Glyphosate: Composition and Impact on the Environment
Glyphosate is a synthetic chemical. In its pure form, it consists of five elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. The first four elements – carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen – are currently brought into the correct form using a great deal of fossil raw materials and energy, but can also be produced sustainably using renewable electricity from virtually unlimited raw materials.
The Critical Point: Phosphorus – A Raw Material for Time
The production of phosphorus is not only energy intensive, but also limited because phosphorus can only be mined in a few specific locations. The extraction of phosphorus poses significant problems:
- High CO2 Emissions: The extraction of phosphorus, which is mostly found in rocks, generates a lot of CO2. The most important open-pit mines are located in Morocco and China.
- Environmental Damage from Mining: The mining of phosphorus in open pits damages the mining areas and leads to significant water pollution. Water scarcity in the mining regions exacerbates the heavy metal pollution.
- Health Risks: The poor working conditions with little to no protective equipment in often high heat cause respiratory illnesses among workers. Additionally, the mining can lead to contamination of food and water.
- Dependency: The few deposits in the world, located in China, Morocco, and the Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara, are not politically stable sources of this important raw material.
This article shows just how devastating the current situation in Western Sahara is: Dispute over the status of Western Sahara.
Treatment of Phosphorus
After mining, the phosphate rock is crushed. To obtain the white phosphorus needed, the rock is heated to 1500 degrees Celsius together with coke and silicon dioxide. This process produces a considerable amount of carbon monoxide and consumes a lot of energy. The white phosphorus is then purified and can be processed further to produce glyphosate.
Sustainability and Future Perspectives
Known phosphate reserves are estimated to last 100 to 300 years, although there are reports that the reserves could last as little as 80 years. Unlike other fossil resources such as coal and oil, which can be replaced by alternative energy sources, phosphorus is indispensable and irreplaceable as a nutrient for plants, an ingredient in animal feed, and a critical element for humans, particularly in bones.
Phosphate must be used sparingly. In addition, phosphate bound in the soil must be made available again. An important step towards better cycles and less use of phosphorus from deposits is the use of green fertilizers, which make phosphorus available again for animals and plants.
Although there is still a lot of research to be done in this area, it is clear that a healthy, humus-rich soil with little soil movement from plowing and lots of green manure is the way to go. crop.zone makes an important contribution by effectively controlling cover crops and weeds (the wrong plant at the wrong time in the wrong place) without additional soil movement and without the use of glyphosate.
In order to conserve phosphate reserves for a sustainable future, innovations like those offered by crop.zone are essential. By focusing on sustainable agricultural practices and reducing reliance on mined phosphorus, we can ensure the longevity of this critical resource.
Innovations in Agriculture – crop.zone