Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
7
Management of Environmental
Phosphorus Pollution Using
Phytases: Current Challenges
and Future Prospects
Vinod Kumar, Dharmendra Singh, Punesh Sangwan
and Prabhjot Kaur Gill
Abstract
Phosphorus is an important element for plant and animal nutrition con-
sidering its diverse roles in their growth and development. It is derived
from different organic and inorganic sources rich in phosphorus. Inorganic
sources are most commonly used for development of phosphorus fertilisers
while organic sources like phytic acid phosphorus of plant origin is a major
source of phosphorus in animal nutrition. Excessive application of phos-
phorus fertilisers without proper analysis of its soil concentration results
in high phosphorus and associated heavy metals deposition in agricultural
soils. This has multiple environmental consequences like loss of biological
diversity in aquatic system due to phosphate runoff from soil by rain water.
Further, inability of monogastric animals to hydrolyse phytate phospho-
rus and utilise it makes it necessary to supplement external phosphorus in
animal feed. This leads to increased phosphorus load and release of excess
phosphorus in faecal material at intensive livestock production area, which
contributes to environmental phosphorus pollution. The supplementation
of animal feeds with microbial phytases increases the bioavailability of
phosphorus and minerals besides reducing the aquatic phosphorus pollu-
tion in the areas of intensive livestock production. Phytases are of signifi-
cant value in effectively combating environmental phosphorus pollution.
This chapter describes different application of phosphorus, its pollution
consequences and use of phytases for strategic management of this prob-
lem phosphorus pollution and various promises and challenges therein.
Keywords
Animal feed
ﾷ
Eutrophication
ﾷ
Phosphorus
ﾷ
Phytase
ﾷ
Phytic acid
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