Role of Phosphorus
Phosphorus is an essential element for all living beings. It is part of the DNA and cell membranes, an energy carrier (ATP) and essential for bone and tooth structure.
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Essential For Living Beings
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Scarce Resource
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Future Defining
Plants can only absorb phosphorus in the form of free phosphate, however, the percentage of free phosphate in soil is low (a1). The reason for this is the rapid infiltration of the free phosphate into the groundwater (a2), as well as the formation of inorganic salts or organic compounds (a1). For this reason, 80% of the phosphate produced is used for fertilizer production. (a3).
“Without Data, you´re just another person with an opinion.” – W. Edwards Deming, Data Scientist
My main academic interests lie in system dynamics and statistics. I wrote my Bachelor’s thesis on agent based models and the possible emergence of intelligent behaviour in them following the underlying principle of “Future State Maximisation (1)”.
When I am not in front of my laptop, my hobbies are art, crafts and cycling. I will buy a new curtain, and spend 2 weeks painting the whole thing because it was looking too boring. The only reason I am ever going to IKEA is, to take measurements of the things I want, so I can build them myself at home (and the vegetarian hot dogs). Most sunny days I am out in the park, sketching or spending time with friends. Cycling has always been the least annoying form of physical activity for me, and helps me recenter myself in times of stress.
Latest Publications
A Problem For Generations
The Phosphorus problem we are trying to combat is not a new one. Author Aldous Huxley shared his thoughts on how a future society may handle the inevitable depletion of phosphorus reserves, in his dystopian science-fiction novel "Brave New World", already published in 1932.
Phosphorus And Its Chemistry
How do plants take up phosphorus and what are the attributes of the different phosphorus containing species that are available to it. What is are the environmental impacts on the soil when using an excessive amount of fertilizer?
Socioeconomics Of Phosphorus
Without Phosphorus, no plant would grow. And since modern agriculture is demanding a lot more from soils than it can naturally handle, we need to understand what makes phosphorous so special in developing a strategy for the handling of scarce resources.
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