🌟 Why too much phosphorus in America’s farmland is polluting the country’s water
#farming #agriculture #environment #phosphorus #water #pollution #usa
18-Feb-2026
Method to extract #Baltic #phosphorus may ease Europe's reliance on #fertilizer imports
good idea for P #recycling
The Baltic Sea is one of the world’s most oxygen-depleted major bodies of water. The reason is excessive concentrations of phosphorus, an element essential for life—and an important ingredient in fertilizer. New research shows a way to possibly convert this problem into a resource that reduces Europe’s dependency on phosphate mining while revitalizing the Baltic ecosystem.
EPIC shakedown -> kickback the trump team performed here:
Weeks after "accusing" the 90% #phosphorous #duopoly of #priceFixing, the commodus-in-chief invokes the #DefenseProductionAct, which 'protects them from going out of business and shields them from regulatory or financial pressures. It also ensures any rule or regulation "does not place the corporate viability of any domestic producer of elemental #phosphorus or #glyphosate based herbicides at risk'
(Thread 1/2 )👇👇
https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2026/01/usdas-vaden-accuses-nutrien-mosaic-of-fertilizer-price-collusion/
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Stephen Vaden (last week) accused Nutrien and Mosaic of working to 'collude' to limit U.S. fertilizer supply and control prices, suggesting that the administration could take future action to inject more competition into markets, if necessary.
RE: https://mastodon.social/@glynmoody/116085495681564472
At the beginning of the previous century, #Nitrogen #fixation looked like a limit to human growth, it was required for plant growth.
Chemical fixation of N2 solved that (now we are running up against #Phosphorus).
#Ammonia is a key component in that #fertilisation.
But we would like it in the #ground, not the #air.
For #life to develop on a #planet, certain chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities.
#Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic information, and for the energy balance of cells.
#Nitrogen is an essential component of proteins, which are needed for the formation, structure, and function of cells.
Without these two elements, no life can develop out of lifeless matter but there are also more profound consequences.
During the formation of a #planet's core, there needs to be exactly the right amount of oxygen present so that phosphorus and nitrogen can remain on the surface of the planet.
This was exactly the case with Earth around 4.6 billion years ago—a stroke of chemical good fortune in the #universe.
When #planets form, they initially develop out of molten rock.
A sorting process occurs during this time: heavy metals such as iron sink down and form the core, while lighter metals form the mantle and the crust.
If there is too little #oxygen present during the formation of the core, phosphorus will fuse with heavy metals such as iron and move to the core.
This element is then no longer available for the development of life.
On the other hand, too much oxygen present during core formation leads to phosphorus remaining in the mantle and #nitrogen being more likely to escape into the #atmosphere, ultimately being lost.
#astronomy #astrobiology
https://phys.org/news/2026-02-small-planets-suitable-life.html
Paper by Walton et al. (2026):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-026-02775-z
For life to develop on a planet, certain chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities. Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential. Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA, which store and transmit genetic information, and for the energy balance of cells. Nitrogen is an essential component of proteins, which are needed for the formation, structure, and function of cells. Without these two elements, no life can develop out of lifeless matter.
"#Agricultural runoff provides perfect nutrients for #methanogen growth.
#Fertilizer and animal waste washing into ocean systems creates nutrient-rich zones where these methanogens thrive like never before. #Nitrogen and #phosphorus pollution from farmland creates ideal conditions for explosive #microbial growth in #coastal waters and #DeepOcean areas. These agricultural inputs essentially act as fertilizer for #methane-producing microbes, creating a connection between #IndustrialFarming and atmospheric #GreenhouseGas levels that scientists never fully appreciated.
"Coastal regions near major agricultural areas show the highest concentrations of these supercharged methanogens, with some areas recording methane production levels ten times higher than baseline measurements. The problem compounds itself because areas with intensive farming also tend to have the strongest ocean currents, meaning these fertilized methanogen populations get distributed globally. Every season’s #AgriculturalRunoff creates new opportunities for these microbes to establish thriving colonies in previously stable ocean environments."
#DeepSeaLife #AgriculturalRunoff #BigAg #OceansAreLife #OceanCurrents #OceanMethane
More sustainable epoxy thanks to phosphorus
https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/flamm-hemmendes-epoxidharz-nachhaltiger-machen
#HackerNews #sustainable #epoxy #phosphorus #ecofriendly #innovation #materials
Meiqi Yin et al.
Effects of waste amendments on soil nutrients and plant growth: role of plant species and #Phosphorus-solubilizingBacteria
#AgriculturalWaste | #IndustrialWaste | #SoilPhosphorus | #SoilSilicon | #PlantDiversity
Killer Rabbit 90
Paul Houle
michael
Incognitim
MidgePhoto
Mikko Tuomi
DoomsdaysCW
dominicdelagol2
Hacker News
Journal of Plant Ecology