SOPHOS
Natural and sustainable solutions for phosphorus recovery and recycling in agriculture
- https://agrotech.upc.edu/en/projects-events/sophos
- SOPHOS
- 2021-01-01T11:00:00+01:00
- 2023-12-30T12:00:00+01:00
- Natural and sustainable solutions for phosphorus recovery and recycling in agriculture
Jan 01, 2021 11:00 AM to Dec 30, 2023 12:00 PM (Europe/Madrid / UTC100)
Research groups: Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology ( GEMMA) and Construction Materials and Roads Research Group (MATCAR)
Project: SOPHOS
Who is the project aimed at?
Professionals and stakeholders in the agri-food sector, particularly farmers, natural resource managers and environmental policymakers, as well as researchers interested in sustainable agriculture and the circular economy.
Project objective
Develop and validate a low-cost technology based on constructed wetlands to improve the efficiency of agricultural resource use—primarily water and phosphorus—within a circular economy model, thereby reducing the environmental impact of the agricultural sector.
Project description
The current agricultural model and sustainability
We are currently experiencing a paradigm shift driven, on the one hand, by the growing importance of health-related aspects of diet and, on the other, by the need to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), both environmental and social. The human population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050. This will require producing 60% more food than is currently consumed. It is therefore urgent to adapt agricultural production to the needs of a growing global population while respecting natural resources according to sustainability criteria. The entire agri-food sector and its value chain must undergo a transformation towards what is known as a “Sustainable Food System” (SFS), with agriculture as one of its cornerstones.
In this context, SOPHOS was launched, involving the Construction Materials and Roads Research Group (MATCAR) and the Group of Environmental Engineering and Microbiology (GEMMA) at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC). The project will develop and validate a low-cost technology to improve the efficiency of agricultural resource use, particularly water and phosphorus, according to a circular economy model, thereby reducing their environmental impact.
Led by the MATCAR and GEMMA research groups at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya - BarcelonaTech (UPC), SOPHOS was launched in response to the urgent need to adapt agricultural production to growing global food demand and the environmental challenges set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.
Phosphorus, an essential element in fertilisers
Phosphorus is essential for fertiliser production and has no natural or artificial substitute. Almost 75% of the phosphorus applied to crops is lost due to inefficiencies in the fertilisation process itself, whether because of crop type, weather conditions, the species cultivated or agricultural practices. As a result of this process, agriculture is estimated to account for between 60% and 80% of diffuse pollution affecting aquifers, leading to a loss of natural biodiversity. Recovering phosphorus requires large amounts of chemicals and energy, making it unviable given the low profit margins in the sector.
To address this challenge, the project proposes to design and build natural filters (constructed wetlands) filled with phosphorus-adsorbing material to recover phosphorus from agricultural leachates, mineralise crop residues and reuse treated water, using by-products from the metallurgical industry.
Constructed wetland technology
A constructed wetland consists of a basin excavated in the ground, filled with filtering material and planted with vegetation that enables wastewater treatment and the mineralisation of organic matter. These systems require little or no energy to operate, generate no waste during treatment and integrate well into rural landscapes. Although they have been used to decontaminate a wide range of wastewater types, their application in agriculture through SOPHOS is pioneering.
Wetlands require reactive materials to improve phosphorus removal or capture efficiency. Within SOPHOS, the wetlands will be filled with steel slag from the metallurgical industry, as it has high porosity and is rich in calcium and iron, elements with a high capacity to absorb phosphorus. These materials also contain nitrogen, organic matter, iron and other metals that provide essential micro- and macronutrients for plant growth.
In the same process, the wetlands will also act as drying and mineralisation systems for nutrient-rich agricultural crop residues. These can partially replace the need for external fertilisers and therefore reduce phosphorus requirements.
The wetlands will also remove organic matter and other pollutants, producing reclaimed water suitable for irrigation.
Results
Shift from a linear agricultural model to a circular one in which:
- Phosphorus, a scarce element essential for fertiliser production, is recovered from leachates, reversing the pollution caused by its loss through inefficiencies in the fertilisation process.
- Crop residues are mineralised, reducing fertilisation requirements.
- Treated water is reused.
- Industrial by-products are reused (steel slag from the metallurgical industry).
Funding: Technology Transfer under the Rural Development Programme of Catalonia 2014–2022 
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