Leibniz ScienceCampus Phosphorous Research Rostock
Without dramatic changes in phosphorous production and use, the global demand for phosphorous (P) will soon exceed the supply and lead to price increases or shortages in essential branches of industry.
Low efficiency in phosphorous use, the failure to close material cycles and the resulting environmental impact currently constitute the main problems in the overall economical use of phosphorous and its compounds.
If large unused quantities of phosphorous get into the material cycle of ecosystems, this can lead to over-fertilisation that unbalances the entire system. Summer blue algae “blooms” in the Baltic Sea are one example for the effects of high phosphorous contamination levels.
The superordinate goal of interdisciplinary cooperation in the Leibniz Science Campus Rostock is to develop the scientific fundamentals for more effective phosphorous management through topical networking.
Existing expertise in the various aspects of researching the essential element phosphorous, its diverse chemical compounds and specific effects in agricultural and environmental systems as well as technical and industrial processes is converged in the Leibniz Science Campus.
Research focuses on “phosphorous cycles and flows in the environment”, “sufficiency and efficiency of phosphorous use and recovery”, “phosphorous as an element in and from catalytic processes” and the interdisciplinary topic “development of phosphorous analysis methods to determine progress”.
