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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #362222
Research Project: Sustaining Agroecosystems and Water Resources in the Northeastern U.S.

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

Title: Future phosphorus: advancing new 2D phosphorus allotropes and growing a sustainable bioeconomy

Author
item JARVIE, HELEN - Centre For Ecology And Hydrology
item FLATEN, DON - University Of Manitoba
item SHARPLEY, ANDREW - University Of Arkansas
item Kleinman, Peter
item HEALY, MARK - National University Of Ireland
item KING, STEPHEN - Consultant

Submitted to: Journal of Environmental Quality
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2019
Publication Date: 7/11/2019
Citation: Jarvie, H.P., Flaten, D., Sharpley, A.N., Kleinman, P.J., Healy, M.G., King, S.M. 2019. Future phosphorus: advancing new 2D phosphorus allotropes and growing a sustainable bioeconomy. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2-11. https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/jeq/pdfs/0/0/jeq2019.03.0135.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2019.03.0135

Interpretive Summary: Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for all living organisms that is at the heart of the food-water-energy nexus. Given phosphorus’s pivotal role, we examine how it will support and constrain visions for new bio-based economies. New uses of phosphorus, such as in semicondoctors, point to the potential for technological innovation to promote bioeconomy goals, even as existing conservation concerns highlight the limits placed by this important resource.

Technical Abstract: With more than 40 countries currently proposing to boost their national bioeconomies, there is no better time for a clarion call for a “new” bioeconomy, which, at its core, tackles the current disparities and inequalities in phosphorus (P) availability. In this paper, we explore how the emerging bioeconomy in novel value-added bio-based products provides an opportunity to augment and rethink our stewardship of P, building upon lessons learned from existing biofuel and livestock production systems and the need to address the current ‘paradox’ of P deficits and P surpluses. We highlight how new advances in material sciences are exploiting unique semiconductor and opto-electrical properties of new P allotropes (2D Black Phosphorus and Blue Phosphorus). These novel P materials, discovered only within the last five years, offer the tantalising prospect of step-change innovations in renewable energy production and storage, in biomedical applications, and in biomimetic processes, including artificial photosynthesis, thus expanding the importance of P in securing future sustainability across both ‘agroecological’ and ‘technological’ domains of the BE. However, if these novel materials are not recycled or reused properly, they could exacerbate the problems of linear, terminal pathways for P.