Innovative Phosphate Fertilizer Technologies to Improve Phosphorus Use Efficiency in Agriculture

The main discoveries and advances in the development of industrial processes for the most commercially used phosphate fertilizers in the world (single superphosphate, triple superphosphate, monoammonium phosphate, and diammonium phosphate) occurred from 1830 to 1970, followed by improvements and investments to expand worldwide production capacity. A main opportunity now is aggregating new technologies to conventional phosphate fertilizers so they may become even more efficient in supplying P to plants, which involves research related to the technologies for reduction in soil P losses. Thus, some innovations and technologies have begun to be developed and marketed and continue in continual refinement and adoption in agriculture worldwide to reduce conversion of soluble P applied through conventional phosphate fertilizers into unavailable forms in the soil. This is the case of enhanced efficiency fertilizers, which includes groups of phosphate fertilizers with fixation inhibitors and the chemically modified, controlled-release, blends, multifunctional, and synergistic phosphate fertilizers. The technologies presented in detail in this paper were developed to improve the agronomic efficiency of phosphate fertilization in comparison with conventional fertilizers, with costs varying according to raw materials, production technologies, and distance from the consumer market. This synthesis expands knowledge regarding technologies in use, stimulating the development and application of technologies that increase nutrient efficiency, based on results obtained through suitable methods and equipment along with laboratory, greenhouse, and field results. Increased fertilization efficiency should always be linked with greater economic profitability and the lowest environmental impact, following the principles of sustainability and circular economy. The great challenge for innovation is transforming the knowledge generated regarding fertilizers present in patents and scientific publications into technologies appropriate for the fertilizer market and for adoption in agriculture.