InnoSoilPhos

Innovative solutions to sustainable soil phosphorus management

InnoSoilPhos - Innovative solutions to sustainable SoilPhosphorus management

Project in the program "BonaRes - Boden als nachhaltige Ressource für die Bioökonomie" supported by the Federal Ministery of Education - Project executing organization: Jülich

Objectives of InnoSoilPhos

Mineral P-fertilizers are on the one side essential for nutrition of agricultural plants but on the other hand can also cause eutrophication of water bodies. Mineral P-fertilizers are mainly produced from rock phosphate, a limited resource. Due to this limitation future agriculture is facing a huge challenge, namely to ensure the nutrition of humans and the income of farmers as well as limiting the ecological footprint, which is challenging the society as a whole. Therefore, the project InnoSThe aim of the research group is the understanding of the role of colloids and interfaces in biogeochemical processes. The exchange and transfer of nutrients in the solid and liquid phase and at their interface are studied from the molecular scale to the catchment scale using state-of-the-art physico-chemical and analytical methods. This research is supported by process-oriented modelling and enables us to elucidate biogeochemical processes in the fluxes and cycling of essential elements, especially nutrients.

InnoSoilPhos intents to provide solutions to this problem in soil and agricultural sciences but also governance options.

In Phases I and II, InnoSoilPhos involved 10 workgroups that tackled the P issue at four different scales: (I) the atomic and molecular scale, (II) the plot-to-field scale, (III) the field-to-catchment scale, and (IV) the societal scale. In addition to University of Rostock (UR) these institutions were involved: the Brandenburgische Technical University Cottbus - Senftenberg (BTU), the Julius-Kühn-Institute (JKI), the TU University of Munich (TUM), the Research Center Jülich (FZJ), the Research Unit Sustainability and Climate Policy Leipzig (FNK) and the Bergische Universität Wuppertal (BUW, Phase II).

Scale (I):

  • Fundamental understanding of P-fixation and desorption on soil matrix by quantum-chemical modeling
  • The effects of soil microorgansims on P-binding and activation
  • Spatial heterogeneity, P-sorption, -stocks & possible –activation/usage in subsoil

Scale (II):

  • Alternative P fertilizers, e.g., bone chars are developed and evaluated by pot and field experiments
  • Effectiveness of P-fertilization is evaluated by metastudies to prove and improve fertilization recommendations

Scale (III):

  • Hot spots and hot moments of P leaching from soil in experimental catchment 

Scale (IV):

  • Synthesis of above results, in-deep-analysis of alternative P fertilizers like bone chars

The third phase of InnoSoilPhos is organized according to four stakeholder-oriented scientific goals, to which the WPs of consortium members contribute. These goals logically follow from the scientific achievments of InnoSoilPhos-Phases I and II.

Main goal 1: Improvement of microbial P-mobilization

Main goal 2
: Design, production and testing of „new“ smart P fertilizers from recycling materials

Main goal 3
: P in integrated sustainable nutrient management

Main goal 4
: Reduction of environmentally harmful P-losses at field scale

Letzte Änderung: 11.12.2024