Phosphorus Footprint Model A Model Development and Application to the Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

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Phosphorus Footprint Model

A Model Development and Application to the

Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

Kim Dahlgren Strååt

Master of Science Thesis

Stockholm 2013

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Kim Dahlgren Strååt

Master of Science Thesis

STOCKHOLM 2013

Phosphorus Footprint Model

A Model Development and Application to the

Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

PRESENTED AT

INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Supervisor:

Monika Olsson, Industriell ekologi, KTH

Jonas Svensson, Senior advisor and Business developer, Atkins

Examiner:

Monika Olsson, Industriell ekologi, KTH

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TRITA-IM 2013:15

Industrial Ecology,

Royal Institute of Technology

www.ima.kth.se

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Abstract

For this master’s thesis a Phosphorus footprint model is developed for and applied to the Swedish bovine and poultry industries. The flows of phosphorus are identified and quantified to create an input-‐

output balance of phosphorus per single life stage of a meat product. The Phosphorus footprint model is validated by applying it to Kronfågel, part of the food production sector at Lantmännen. The results are presented as a “Phosphorus declaration” for one kg of fresh, boneless chicken meat. The declaration shows potential for Kronfågel to be more effective in their phosphorus management by closing the loop between their core processes (animal husbandry and livestock industry) and the upstream process (crop production) and re-‐circulating manure plus slaughter waste back to agricultural land. The largest losses are identified in feed production and animal husbandry.

The conclusion is that the Phosphorus footprint is the accounting methodology framework for creating a quantified flow chart and the Phosphorus declaration illustrates the losses and management

improvement possibilities. Also the declaration can be used to label products, increase consumer awareness, as well as implement conscious consumption and a life cycle perspective on all levels related to Swedish bovine and poultry industries.

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Sammanfattning

I denna master uppsats har en ”Phosphorus footprint” modell utvecklats för och applicerats på svensk livsmedelsproduktion med fokus på kött. Livscykeln och flödena av fosfor är identifierade och

konsumtionen är kvantifierad för att skapa en substansflödesbalans för varje enskilt livssteg i en köttprodukt. Phosphorus footprint modellen är validerad och exemplifierad genom att applikation på Kronfågel, som är en del av matproduktionssektorn hos Lantmännen. Resultaten presenteras som en

”Fosfordeklaration”.

Beräkningsmetodiken är retrospektiv och konsumtionsbaserad.. De beräknade in-‐ och utflödena används för att skapa ett kvantifierat flödesschema som illustrerar var i livscykeln hushållningen av fosfor kan förbättras. Genom att skapa ett flödesschema över kända flöden, så kan förlusterna identifieras och beräknas som skillnaden. Resultatet presenteras som en fosfordeklaration för den studerade

köttprodukten, vilken kan användas som underlag för att effektivisera fosforhushållningen.

Phosphorus footprint modellen är validerad på ett verkligt fall som är utvecklat tillsammans med

Lantmännen och applicerat på Kronfågels kyckling. Den analyserade produkten är ett kg av färsk och kyld kycklingfilé, det vill säga kött utan skinn och ben.. Resultaten visar att det finns potential för Kronfågel att bli bättre med avseende på deras fosforhushållning. Detta kan göras genom att sluta loopen mellan deras kärnproduktioner som är djurhållning och livsmedelsproduktion och uppströmsprocessen odlingen av grödor genom återföring av stallgödsel och slakteriavfall till jordbruksmark. De största förlusterna är identifierade i odlingen av grödor och hushållningen av djur. Appliceringen visar att det är brist på grundläggande data för fosfor, framförallt i konsumtions-‐ och slutstegen. Beräkningarna har gjorts genom att använda statistisk and genomsnittliga värden, vilket negativt påverkar noggrannheten i resultaten.

Phosphorus footprint modellen är begränsad till att visa kvantitativ och inte kvalitativ data, alltså den beräknar endast mängden fosfor i de identifierade flödena utan att redogöra för detaljer kring förening eller kvalité. Modellen saknar även en koppling till de ekonomiska och miljömässiga fördelarna av förbättrad och mer medveten konsumtion. Emellertid resulterar den i ett illustrativt och kvantifierat flödesschema där förbättrings-‐ och recirkulationsmöjligheter enkelt identifieras. Dessutom kan

fosfordeklarationen användas för att märka produkter och öka konsumenters medvetenhet, samt för att skapa en mer eftertänksam användning och ett livscykelperspektiv på alla nivåer inom svensk

köttproduktion.

Slutsatsen är att Phosphorus footprint modellen bistår med beräkningsmetodiken för att skapa ett kvantifierat flödesschema och att fosfordeklarationen illustrerar förlusterna och möjligheterna till förbättrad hushållning. Generellt presenterar studien viktiga insikter om användningen och förlusterna av fosfor, medan de identifierade begränsningarna (brist på data och en ekonomisk koppling) borde undersökas för att vidare förbättra den värdefulla Phosphorus footprint modellen.

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Acknowledgements

During the process I have had the privilege to meet many talented people that gave valuable insights, guidance and advice along the way. I would like to thank my academic supervisor Monika Olsson, Director of studies in the Industrial Ecology department at the Royal Institute of Technology, which has shown great patience and understanding throughout this process; without you I would have lost my way plenty of times. Also, I would like to thank my business contact and supervisor Jonas Svensson, Senior advisor and business developer at Atkins, with whom every meeting stirred my thoughts around the project mixing it with new ideas and points-‐of-‐view; leaving it to settle into something better every time.

Furthermore, a big thank you to Sofie Villman at Lantmännen for believing in the project by allowing me to exemplify and apply the Phosphorus footprint model on the Kronfågel chicken production. In addition, a big thank you to Markus Hoffman at the Federation of Swedish Farmers and Kersti Linderholm for your time and interest put into my project, as well as for your comments and expertise in this field.

Thank you to all the people at the Sweco Environment department in Stockholm and in particular Petra Carlenarson, head of the Environmental Strategies group, for having me and for your support. I would also like to give a special thank you to Annika Börje, Environmental consultant at Sweco, who took an orphan under her wing and showed her the ways around the office. Without your mentoring I would have missed out on the all the social pleasures and benefits of the everyday working life.

Finally a great thank you to my family and friends, you built me the solid ground I needed to power through until the end.

Kim Dahlgren Strååt

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1. Introduction

The world’s population is increasing; in 2011 it passed the seven billion mark and it is predicted to continue to increase 2.8% annually (World Bank, 2013). This puts pressure on our planet and its resources and in realization of this; the concept of planetary boundaries was introduced in 2009 (Rockström, et al., 2009). The boundaries identify and quantify the safe operating space for humanity with respect to nine Earth System processes; climate change, ocean acidification, stratospheric ozone depletion, atmospheric aerosol loading, biogeochemical flows including interference with phosphorus and nitrogen cycles, global freshwater consumption, land-‐system change, rate of bio-‐diversity loss and chemical pollution. Information on the planetary boundaries and the overshoot our consumption cause is spreading and initiatives to support the development of sustainable business is increasing (Stockholm Resilience Centre, 2012; Sustainable Business, 2013). Scientists call for a shift in mind-‐set from linear, command-‐control to an adaptive and more flexible approach as the resilience of Earth behaves in a non-‐

linear way; with dips and transition states (Rockström, et al., 2009).

As globalization increases, so does the complexity regarding where in the world the environmental effects connected to our consumption occur. This complexity makes it increasingly complicated for companies, municipalities and consumers to investigate and identify the environmental consequences connected to the goods they consume. Still, there are many positive incentives, e.g. companies have the possibility to increase the efficiency in their production chain, increase profits and, strengthen its brand and competitiveness (Wiedmann, 2009). More importantly however is the escalating pressure our consumption puts on our limited natural resources and soon the peak will be reached for many of them.

Phosphorus is one example where some scientists predict a “Peak Phosphorus” in 50-‐100 years (Cordell, et al., 2009). Phosphorus is a multifaceted substance and its inherent intricacy is further complicated by global market systems, which decouple source and consequence; geopolitics that inevitably follow natural resource distribution; and a lack of information and data.

The mining and search for phosphate rock is intensifying in order to accommodate the growing demand in agriculture and food production and at the same time as the known reserves and their quality are diminishing (Cordell, et al., 2009). But even though phosphorus is an essential and finite resource, only about 20% of the mined phosphorus ends up in the goods we consume (Cordell & Rosemarin, 2011).

Large amounts are lost along the chain, in waste, wastewater, in surrounding streams or as store fertilization to soils causing disruption in the ecosystems and eutrophication, one of today’s major environmental issues. Municipalities are evaluating their possibilities of becoming phosphorus and nitrogen neutral and actors within the agricultural sector are realizing the importance of good management and adjust their business accordingly. The lens through which we view sustainable

development is too small and the focus lies to a great extent on reactive, end-‐of-‐pipe solutions instead of proactive, circular system. For phosphorus, a broader focus is needed that includes not only the

environmental issues, but also the scarcity of the resource (Cordell & Rosemarin, 2011). This could help secure access and availability of phosphorus in the future, along with preventing and limiting further imbalance of the ecosystems. So by dealing with this shortage, the imbalance and to improve the

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resource management; the environmentally disruptive losses and leakages can be limited. For this a shift in focus is essential; from linear to looped systems, end-‐of-‐pipe to recirculation techniques, reactive to proactive solutions. The first step towards doing this is investigating and mapping the resource use. For this a model needs to be developed.

Water footprint, Carbon footprint and Ecological footprint models have all been developed to account for consumption, assess environmental impacts and to recognize other consequences connected to a product, an industry or a population. There are several models for accounting the environmental impact caused by the production of goods, e.g. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) measured in carbon dioxide equivalents, and by the usage of materials and substances, e.g. Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Substance Flow Analysis (SFA) (Moberg, et al., 1999). From these concepts and this information, Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) and Climate Declarations have been developed to communicate the impact the life of products and services have on the environment (International EPDsystem, 2008; Swedish Environmental Management Council, unknown). Currently however there is no “Phosphorus footprint” model to account for the use and “Phosphorus declare” products. As Peak Phosphorous is approaching without the use or need is decreasing, it is necessary to oversee the usage and find the possible management improvements. As researchers submit that Sweden could reuse more phosphorus (Linderholm, 2012), improving its management is not only a necessity but also possible.

The phosphorus flows through society and nature due to human activities in Swedish bovine and poultry industries are numerous. One of the purposes of the Phosphorus footprint model and accounting framework developed in this project is to quantify and illustrate these flows. The result is a phosphorus flow map that can be used to facilitate an optimized use of phosphorus by minimizing losses and waste, as well as illustrate recirculation possibilities.

1.1. Aim and scope

The aim of this master’s thesis project is to develop, apply and analyse a Phosphorus footprint model for Swedish bovine and poultry industries. The specific aim and methodology will be explained later in the Model Development chapter. The project has four main objectives:

1) Description of phosphorus and the concept of Phosphorus footprint, focusing on the conditions for the Swedish bovine and poultry industries

2) Development of the Phosphorus footprint model, aims and framework for phosphorus accounting through the whole life cycle of a meat produced, consumed and disposed of in Sweden

3) Validation of the Phosphorus footprint model by real case application 4) Evaluation and critical analysis of the Phosphorus footprint model

The first objective includes an introduction to phosphorus with respect to three aspects essential

nutrient, environmental issue and finite resource, as well as an account of the natural and anthropogenic phosphorus flows. The second objective includes a description of the aims of the phosphorus accounting model that include: to provide a life cycle view and show the use of phosphorus through all the life stages of a meat product; be used as a basis for improving phosphorus management; highlight the

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scarcity issue; illustrate possibilities for recycling; and be easy to use and apply. Also included is the development of a phosphorus flow chart, accounting methodology and an explanation to the concept of Phosphorus declaration. The third objective includes application of the Phosphorus footprint model on a Kronfågel fresh chicken. Kronfågel is part of Lantmännen, a Swedish agriculture and food production company. The fourth objective includes an account for the weaknesses and strengths of the

methodology based on the aims set for the model, its transparency, applicability and accuracy.

1.2. System boundaries and limitations

The report will only briefly present the status of the global use, current policies and the consequences of the environmental effects associated to phosphorus, i.e. the report will not investigate nor explain these issues in detail. The general system boundaries for the Phosphorus footprint are illustrated in Figure 1.

The life stages are divided into pre-‐production, production, consumption and disposal. Flows are

illustrated with arrows and those in solid black are included while those in dotted grey are excluded. The potential phosphorus footprint for biofuel used for transportation, running machines and for any bio packaging and so on is excluded from the model. The pre-‐production, i.e. the extraction of natural phosphorus and the production of mineral fertilizers, is also excluded.

Figure 1: Illustration of the Phosphorus footprint model boundaries, flows in solid, black are included while flows in dotted

grey are excluded.

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1.3. Methodology and structure of report

The project is performed at the Industrial Ecology Department at the Royal Institute of Technology and Sweco, an international consulting company within engineering, environmental technology and

architecture. The model application and study is developed in collaboration with Lantmännen, a Swedish agriculture and food production company, on Kronfågel fresh chicken. The model is developed for mapping and accounting the flows of phosphorus through the life cycle of a meat product produced by Swedish bovine and poultry industries. The foodstuff meat was chosen after literature research on the basis of its relatively high Phosphorus footprint and the increased consumption of meat following a change in dietary trends and consumption patterns. Methodologies used are literature studies, including background studies, model development and phosphorus flow analysis, and case application. The report is divided into six main chapters explained below and illustrated in Figure 2:

1) Introduction to the relevance and importance of the thesis project including general aim, objectives and methodology

2) Background and overview to the phosphorus issue with regards to its three-‐faceted nature:

essential nutrient, environmental issue and finite resource as well as a study of the natural and anthropogenic phosphorus flows

3) Model development focusing on the aims, methodology and structure for the Phosphorus footprint model. The chapter also identifies the flows of phosphorus specific to Swedish bovine and poultry industries, in addition to briefly explaining the concept of Phosphorus declaration as a way of presenting the results of phosphorus accounting

4) The Phosphorus footprint model presentation in its completeness structured according to the step-‐wise accounting methodology developed in the previous chapter and that can be directly applied to a Phosphorus footprint study

5) Model validation and evaluation through real case application on fresh, boneless chicken from Kronfågel, part of the food production sector at Lantmännen

6) Discussion, conclusion and recommendations for future work

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Figure 2: Illutration of the report structure

Model development

The Phosphorus footprint model is a way for agriculture and food production companies to create a quantitative map of their phosphorus flows and identify losses on a per life stage basis. Primarily it is developed for food production companies in the bovine and poultry industries to improve collaborations between actors in the food production chain. The model is developed using literature studies to

understand how the flows of and politics around phosphorus look (i.e. investigate what is being done and is missing in the field of phosphorus management), to understand the structure and methodology behind the existing footprint models, and identify the life stages and flows in meat production.

Case application

The Phosphorus footprint model developed in this report is applied on Kronfågel chicken to quantify the phosphorus flows through all the life stages. For the application, the Product Category Rules (PCR) for meat of poultry, CPC group 2112 (IVL, 2010) is used along with the developed accounting methodology and Phosphorus footprint model. Also, an LCA for Lantmännen Kronfågel (Widheden, et al., 2001) and the report behind the Lantmännen Kronfågel Climate declaration (Tynelius, 2008) are used.

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2. Literature background and overview of phosphorus

This first chapter supplies a background and an introduction to the phosphorus issue with regards to its three-‐faceted nature in addition to its natural and anthropogenic flows.

2.1. Three aspects of phosphorus

In the middle of the 17^th century the German alchemist Henning Brand attempted to create gold by condensing urine (Söderhäll, 2011). Instead Brand discovered phosphorus, named from the Greek word phosphoros meaning, “light bearer” as it became luminous when in contact with air. Phosphorus was thus one of the first elements to be discovered. This section is an introduction to the importance of and the issues around phosphorus with respect to three aspects; it is an essential nutrient, an environmental issue and a finite resource.

Essential nutrient

All living things require phosphorus (Nationalencyklopedin, 2013). It is a structure element in DNA and RNA, a component in bones, teeth and cell membranes, and for several biological systems it acts as a buffer and energy currency. Also it is necessary for several essential biological processes and systems such as photosynthesis, respiration and various muscle and nerve functions. In humans it is the sixth most common element in our bodies with most of it stored in our bones as hydroxyapatite (Söderhäll, 2011). Plants take up inorganic phosphate and incorporate it into organic compounds, and this organic phosphate, which is a soluble form, is thus made accessible for humans and other animals to consume (Naturvårdsverket, 2013). Along with nitrogen, sulphur and potassium, phosphorus is one of the elements that plants often have a deficit of and consequently, is a limiting factor in cultivation

(Nationalencyklopedin, 2013). Therefore fertilizers have long since been added in modern agriculture to ensure good cultivation yields.

Environmental issue

During the middle of the 20^th century the use of fertilizers steadily increased and created a phosphorus-‐

storage in soils (Nationalencyklopedin, 2013) and, the release from waste and wastewater treatment plants has created phosphorus-‐storage in the sediments (Linderholm, 2013). These anthropogenic phosphorus stores leaks (mainly from sediments but to some extent from agricultural soils) causing disruption in the surrounding ecosystems, leading to eutrophication in waterways and putting pressure on the natural regenerative cycle. Eutrophication occurs when there is an excess of nutrients, which lead to fast-‐growing bacteria and microorganisms such as cyanobacteria to thrive and consume the oxygen in order to grow. This shakes the natural balance in biological and hydrological ecosystems causing

eutrophication, and in some cases dead zones due to the oxygen deficit (Blomqvist & Gunnars, 2006).

The realization of the effects fertilizers had on the ecosystems in developed countries has led to strict environmental policies frameworks, which have contributed to food production in industrialized countries being outsourced to great extent (Cordell, et al., 2009). The production is thereby decoupled from the consumption and disposal that causes an imbalance on the global phosphorus scale. Because, when food is produced, phosphate is incorporated or invested, into the good. The good is then exported and consumed and disposed of elsewhere. The imbalance is caused, as the investment is never returned

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countries (Cordell, et al., 2009). The decoupling, i.e. the separation of animal husbandry from feed production, spread after the Second World War when the use and availability of mineral fertilizers increased in response to the population growth (Tidåker, 2011) and the accessibility to mineral fertilizers lessened the need for organic fertilizers (manure) in feed and feed production. Also, the separation further increased the need for mineral fertilizers, as manure was no longer available to the same extent locally, further tipping the regional and later global imbalance scale. This is the case for many other consumer goods: as the separation, globalization and expansion of markets increase, so does the complexity regarding where in the world the environmental effects connected to our consumption occur. All these factors make tracking and taking action against the effects increasingly difficult (Tidåker, 2011).

Finite resource

Being the eleventh most common substance in the Earth’s crust, phosphorus can be found all over the world, but there are only a few places where there are large enough amounts to mine

(Nationalencyklopedin, 2013). Today the largest reserves are in China, North America and Western Sahara (Steen, 1998). China has limited their exports to secure their own supplies, North America is consuming more than they have and the reserves in Western Sahara are a geopolitically sensitive issue (Cordell, et al., 2009). Increasing world population along with increased consumption and demand for goods and services adds to the anthropogenic pressure on nature, its reserves and services. Some scientists predict that Peak Phosphorus is soon approaching, if not already passed, and that the reserves may be depleted in 50-‐100 years (Steen, 1998). Others add that the notion of depletion is an economic and technical definition, the reserves will not run-‐out, but it will not be economically viable or

technologically possible to extract them (Selinus, 2011). Most policies today are directed at handling the leakage of nutrients from croplands into lakes and streams, i.e. end-‐of-‐pipe solutions, and few mentions that phosphorus is a finite resource that has to be managed more carefully. This is both with regards to its scarcity and to the negative environmental effects. Nevertheless the issue is being investigated and discussed more frequently in academia, business and on regional levels.

Sörenby (2010) map the flows of phosphorus in Stockholm, Sweden and conclude that there is a lack of recirculation (despite the potential), of scarcity related governmental policies and of usage

economization (Sörenby, 2010). The most interesting conclusion, which highlights the relevance of this project, is that the flows of phosphorus to lakes, streams and the Baltic Sea are relatively small when compared to flows within the Stockholm city area. These flows come from food import, from shops to households and from households to waste. This means that a shift in mind-‐set from end-‐of-‐pipe solutions to recirculation techniques is needed. Another example is a project commissioned by the region of Norrköping, Sweden (Andersson, et al., 2012). Its purpose was to map the flows of nutrients through the region, and propose technical solutions to obtain a better recirculation of phosphorus and nitrogen, in order to evaluate the possibility for Norrköping to be a phosphorus and nitrogen neutral state (Andersson, et al., 2012).

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2.2. Natural and anthropogenic flows

The world has its natural regenerative cycles; resources are shaped, used and disposed of, then broken down to become new building material and be shaped into something else, ready to start over. These cycles occur within and between all the ecosystems compartments; atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. Phosphorus is part of a land and water based biological cycle (Naturvårdsverket, 2013), making the biosphere and the hydrosphere its key ecosystem compartments. Below is an account for the natural flows and anthropogenic phosphorus flows, and the human pressure on the natural system, in order to understand the system and way that phosphorus moves through society. This is also the basis for developing the conceptual phosphorus flow chart under chapter Model development: Phosphorus accounting and flow methodology.

Natural flows

Plants take up inorganic phosphate (PO43-‐) from the soil and incorporate it into organic compounds.

Plants thus make phosphorus available for animals, fungi and bacteria to consume (Naturvårdsverket, 2013). In turn, these animals and decomposers break it down to inorganic phosphate and return it to the soil, completing the biological phosphorus cycle. Phosphorus is also part of a hydrological cycle similar to the biological, and these two are connected by a much slower (millions of years compared to months or weeks) geological cycle. The geological cycle incorporate sediments from the hydrosphere, by lifting it up into the terrestrial environments, creating phosphate rock. Through weathering of the rock, phosphates are released into the soil and enter the biological cycle. (Naturvårdsverket, 2013) This is the natural phosphorus cycle; see Figure 3 below (Selinus, 2011).

Figure 3: Illustration of the three natural phosphorus cycles and their respective time frames for regeneration without anthropogenic pressure (Source: Selinus, 2011)

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Anthropogenic flows

When the athropogenic pressure is considered as in Figure 4, phosphorus flows in a different way. The raw input of phosphate rock is mined and processed for mineral fertilizer production, which is used on agricultural land for feed production. Also there is a natural addition of phosphorus to agricultural land as existing storage in soil and atmospheric deposition. The cultivated crops are fed to the animals, which proceed to food industry for slaughter, processing and packaging. The food industry produces waste and process water, which goes to wastewater and water treatment respectively. The animals produce manure that is used on agricultural land and thus part of an internal cycle. After the meat products are prepared and packaged, they are sold and distributed to the consumers. Consumers produce household food waste, mainly organic waste, for waste treatment and toilet waste for wastewater treatment. The waste is used for biogas or energy production. Losses and waste production occur in all stages;

phosphate mining produce mining waste, there is leakage and losses from agricultural land in cultivation and animal husbandry, food industry, consumption and waste management.

Figure 4: Phosphorus flows induced by anthropogenic use. Blue arrow shows raw input of phosphate rock, black arrows

shows the direction of flows between the life stages in agriculture and food production, green arrows shows internal recycling flows in agriculture and the red arrows show outputs and losses to the environment (Source: Selinus, 2011;

Bergström, et al., 2012).

The inputs are in blue, outputs are in and the internal flows are green. The flows going through each life stage and on to the next, i.e. intermediate products are black.

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3. Model development: Phosphorus accounting and flow methodology

In the same way as a foot leaves a print when walking down the beach; the life of products, services, industries, populations and individuals leave their mark on the world. Each product or service, similar as each individual or population, has an impact on the world, which is often referred to as its/their

footprint. Throughout a life cycle there are stages of material extraction, production, usage and disposal, and during each of these there are inputs, outputs, accumulations and losses of energy and resources.

These in turn affect the environment they came from, are consumed in and where they are disposed have, not unlike the footprint in the sand. However, the consequences of these footprints-‐of-‐

consumption are more complex. The concept of Phosphorus footprint in this report is defined as a way of mapping the inputs and outputs of a phosphorus during the whole life cycle of a meat product. The result is a quantification and illustration of the amounts of phosphorus used and lost per life stage and kg of meat produced. The assessment shows where in the life stages improvements in management and re-‐

circulation efforts can be done. In this section the development of the Phosphorus footprint model is accounted for. The development process is divided into three stages: first setting the aims and

accounting methodology of the Phosphorus footprint model, second identifying the life stages of a meat product and establishing a flow chart with the inputs, outputs and internal flows on a per life stage basis, and finally presenting the concept of Phosphorus declaration using the PCR for meat of poultry and meat of mammals.

3.1. Aims and accounting methodology

In this report five aims for the Phosphorus footprint accounting model are set. First, the developed model should provide a life cycle view and show the use of phosphorus through all the life stages of a meat product. For this purpose both the stages production, consumption and disposal are included.

Second, it should be used as a basis for improving the phosphorus management by using substance flows analysis on a per life stage basis to quantify and illustrate the inputs, outputs and most importantly losses. Third, it should highlight the scarcity issue, rather than the environmental issues. This is important due to the geopolitical issues surrounding phosphorus; the increasing global necessity and approaching Peak Phosphorus; and the fact that Sweden has the potential to reuse more and to some extent be self-‐

sufficient. This leads into the fourth aim, to illustrate the possibilities for recycling by creating a flow map based on the usage in each life stage, which is connected greatly to the first and second aim, and support the third. Fifth and last, the Phosphorus footprint model developed during this project should be easy to use and apply.

The phosphorus footprint model follows a four-‐step accounting methodology that results in a flow chart and an input-‐output based accounting. The accounting methodology is based on the methodology of substance flow analysis as described by Moberg, et al., 1999 and of the “Footprint family” that integrates the Water, Carbon and Ecological footprint approaches (Galli, et al., 2011). The aim is to illustrate where there are possibilities for recirculation, improved management or closing loops between life stages.

Below is an illustration (Figure 5) and a brief explanation of the step-‐wise accounting. The accounting methodology is clarified further for direct application in the next chapter The Phosphorus footprint model.

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Figure 5: An illustration of the Phosphorus footprint accounting methodology (Based on: Moberg, et al., 1999 and Galli, et al.,

2011)

Definition of the system and the aim

Here the scope and purpose of the study is set. Besides the inherent boundaries of the model, by being developed for phosphorus and the Swedish bovine and poultry industries, there are other

considerations. These include setting the functional unit, system boundaries, methodology, assumptions, allocations and data quality coverage. Other considerations are type of meat studied, the geographical boundaries and the temporal boundaries. Also where there are PCR (Product Category Rules) developed for the product, these are considered and included. The considerations of the first step will lay the base for the entire study and in the end the final result.

Identifying life stages and flows

In this stage a flow chart is produced showing the life stages of the chosen meat product and the flows through each stage that is to be included in the study. The Phosphorus footprint model provides a guideline with the accounting model and identifies the life stages and flows. However, these can be added to or changed, depending on the level of detail or specific inputs/outputs for the study. This identification stage sets the scope of the data collection and in the end the footprint account. Hence it is important to be as inclusive as possible with regards to data availability and as needed with regards to the aim and scope of the analysis.

Data collection and calculation

Here the goal is to put numbers on each of the flows by doing an inventory analysis. The numbers should preferably come from direct measurement by the investigator, the concerned company or third party research. Some numbers are “set” such as atmospheric deposition, which is considered a national value.

When direct measurement is unavailable, data from commonly available sources is used; this is in accordance to the PCR meat of poultry (IVL, 2010) and meat of mammals (Boeri, et al., 2012). The PCR are helpful by supplying allocation rules for when the production of meat generates more than one product, and how the in-‐ and outputs of those stages should be divided (IVL, 2010). The PCR also supply a standardised format for how the result of the data should be presented.

Interpretation and phosphorus declaration

Here the results are evaluated, analysed and formulated into recommendations or indicators if the accounting is done frequently and a trend can be produced. The result is a quantified flow chart and identification of losses on a per life stage basis. Losses are accounted as the difference between the sums of all outflows per single stage minus the sum of all inflows for that stage; see Equation below.

𝐿𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑠_!= 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠

!

− 𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑠 (1)

!

Deﬁnimon of

system and the aim

Idenmfy the life

stages and ﬂows Data collecmon

and calculamon Interpretamon of results

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The internal flows do not affect the overall footprint, i.e. for the entire life cycle, but they are essential for the construction of a complete life cycle analysis, give valuable information on possible

improvements and indicate where efforts are needed.

3.2. Phosphorus flow chart

There are several examples of substance flow analysis’ done for phosphorus. Sörenby (2010) map the total flows of phosphorus through and in the Stockholm County, Linderholm et.al. (2012) account the in-‐

and outputs, and internal flows of phosphorus for the Swedish agriculture and food chain, and Cordell et.al. (2009) highlights the issues of phosphorus scarcity for global food security. Based on their results and on the flows illustrated in Figure 4 above; a general flow chart adapted to the aim and boundaries of this report is developed and illustrated in Figure 6, explained below.

Figure 6: General flow chart illustrating the phosphorus flows in Swedish agriculture and food production

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Inputs

Below is an account of the flows of phosphorus entering the system as raw phosphorus input, i.e. does not go through the use of recycled source, these internal flows are discussed together with the outputs at the end of this section under Outputs and internal flows.

• Fertilizer:

To help farmers, there are plenty of self-‐monitoring tools available to calculate the flows of fertilizers on agricultural soils as a way of optimizing the use. These include taking soil concentrations, kind of crop produced and the foodstuff security into account when distributing fertilizers on agricultural land, keeping livestock or producing meat products (Lantbrukarnas Riksförbund, 2012). Also, there are yearly fertilization guidelines published by the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Albertsson, 2012); information from “Focus on Nutrients” (Greppa Näringen, 2011); and a self-‐supervision checklist by the Federation of Swedish Farmers and the Swedish Board of Agriculture (Miljöhusesyn, 2013). For this project, mainly information from SIK -‐ the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology is used. They have collected lifecycle analysis (LCA) data for feed and feed ingredients commonly used in Swedish animal feed (SIK, 2011). The LCA data is prepared by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, funded by the Swedish Farmer´s Foundation for Agricultural Research and SIK. The purpose is to present information on the environmental issues related to feed from a lifecycle perspective until feed factory. All the data is public, the system boundaries and sources used are clearly stated, and can be found on the website: sikfoder.se

• Atmospheric deposition:

Phosphorus deposition was officially monitored until the early 1990s, but due to low concentrations and data measuring and analysing difficulties, this is no longer done (Linderholm, et al., 2012). The most commonly used value is 0.3 kg phosphorus year^-‐1 ha^-‐1 of land (Bergström, et al., 2012).

• Phosphorus storage in soil:

There are large differences in phosphorus concentration depending on the ground hydrology, soil type and agricultural production (Börling, et al., 1999). In Sweden, the total phosphorus content in agricultural soils can vary between 200-‐800 mg phosphorus year^-‐1 kg^-‐1 of soil (Bergström, et al., 2012). However these amounts are not equal to the amount available for the plants. The phosphorus in soils exists in bound and soluble form, and only the soluble phosphorus is available for plants to take up (Linderholm, 2011). This is about 0.1-‐1 mg of phosphorus year^-‐1 liter^-‐1 of soil or approximately 1 kg of phosphorus year^-‐

1 ha^-‐1 of agricultural land (Bergström, et al., 2012). Soil mapping is a way for farmers to get valuable, direct and site-‐specific information when accounting for the phosphorus flows on their land and to help optimize the use of fertilizers. The results are accounted for on a map or within a protocol (Albertsson, 2012).

• Import of feed and feed minerals:

In Sweden, the majority of dietary fibre and grain needed for animal production is produced nationally (Linderholm, et al., 2012). LCA results on most of these can be found on sikfoder.se (SIK, 2011). However, a lot of minerals and concentrates are imported. The phosphorus content of these imports can be calculated using information from the Swedish Board of Agriculture and Statistics Sweden (Linderholm, et al., 2012). Also, at sikfoder.se LCA results from some common minerals and supplements is available.

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Outputs and internal flows

Below is and account of the flows of phosphorus leaving the system and the internal flows.

• Manure:

Manure is both an input and an output, and thus it does not affect the overall balance of phosphorus in Sweden. It is excreted by the livestock in the breeding phase and used as fertilizer in the cultivation of feed. Today 7 kg manure year^-‐1 ha^-‐1 is added to the Swedish arable soils (Bergström, et al., 2012). In a study by Wivstad, et.al, (2009), which discusses the possibilities to decrease eutrophication through ecological production, the phosphorus flows is identified and quantified. The study shows that the amount of recirculation within the agricultural sector in the form of manure is larger than the addition of mineral fertilizers.

• Leakage and losses:

The magnitude of the leakage from arable lands depends on soil composition, topography and type (Linderholm, et al., 2012). The leakage is larger in the north of Sweden due to soil freezing, but on average the leakage are 0, 4 kg phosphorus year^-‐1 ha^-‐1from arable land to water (Bergström, et al., 2012). In each stage losses occur and for this Phosphorus footprint model is used. As explained under section Aims and accounting methodology, the losses for each life stage are calculated as the difference between the inputs and the outputs for that stage. This is based on substance flow analysis where the flows entering a system should be equal to the amount leaving the system, and thus the difference in this report is considered as losses.

• Food industry waste:

In the food industry stage the livestock is slaughtered and the meat is processed and prepared for wholesale. This includes removing feathers, intestines, head, and bone etcetera, the amount and extent of removal depend on the end product, and also packaging. Most of the low-‐risk organic waste from the food processing industry, e.g. from slaughterhouses, is used as fertilizers or pet and mink feed

(Linderholm, et al., 2012; Wivstad, et al., 2009), and some goes to waste treatment facilities. The high-‐

risk waste and discard goes to destruction (Villman, 2013).

• Sludge and ashes:

Sludge is a by-‐product from the wastewater treatment process. The more effective the treatment is, the more sludge is produced and the more unwanted substances and organisms ends up in the sludge (Johansson, 2011). Sludge is also produced in waste treatment when the waste is biologically treated to produce biogas. When the waste is incinerated for energy production, ash is the by-‐product. Returning the phosphorus from the waste treatment system to productive land can be done in three ways; sludge spreading, sorting toilet systems and extraction from wastewater, using sludge or ashes after sludge incineration (Holm & Staaf, 2011). The use of sludge on agricultural land as a source of nutrients has decreased from 40 % in the 1980s to about 25 % today (Johansson, 2011) and through nutrient flow analysis it is shown that little of the phosphorus in food stuff is returned to agricultural land. Each year approximately 6 150 tons of phosphorus in feedstuff is consumed (Wivstad, et al., 2009), from this most ends up as toilet waste, 4 730 tons or 77 % and goes to wastewater treatment. The residual 1 420 tons or 23 % ends up as household waste that goes for waste treatment. Out of the yearly flows into wastewater

Phosphorus Footprint Model A Model Development and Application to the Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

Phosphorus Footprint Model

A Model Development and Application to the

Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

Kim Dahlgren Strååt

Master of Science Thesis

Stockholm 2013

Kim Dahlgren Strååt

Master of Science Thesis

Phosphorus Footprint Model

A Model Development and Application to the

Swedish Bovine and Poultry Industries

PRESENTED AT

INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Supervisor:

Monika Olsson, Industriell ekologi, KTH

Jonas Svensson, Senior advisor and Business developer, Atkins

Examiner:

Monika Olsson, Industriell ekologi, KTH

TRITA-IM 2013:15

Industrial Ecology,

Royal Institute of Technology

www.ima.kth.se

Abstract

Sammanfattning

Acknowledgements

Table of contents

1. Introduction

1.1. Aim and scope

1.2. System boundaries and limitations

1.3. Methodology and structure of report

2. Literature background and overview of phosphorus

2.1. Three aspects of phosphorus

2.2. Natural and anthropogenic flows

3. Model development: Phosphorus accounting and flow methodology

3.1. Aims and accounting methodology

3.2. Phosphorus flow chart