Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM)

The spatial separation of nutrients’ sinks and sources cause inefficient recycling of nutrients and excessive use of mineral fertilizers. 

In Sweden, spatial separation and poor recycling is responsible for wastage of 70 000 tons of nitrogen and 25 000 tons of potassium. Similarly, in Pakistan, there was a wastage of 3.4 million tons of nitrogen and 1 million ton of potassium.

For Pakistan, the wasted nutrients cost worth 226 billion rupees, could be used to feed about 4 million hungry people for an year. Similarily, Sweden had lost resources that can be used to feed 90 000 persons.  

Disappointingly, wasted nutrients probabily have magnified the problem of eutrophication; in Baltic 16 out of 17 open sea areas have already been eutrophied (Hellcom, 2013) and 97% coral reefs in Arabian sea are already under high threat of destruction (Sheppard et. al. 2010).