PHOSPHORUS

Phosphorus is the “energy element” occurring in the compounds called ATP and ADP, important in the
transfer and use of energy within cells. One of the Big Six along with Hydrogen, Oxygen, Carbon,
Nitrogen, and Sulfur.

[For any form of life to persist, chemical elements must be available at the right times, in the right
relative concentrations to each other. When this does not happen, then a chemical can become a
limiting factor, preventing the growth of an individual, population, or species, or even causing its local
extinction.]

[Certain general concepts hold true for biogeochemical cycles.]

Unlike carbon and nitrogen, phosphorus does not have a gaseous phase on the Earth. This leads to
major differences in its cycle, and we have included its description for that reason and also because, as
noted earlier, it is one of the “Big Six” elements required in large quantities by all forms of life.
Phosphorus is often a limiting element for plant and algal growth. However, if phosphorus is too
abundant, it can cause environmental problems.

Because phosphorus does not have a gaseous phase on the Earth, it exists in the atmosphere only as
part of small particles of dust. In addition, phosphorus tends to form compounds that are relatively
insoluble in water and therefore are not readily eroded as part of the hydrologic cycle. Phosphorus
occurs commonly in its oxidized state as phosphate, which in turn usually combines with calcium,
potassium, magnesium, and iron to form minerals found in soils and in waters. As a result, the rate of
transfer of phosphorus tends to be slow in comparison to carbon and nitrogen.

Phosphorus enters the biota through uptake by plants, algae, and some bacteria. Plants can take up
phosphorus in its oxidized form, as phosphate, a common ion. Because these minerals are relatively
insoluble in water, phosphorus becomes available very slowly through the weathering of rocks or rock
particles in the soil. In a relatively stable ecosystem, much of the phosphorus that is taken up by
vegetation is returned to the soil. Some of the phosphorus, however, is inevitably lost to wind and water
erosion. It is transported out of the soil in a water soluble form or as suspended particles and is
transported by rivers and streams to the oceans.

As we have indicated, the return of phosphate to the land from the ocean is slow. One important local
way that phosphorus returns from the ocean to the land is by way of ocean-feeding birds, such as the
Chilean pelican. These birds fed on small fish, especially anchovies that, in return, feed on tiny ocean
plankton. Plankton thrive where nutritionally essential chemical elements occur. These occur in areas of
oceanic upwellings, which are rising currents. Upwellings carry nutrients, including phosphorus, from the
depths to the surface. Thus upwellings are among the most fertile and biologically productive regions of
oceans. Upwellings occur near to continents where the prevailing winds blow-off shore. These push the
surface waters away from the land, and deeper waters rise to replace those moved offshore.

The fish-eating birds nest on offshore islands where they are protected from predators. Over time their
nesting sites become covered with their phosphorus-laden excrement, called guano. The birds nest by
the thousands, and the deposits of guano accumulate over centuries.
In relatively dry climates, the guano hardens into a rocklike mass that may be up to 40 m (130 ft.) thick.
These have provided some of the major sources of phosphorus for fertilizers. In the mid-1800s as much
as 9 million metric tons per year of guan material was shipped to London from such islands off of Peru.
This guano has been a valuable and plentiful fertilizer that is the result of a combination of biological and
non-biological processes. Without the plankton, fish and birds, the phosphorus would have remained in
the ocean. Without the upwellings, the result of the interactions between atmosphere and ocean
circulation along the continent-ocean boundary, the phosphorus would not have been available.

Another, more recently used, source of phosphorus fertilizers is the mining of sedimentary rocks made
up of fossils of marine animals. The richest such mine in the world is Bone Valley, 40 km east of Tampa,
Florida. Between 10 and 15 million years ago, Bone Valley was the bottom of a shallow sea where
marine invertebrates lived and died. Through tectonic processes, Bone Valley was uplifted. In the 1880s
and 1890s, the discovery of its phosphate ore led to a phosphate rush, and now the valley provides
more than one-third of the world’s entire phosphate production and three-fourths of U.S. production.

Some experts believe that, at current mining costs, the total U.S. reserves of phosphorus are about 2.2
billion metric tons, a quantity estimated to supply our needs for several decades. However, for a higher
price per ton, more phosphorus is available. Florida is thought to have 8.1 billion metric tons of
phosphorus recoverable with existing method, and there are large deposits elsewhere. However, the
mining processes have negative effects on the landscape. For example, at Bone Valley, huge mining pits
and slurry ponds scar the landscape. Balancing the need of phosphorus with the environmental impacts
is a major environmental issue. Bone Valley represents a very slow return of phosphorus to the land,
illustrating one part of the global phosphorus cycle.

EFFECT OF PHOSPHORUS ON WATER QUALITY IN RIVERS

The major deleterious effect of phosphorus is that it serves as a vital nutrient for the growth of algae. If
phosphorus availability meets the growth demands of the algae, there is an excessive production of
algae. When the algae die, they become an oxygen-demanding organic material as bacteria seek to
degrade them. This oxygen demand frequently overtaxes the direct oxygen supply of the water body
and, as a consequence, causes fish to die.

Phosphorus in lakes originates from external sources and is taken up by algae in the organic form (PO 4-3)
and incorporated into organic compounds. During algal decomposition, phosphorus is returned to the
inorganic form. The release of phosphorus from dead algal cells is so rapid that only a little of it leaves
the epilimnion with the settling algal cells. However, little by little, phosphorus is transferred to the
sediments, some of it in undecomposed organic matter; some of it in precipitates of iron, aluminum, and
calcium; and some bound to clay particles. To a large extent, the permanent removal of phosphorus
from the overlying waters to the sediments depends on the amount of iron, aluminum, calcium, and clay
entering the lake along with phosphorus.

THE LIMITING NUTRIENT

In 1840, Justin Liebig formulated the idea that “growth of a plant is dependent on the amount of
foodstuff that is presented to it in minimum quantity.” This is now known as Liebig’s law of minimum. As
applied to algae, it means that algal growth will be limited by the nutrient that is least available. Of all
the nutrients, only phosphorus is not readily available from the atmosphere or the natural water supply.
For this reason, phosphorus is deemed the limiting nutrient in lakes. The amount of phosphorus controls
the quantity of algal growth and therefore the productivity of lakes.

CONTROL OF PHOSPHORUS IN LAKES

Because phosphorus is usually the limiting nutrient, control of cultural eutrophication must be
accomplished by reducing the input of phosphorus to the lake. Once the input is reduced, the
phosphorus concentration will gradually fall as phosphorus is buried in the sediment or flushed from the
lake. Other strategies for reversing or slowing the eutrophication process, such as precipitating
phosphorus with additions of aluminum (alum) or removing phosphorus-rich sediments by dredging,
have been proposed. However, if the input of phosphorus is not also curtailed, the eutrophication
process will continue. Thus, dredging or precipitation alone can result only in temporary improvement in
water quality.

To be able to reduce phosphorus inputs, it is necessary to know the sources of phosphorus and the
potential for their reduction. The natural source of phosphorus is the weathering of rock. Phosphorus
released from the rock can enter the water directly, but more commonly it is taken up by plants and
enters the water in the form of dead plant matter. It is exceedingly difficult to reduce the natural inputs
of phosphorus. If these sources are large, the lake is general naturally eutrophic. For many lakes the
principal sources of phosphorus are the result of human activity. The most important sources are
municipal and industrial wastewaters, seepage from septic tanks, and agricultural runoff that carries
phosphorus fertilizers into the water.

1. Municipal and Industrial Wastewaters. All municipal sewage contains phosphorus from human
excrement. Many industrial wastes are high in this nutrient. In these cases, the only effective
way of reducing phosphorus is through advance waste treatment processes. Municipal
wastewaters also contain large quantities of phosphorus from detergents containing
polyphosphate, which is a chain of polyphosphate ions linked together. The polyphosphate
binds with hardness in water to make the detergent a more effective cleaning agent. By the
1970s, phosphorus loading from detergents was approximately twice that from human
excrement. Today’s detergents do not contain phosphorus because the manufacturers have
replaced it with other chemicals.
2. Septic Tank Seepage. The shores of many lakes are dotted with homes and summer cottages,
each with its own septic tank and tile field for waste disposal. As treated wastewater moves
through soil toward the lake, phosphorus is adsorbed by soil particles, especially clay. Thus
during the early life of the tile field, very little phosphorus gets to the lake. However, with time,
the capacity of the soil to adsorb phosphorus is exceeded and any additional phosphorus will
pass on into the lake, contributing to eutrophication. The time it takes for phosphorus to break
through to the lake depends on the type of soil, the distance from the lake, the amount of
wastewater generated, and the concentration of phosphorus in that wastewater. To prevent
phosphorus from reaching the lake, it is necessary to put the tile field far enough from the lake
that the adsorption capacity of the soil is not exceeded. If this is not possible, it may be
necessary to replace the septic tanks and tile fields with a sewer to collect the wastewater and
transport it to a treatment facility.
3. Agricultural Runoff. Because phosphorus is a plant nutrient, it is an important ingredient in
fertilizers. As rain water washes off fertilized fields, some of the phosphorus is carried into
 streams and then into the lakes. Most of the phosphorus not taken up by growing plants is
bound to soil particles. Bound phosphorus is carried into streams and lakes through soil erosion.
Waste minimization can be applied to the control of phosphorus loading to the lakes from
agricultural fertilization by encouraging farmers to fertilize more often with smaller amounts
and to take effective action to stop soil erosion.

PHOSPHORUS IN FERTILIZER INDUSTRY

Fertilizer is natural or artificial substance containing the chemical elements that improve growth and
productiveness of plants. Fertilizers enhance the natural fertility of the soil or replace the chemical
elements taken from the soil by previous crops.

Phosphorus is one of the macronutrients that makes up the bulk of all fertilizer produced and is
necessary for plant growth. Phosphorus is involved in many processes critical to plant development. The
phosphorus in most commercial fertilizers comes from the phosphate rock found in fossil remains
originally laid down beneath ancient sea beds. Fertilizer manufacturers mine deposits of phosphate
rock, which are converted into phosphate fertilizers. Its function is to capture energy from the sun. It
also aids in the faster formation of seeds and root development.

PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

The phosphorus cycle, is the circulation of phosphorous among the rocks, soils, water, and plants and
animals of the earth. Human beings and all other organisms must have phosphorus to live. In nature,
most phosphorus occurs in phosphate rock, which contains phosphate ions combined with calcium,
magnesium, chlorine, and fluorine.

It cannot be found in air in the gaseous. This is because phosphorous is usually liquid at normal
temperatures pressures.

This cycle is the slowest of the matter cycles.

Phosphorus is most commonly found in rock formations and ocean sediments as phosphate salts.
Phosphates are also limiting factors for plant-growth in marine ecosystems, because they are not very
water-soluble.

THE PROCESS CYCLE

The cycle basically starts out in the earth’s soil. The soil contains phosphate and when something grows
out of the soil it should have phosphate as well.

When the plants grow they are consumed by herbivore and omnivore animals.

The animal’s waste or the animal’s body when it dies becomes detritus.

Detritus is non-living organic material. When the detritus goes deep into the soil, detritivores in the soil
decompose and become the soil’s phosphate and the cycle repeats.

Another example of the phosphorus cycle is when rocks are created.

The phosphate in the soil moves on and transfers its phosphate to the rocks underwater. When the
uplifting of the rocks occurs it takes the phosphate along with it. After that the weathering of rocks
occur and the rocks begin to break down into the soil and the phosphate in the rocks ends up in the soil
again and the cycle repeats.

All these examples of phosphates are inorganic (white boxes). However, the Phosphorus Cycle is also
organic (yellow boxes).

Not all phosphates in the runoff make it to the water; others sink into the soil. These inorganic
phosphates are transformed into organic ones by plants, which are in turn eaten by animals.

The dead animals, retain their internal phosphorus stores and detritivores (scavengers which feed on
dead plants and animals or their waste) change the organic phosphates back to inorganic ones.

HUMAN INTERFERENCE

Cutting and burning of tropical rain forests affects the phosphorus cycle. As the forest is cut and/or
burned, nutrients originally stored in plants and rocks are quickly washed away by heavy rains, causing
the land to become unproductive.

Agricultural runoff provides much of the phosphate found in waterways. Crops often cannot absorb all
of the fertilizer in the soils, causing excess fertilizer runoff and increasing phosphate levels in rivers and
other bodies of water. The phosphate in the water is eventually precipitated as sediments at the bottom
of the body of water. In certain lakes and ponds this may be re-dissolved and recycled as a problem
nutrient.

Animal wastes or manure may also be applied to the land as fertilizer. If misapplied on frozen ground
during the winter, much of it may lost as run-off during the spring thaw. In certain area very large feed
lots of animals, may result in excessive run-off of phosphate and nitrate into streams.

Another human cause of artificial eutrophication is run-off from mines. Mining in areas where rock is
rich in phosphorus minerals can create dust that is blown by wind into nearby water systems.

A major problem with the use of phosphorus in fertilizers is the process of artificial eutrophication.
Eutrophication is a large increase in the primary productivity of a lake. Eutrophication can be harmful to
the natural balance of a lake and result in massive death of fish and other animals as dissolved oxygen
levels are depleted from the water.

The phosphorus cycle took millions of years to make and form into a flawless system that is until
humans came around. All living things require phosphorus for energy storage. With human urbanization
and agriculture, the cycle soon became short-circuited in some aspects.

HOW HUMANS HURT OURSELVES

Both nitrogen and phosphorus are essential nutrients for plants and are therefore present in most
fertilizers in addition to being present in agricultural and municipal waste products. As a result, the
movement of large amounts of fertilizers around the planet can also mean the movement of excessive
nutrients from one place to another. Typically, some of the fertilizer used on a farm does not stay there
but moves downhill where it can get into a downstream aquatic ecosystem, such as, a river, lake, or bay.
Now the fertilizer that helped us on the farm, has moved into our water. We drink from the water, we
wash with the water, and we use that water in our daily lives. Now it's hurting us, and it’s our own fault.

Some estimate the world's supply of phosphorus at this rate will remain steady for over three hundred
years, while others feel it is closer to fifty years, and then will begin to decrease.

TERMINOLOGY

Erosion - The process by which the surface of the earth is worn away by the action of water, glaciers,
winds, waves, etc.

Eutrophication - The enrichment of an ecosystem with chemical nutrients, typically compounds

containing nitrogen, phosphorus, or both. Eutrophication can be a natural process in lakes, occurring as
they age through geological time.

Phosphate Mining - To mine phosphate rocks and minerals from 15-50 feet below the surface.

Leaching - Drain away from soil, ash, or similar material by the action of percolating liquid, especially
rainwater.

Inorganic Phosphorus - Phosphorus that may be measured in the blood as phosphate ions. Its increased
concentration may indicate bone, kidney, or glandular disease.

Organic Phosphorus - Comes primarily from mineral sources, like rock dust.

Uptake - The action of taking up or making use of something that is available.

Absorption of phosphorous - Phosphate is absorbed through the phosphate cycle that cycles through
sediments through organisms back to soil and then into waterways which then embed them into the
sediments.

Inorganic vs. Organic Phosphorus

Inorganic Phosphorus - Phosphorus that may be measured in the blood as phosphate ions. Its increased
concentration may indicate bone, kidney, or glandular disease

Organic Phosphorus - Comes primarily from mineral sources, like rock dust.

MISCELLANEOUS

It is sometimes referred to as the "Devil's Element," because it was the thirteenth element discovered
and because of its explosive properties.

You take in phosphorus when you drink soda.

Hennig Brand discovered phosphorus in 1669 by extracting it from buckets of urine.

The stable isotope, P-31, has an abundance of 100 percent.