Danube University Krems, Department of Knowledge and Communication Management, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria; Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Interdisciplinary Environmental Research Centre, Brennhausgasse 14, 09599 Freiberg, Germany.
Danube University Krems, Department of Knowledge and Communication Management, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria; Fosfor Consulting Limited, 5 West Street, Okehampton, Devon, United Kingdom, EX20 1HQ.
Sci Total Environ. 2020 Apr 20;714:136701. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136701. Epub 2020 Jan 16.
Phosphorus is unique, given its characteristic of being essential for all life on Earth. The element is non-substitutable and finite in the form of highly concentrated phosphate-rock deposits. Thus, humankind should strive to utilize this resource in the most-efficient and sustainable manner. Losses, as well as overlooked opportunities, can be found all along the supply chain in various forms and to distinct extents. Avoiding these by closing the loops all along the supply chain is a key approach for keeping phosphorus flows available for economic use while reducing negative environmental impacts such as eutrophication. Changes to the current, mostly linear approach require multidimensional innovations that address products, processes, structures, and decision-makers along the supply chain as well as societal stakeholders. Our work focuses on the mining phase, covering extraction and beneficiation, whereby we discuss innovation potential in the contexts of i) improving PO recovery, ii) utilizing waste, and iii) recovering by-products within the boundaries of sustainable development as generalized strategies on the macro level. Furthermore, we show that there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to overcome current and future challenges within phosphate-rock mining, as the geological composition and processing of ores differs fundamentally among global deposits. Therefore, we perform, based on previously unpublished primary data, an economic breakdown of production-cost structures covering 85 active phosphate-rock mines and show significant differences between the two main deposit types (i.e., igneous and sedimentary), underground and open-pit mining as well as within each type.
磷是独特的，因为它是地球上所有生命所必需的元素。这种元素在高度浓缩的磷矿矿床形式中是不可替代和有限的。因此，人类应该努力以最有效和可持续的方式利用这种资源。在供应链的各个环节中，以各种形式和不同程度存在着损失和被忽视的机会。通过在整个供应链中闭环来避免这些问题，是保持磷流动可供经济使用的关键方法，同时减少富营养化等负面环境影响。改变当前主要的线性方法需要多维创新，以解决产品、工艺、结构和供应链中的决策者以及社会利益相关者。我们的工作重点是采矿阶段，包括开采和选矿，我们在以下方面讨论了创新潜力：i）提高磷的回收率，ii）利用废物，iii）在可持续发展的范围内回收副产品，作为宏观层面的一般策略。此外，我们表明，在磷酸盐矿开采中，没有“一刀切”的解决方案来克服当前和未来的挑战，因为全球矿床的矿石地质组成和加工方法有根本的不同。因此，我们根据以前未公布的主要数据，对涵盖 85 个活跃磷矿的生产成本结构进行了经济细分，并显示了两种主要矿床类型（即火成岩和沉积岩）、地下和露天采矿以及每种类型之间的显著差异。
