about Critical and Endangered Elements: acs.org/endangered-elements

S
SOOU
URRC
CE S
ES
1 Cordell, D.;
1 Cordell, D.; White,
White,S.
S.Life’s
Life’sBottleneck:
Bottleneck:Sustaining
Sustainingthe
theWorld’s
World’sPhosphorus
Phosphorus for aa
for Food
FoodSecure
Secure Future.
Future. Annual
In In Annual Review
Review
of
of Environment
Environment and
and Resources;
Resources;Gadgil,
Gadgil,A.,
A.,Liverman,
Liverman,D.D.M.,
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2 Cordell, D.;
2 Cordell, D.; White,
White,S.
S.Sustainable
SustainablePhosphorus
PhosphorusMeasures:
Measures:Strategies
Strategiesand
andtechnologies
technologiesfor achieving
for phosphorus
achieving phosphorus
security. Agronomy, 2013, 3(1), 86-116. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy3010086
security. Agronomy, 2013, 3(1), 86-116. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy3010086
3 Dodds, W.
3 Dodds, W. K.;
K.; Bouska,
Bouska,W. W.W.;
W.;Eitzmann,
Eitzmann,J.J.L.;
L.;Pilger,
Pilger,T.T.J.;
J.;Pitts,
Pitts,K.K.L.;L.;Riley,
Riley,A.A.
J.;J.;
Schloesser, J. T.;
Schloesser, Thornbrugh,
J. T.; D. J.
Thornbrugh, D. J.
Eutrophication
Eutrophication of
of U.S.
U.S.freshwaters:
freshwaters:Analysis
Analysisof ofpotential
potentialeconomic
economicdamages. damages. Environ.
Environ.Sci. Technol.
Sci. 2009,
Technol. 43(1),
2009, 43(1),12-19.
12-19.
4 Metson, G.
4 Metson, G. S.;
S.; Bennett,
Bennett,E.
E.M.;
M.;Elser,
Elser,J.J.J.J.The
Therole
roleof
ofdiet
dietininphosphorus
phosphorusdemand.
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ResearchLetters, 2012.
Letters, 2012.
7(4) pp 1-10
7(4) pp 1-10
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5 U.S. Geological Survey,
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summaries2019,
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