Phosphorus flow analysis for Malawi: identifying potential sources of renewable phosphorus recovery

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMnthambala, Frank
dc.contributor.authorTilley, Elizabeth
dc.contributor.authorTyrrel, Sean F.
dc.contributor.authorSakrabani, Ruben
dc.date.accessioned2021-07-01T10:13:16Z
dc.date.available2021-07-01T10:13:16Z
dc.date.issued2021-06-21
dc.description.abstractPopulation growth and dietary needs changes have exerted pressure on phosphorus (P) reserves, and the future availability of P fertilisers is uncertain. Most Malawian soils have low P and farmers apply P fertilisers to harvest enough food. Scarcity of chemical P fertilisers and rising prices will affect Malawi's food security. To avert the impact of P future uncertainty a P flow analysis (PFA) was conducted to characterise and quantify sources, flows, and sinks of P to determine options for waste minimisation, recovery, and chemical fertiliser use reduction for Malawi. The PFA results highlighted that; there are 35000 Mg of recyclable organic P annually, which is over two times Malawi's annual P fertiliser demand (14000 Mg). Currently, only 16% of the organic P is recycled to agriculture. Chemical P fertiliser represents 66 % of the P fertiliser used for crop production. Manure is the most recycled organic P source (38 % recycled), followed by organic solid waste (6%), and crop residues (5%). Annually, 9000 Mg of P is transferred to faecal matter, but none is recycled. Overall, Malawian soils have a negative P balance of -4000 Mg. Malawi can reduce its dependence on imported chemical P if recycling of organic P source is adopted. However, regulations should be put in place to control the quality of organic fertilisersen_UK
dc.identifier.citationMnthambala F, Tilley E, Tyrrel S, Sakrabani R. (2021) Phosphorus flow analysis for Malawi: identifying potential sources of renewable phosphorus recovery. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 173, October 2021, Article number 105744en_UK
dc.identifier.issn0921-3449
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2021.105744
dc.identifier.urihttp://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/16836
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherElsevieren_UK
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/*
dc.subjectSubstance flow analysis software (STAN)en_UK
dc.subjectMaterial flow analysis (MFA)en_UK
dc.subjectMalawien_UK
dc.subjectPhosphorusen_UK
dc.titlePhosphorus flow analysis for Malawi: identifying potential sources of renewable phosphorus recoveryen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
Phosphorus_flow_analysis_for_Malawi-2021.pdf
Size:
1.07 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.63 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

Staff publications (SWEE)