The environmental impact of fertilizer production and use

The main environmental impacts caused by fertilizer industry and fertilization were specified and evaluated. The environmental impacts of production and of different types of fertilizers and various fertilization systems were presented. In the past, the global environmental impacts of fertilizer production equaled its use. Thanks to the application of the Best Available Techniques standards and technological modifications of the fertilizer plants, the global impact of industry is only 8-10%. More than 90% of environmental effects is caused but fertilizer losses by decomposition, retrogradation emission of nitrogen compounds nutrients leaching and runoff during fertilization and vegetation. Fertilizer plants caused decrease in total emission of gases and dust as well as in nutrients content in the sewage 5-10 times during the last two decades. The energy used to produce each tonne of fertilizers has been reduced 25-50%. These changes will cause decrease of energy use of world fertilizer industry from recent global world energy consumption from 1.2% to 0.7%. The exploitation of the non-renewable mineral resources, unsolved problem of the waste phosphogypsum and continuation of improving the qualities of its products adopted to new efficient fertilization systems for sustainable agriculture belonging to the future problems of fertilizer industry and modem agriculture.