Life cycle assessment of phosphorus alternatives for Swedish agriculture

Phosphorus is an important nutrient in plant cultivation. Global reserves of phosphate rock worth mining are limited. Reuse of phosphorus in wastewater is therefore important. This LCA study assessed the environmental impact of four ways to supply Swedish agriculture with phosphorus fertiliser of acceptable quality as regards cadmium content: mineral fertiliser; certified sewage sludge; struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) precipitated from wastewater; and phosphorus recovered from sludge incineration. These were examined with respect to impacts on global warming, eutrophication, energy demand and cadmium flows to farmland. The functional unit chosen was 11 kg P (25.2 kg P2O5) to agricultural land, which was the average phosphorus output (removal with harvest) per hectare from Swedish farmland in 2007. Using sewage sludge directly on farmland was the most efficient option in terms of energy and emissions of greenhouse gases, but also added most cadmium to the soil. Phosphorus recovery from incinerated sludge was the most energy demanding option and gave most emissions of greenhouse gases. Despite great concerns about cadmium in Swedish fertilisers and sludge, it was found that almost no regular analyses for cadmium are made on imported food by the authorities, although food imports are constantly increasing. Total imports of cadmium with food are therefore unknown.

► Environmental impact of mineral phosphorus fertiliser was compared with wastewater P.
► Wastewater P options were sewage sludge, struvite, and P from sludge incineration.
► Global warming (GW), energy demand (ED) and cadmium to farmland was studied with LCA.
► Sewage sludge caused least GW and ED, but added most cadmium to farmland.
► The import of cadmium in food to Sweden is unknown.