From Crisis to Possible Solution – Removing Phosphorus from the Baltic Sea

The Baltic Sea is suffering from a serious ecological crisis. Above all, it is the high levels of phosphorus that cause oxygen-depleted areas and severe recurring algal blooms.

Phosphorus is an essential element and an important component in agricultural fertilisers, but when it leaks into the Baltic Sea, it has a severe impact on the sea.

^{Text: Lena Scherman}

Now, new research may have found a way to reverse this trend by extracting phosphorus from the Baltic Sea and reusing it, for example as fertiliser.

Phosphorus is vital in modern agriculture. However, Europe lacks the large quantities of phosphorus needed and is completely dependent on imports.

At the same time, agriculture leaks large amounts of phosphorus into the sea, more than the ecosystem can handle. This has long been a difficult problem to solve.

Now, researchers at KTH in Stockholm may have found a way to release and recycle phosphorus from the bottom of the Baltic Sea in a controlled and efficient manner.

This can be done using a two-step method, where microorganisms are first used to dissolve the phosphorus from the bottom sediments. A metal-binding substance is then added to further release the phosphorus so that it can be captured and converted, for example into fertiliser.

‘Phosphorus is a critical nutrient for agriculture, and Europe imports large quantities of it. This new method for recycling phosphorus from sediments can reduce dependence on imported phosphorus,’ says Zeynep Cetecioglu, associate professor at KTH and one of the researchers behind the experiment.

So far, the method has only been used in laboratories, and Zeynep Cetecioglu emphasises that the method is not ready for use until it has been fully developed.

Among other things, completely enclosed facilities on land are needed to avoid damaging the marine ecosystem in the process.

‘If the method proves successful, the technology could make an important contribution to both environmental protection and European resilience. A technology for nutrient recovery and reduced pollution provides an opportunity to combat eutrophication and take steps towards circular nutrient flows,’ says Zeynep Cetecioglu in the press release from KTH.

You can find the research in its entirety here.

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