Plant-based diets add to the wastewater phosphorus burden
Plant-based diets add to the wastewater phosphorus burden
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DOI：
10.1088/1748-9326/ab9271
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发表时间：
2020-09-01
影响因子：
6.7
通讯作者：
Withers, P. J. A.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Forber, K. J.;Rothwell, S. A.;Withers, P. J. A.
全球粮食生产和目前对肉类饮食的依赖需要大量的自然资源使用，并造成广泛的环境污染，包括磷（P）。过渡到较少的动物密集型饮食解决了一系列可持续性目标，但其对社会的废水磷负担的影响尚不清楚。以英国为例，我们探讨了1942年至2016年间的历史饮食变化，以及转向植物性饮食可能如何影响进入污水处理厂（WWTW）的磷负荷，以及随后的污水磷排放到接收水体。人均每日磷摄入量从1963年的峰值（1599 mg P pp（-1）d（-1））下降到2016年的1354 mg P pp（-1）d（-1）。自1942年以来，加工食品对磷总消费量的贡献从21%增加到2016年的52%，但总动物产品的消费量没有显著变化。情景分析表明，如果到2050年个人采用纯素饮食或低肉饮食（“EAT-Lancet”），进入WWTW的磷负荷分别增加了17%和35%，相对于2050年的基线条件。一个低得多的P负担增加（6%），得到了一个灵活的饮食。污水处理厂的磷负担日益加重，这可能会导致更大的磷排放不符合监管目标，但也为污水处理行业提供了在食物链中回收磷的机会，并减少对有限磷矿石资源的依赖。可持续的饮食，减少食物系统的磷需求消费前也可以提供一个可再生肥料的来源，通过提高磷回收消费后，应进一步探讨。
Global food production and current reliance on meat-based diets requires a large share of natural resource use and causes widespread environmental pollution including phosphorus (P). Transitions to less animal-intensive diets address a suite of sustainability goals, but their impact on society's wastewater P burden is unclear. Using the UK as our example, we explored historical diet changes between 1942 and 2016, and how shifting towards plant-based diets might impact the P burden entering wastewater treatment works (WWTW), and subsequent effluent P discharge to receiving water bodies. Average daily per capita P intake declined from its peak in 1963 (1599 mg P pp(-1)d(-1)) to 1354 mg P pp(-1)d(-1)in 2016. Since 1942, the contribution of processed foods to total P consumption has increased from 21% to 52% in 2016, but consumption of total animal products has not changed significantly. Scenario analysis indicated that if individuals adopted a vegan diet or a low-meat ('EAT- Lancet') diet by 2050, the P burden entering WWTW increased by 17% and 35%, respectively relative to baseline conditions in 2050. A much lower P burden increase (6%) was obtained with a flexitarian diet. An increasing burden of P to WWTW threatens greater non-compliance with regulatory targets for P discharge to water, but also presents an opportunity to the wastewater industry to recycle P in the food chain, and reduce reliance on finite phosphate rock resources. Sustainable diets that reduce food system P demand pre-consumption could also provide a source of renewable fertilizers through enhanced P recovery post-consumption and should be further explored.