A review of the phosphate lifecycle, impacts and strategies for sustainable use in the South African context

The report argues that marine phosphate mining is unwarranted in South Africa because it would increase environmental phosphate flows and contamination. It proposes that a sustainable supply of phosphates can be achieved through 'loop-closure'—specifically recovering phosphorus from human and animal waste and improving fertilizer application efficiency in agriculture. A substance flow analysis indicates that approximately 164 kt/year of phosphorus enters the South African environment, with 133 kt/year potentially recoverable through recycling. The document concludes that terrestrial reserves are sufficient for 90–220 years, making the ecological risks of seabed mining unnecessary.

• Marine phosphate mining is deemed unwarranted in South Africa as it would increase the volume of phosphate entering the environment and intensify phosphate flows.
• South Africa's terrestrial phosphate reserves are estimated to last between 90 and 220 years, assuming they are not exported and accounting for growth in demand.
• A substance flow analysis (SFA) reveals that approximately 164 kt/year of phosphorus enters the South African environment, with the largest source being manure at 87 kt/year.
• Up to 133 kt/year of phosphorus can be recovered from the environment through recycling, while another 31 kt/year of losses could be prevented using optimized fertilizer application technologies.
• The most prevalent environmental impact of phosphorus release is the eutrophication of inland and coastal waters, which occurs when phosphorus loading rates exceed 1 g/year/m2.
• Phosphate processing is associated with other environmental risks, including the release of radioactive by-products (such as uranium, radium, and cadmium), heavy metal pollutants, and carbon emissions totaling 465 kt of CO2 equivalent annually for Foskor Limited.
• Sustainable alternatives to mining include recovering phosphorus from human waste (such as through struvite precipitation from urine) and animal manure, as well as recycling crop residues at the farm level.

APA

Vidima, S., & von Blottnitz, H. (n.d.). A review of the phosphate lifecycle, impacts and strategies for sustainable use in the South African context. Centre for Environmental Rights. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Assessing-the-Desirability-of-Marine-Phosphate-WEB.pdf?x21779

Chicago

Vidima, Sizwe, and Harro von Blottnitz. A review of the phosphate lifecycle, impacts and strategies for sustainable use in the South African context. Centre for Environmental Rights, n.d. https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Assessing-the-Desirability-of-Marine-Phosphate-WEB.pdf?x21779.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vidima |first1=Sizwe |last2=von Blottnitz |first2=Harro |title=A review of the phosphate lifecycle, impacts and strategies for sustainable use in the South African context |publisher=Centre for Environmental Rights |url=https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Assessing-the-Desirability-of-Marine-Phosphate-WEB.pdf?x21779 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vidimandreview, author = {Vidima, Sizwe and von Blottnitz, Harro}, title = {{A review of the phosphate lifecycle, impacts and strategies for sustainable use in the South African context}}, institution = {Centre for Environmental Rights}, url = {https://cer.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Assessing-the-Desirability-of-Marine-Phosphate-WEB.pdf?x21779}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }