The role of industrial nitrogen in the global nitrogen biogeochemical cycle

Gu, Baojing; Chang, Jie; Min, Yong Ki; Ge, Ying; Zhu, Qiuan; Galloway, James N.; Peng, Changhui

doi:10.1038/srep02579

Cited by 69 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…also contributes a significant amount of N to the footprint (Gu et al 2013a). The majority of N contained in the nonfood goods will not be lost to the environment immediately since nonfood goods have an extended lifespan (Gu et al 2013b). How nonfood goods influence the overall N footprint still needs to be further investigated.…”

Section: Communication Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen footprints: Regional realities and options to reduce nitrogen loss to the environment

Shibata

Galloway

Leach³

et al. 2016

Ambio

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110

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Nitrogen (N) management presents a sustainability dilemma: N is strongly linked to energy and food production, but excess reactive N causes environmental pollution. The N footprint is an indicator that quantifies reactive N losses to the environment from consumption and production of food and the use of energy. The average per capita N footprint (calculated using the N-Calculator methodology) of ten countries varies from 15 to 47 kg N capita -1 year -1 . The major cause of the difference is the protein consumption rates and food production N losses. The food sector dominates all countries' N footprints. Global connections via trade significantly affect the N footprint in countries that rely on imported foods and feeds. The authors present N footprint reduction strategies (e.g., improve N use efficiency, increase N recycling, reduce food waste, shift dietary choices) and identify knowledge gaps (e.g., the N footprint from nonfood goods and soil N process).

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Section: Communication Toolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen footprints: Regional realities and options to reduce nitrogen loss to the environment

Shibata

Galloway

Leach³

et al. 2016

Ambio

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110

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“…Haber-Bosch N fixation (HBNF) supplied more than 35 Tg (1 Tg = 10 12 g) Nr to agricultural and industrial uses in 2012 in China, accounting for about 30% of world total HBNF (1,2). This Nr has contributed to substantially increased food production in China, but it has come at an enormous human and environmental cost (3).…”

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confidence: 99%

Integrated reactive nitrogen budgets and future trends in China

Chang

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Reactive nitrogen (Nr) plays a central role in food production, and at the same time it can be an important pollutant with substantial effects on air and water quality, biological diversity, and human health. China now creates far more Nr than any other country. We developed a budget for Nr in China in 1980 and 2010, in which we evaluated the natural and anthropogenic creation of Nr, losses of Nr, and transfers among 14 subsystems within China. Our analyses demonstrated that a tripling of anthropogenic Nr creation was associated with an even more rapid increase in Nr fluxes to the atmosphere and hydrosphere, contributing to intense and increasing threats to human health, the sustainability of croplands, and the environment of China and its environs. Under a business as usual scenario, anthropogenic Nr creation in 2050 would more than double compared with 2010 levels, whereas a scenario that combined reasonable changes in diet, N use efficiency, and N recycling could reduce N losses and anthropogenic Nr creation in 2050 to 52% and 64% of 2010 levels, respectively. Achieving reductions in Nr creation (while simultaneously increasing food production and offsetting imports of animal feed) will require much more in addition to good science, but it is useful to know that there are pathways by which both food security and health/environmental protection could be enhanced simultaneously.

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“…The main area of balance differences is non-food industrial products: Inflows of 302 material products amount to 35 518 t N, but material waste is only 6046 t N, which gives a mismatch 303 of 29 472 t N (or 83% of inflows). Thus, the amount of N in material waste from waste statistics 304 covers only roughly 17% of estimated material inflows, which is considerably less than the 75% 305 assumed by Gu et al (2013). Uncertainties related to this estimate are high, but cannot fully account 306 for the detected difference, as the covered total waste streams are smaller than any one of the three 307 main material classes covered as inflows.…”

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confidence: 87%