| This research is the first to include phosphorus as impurities in quantifying total phosphorus flows at the U.S. and global scale (Ch. 2). At the global scale, including mineral impurities, phosphate rock and natural inputs, we found 52 Teragram (Tg) inputs to the world in 2009 and 9 Tg to the U.S. in 2010, of which mineral impurities contributed 13% (world) and 7% (US), proving impurities a significant resource which should not be overlooked. Of the 52 Tg of phosphorus inputs globally, 48 Tg goes to sinks, with 25 Tg to wastewater and waterways, 14 Tg to landfills, 1 Tg lost to stock in concrete, and 8 Tg being recycled to farms. For the U.S., 9 Tg of phosphorus were input in 2010, with 7 Tg going to sinks, with 4 Tg to sewer and waterways, 2 Tg to landfills and 1 Tg being recycled back to farms. Embodied phosphorus inputs were then mapped to U.S. economic demand, and the phosphorus intensity of final demand was found for 440 sectors of the U.S. economy (Ch. 3). This showed that food and fertilizer understandably comprise the most intense demanders of phosphorus (mt P/M... |
