Measuring anthropogenic phosphorus cycles to promote resource recovery and circularity in Morocco

Phosphorus (P) is essential for plant growth and food production. We examine anthropogenic phosphorus use in Morocco for the year 2018. Results show that a total of 11,654 kt P was extracted in 2018, of which 82.14% was exported and the remaining 17.86% was applied in the local industries and stored as reserves. The most considerable P loss to the environment came from the mining and manufacturing stages (494 kt P/y). In 2018, 90% of the total P waste originated from mining and manufacturing stages and the recovery rate was 55% (727 kt P/y), mainly from mining waste disposal facilities. The remaining waste was dumped into the environment (603 kt P/y) due to the lack of efficient P recovery technologies. Consequently, it is crucial to enhance P recovery and recycling so that future phosphorus resource circularity can be improved.