WORLD RESERVES OF PHOSPHORUS, AN ELEMENT ESSENTIAL FOR FOOD PRODUCTION, ARE LIMITED, POSING CONCERNS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION IN THE COMING CENTURY, BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND AROUND THE WORLD. BECAUSE THERE ARE NO CONCEIVABLE SUBSTITUTES FOR PHOSPHORUS IN FOOD PRODUCTION, RECYCLING AND RECOVERY EFFORTS ARE CRITICAL FOR THIS RESOURCE. FURTHERMORE, UNDER CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES, A SIGNIFICANT FRACTION OF PHOSPHORUS--BOTH PHOSPHORUS THAT IS APPLIED AS FERTILIZER AND PHOSPHORUS CONTAINED IN ANIMAL WASTEWATERS--IS LOST TO THE ENVIRONMENT, LEADING TO DETERIORATION OF WATER QUALITY AND PROBLEMS SUCH AS LARGE-SCALE ALGAE BLOOMS AND DEAD ZONES. THESE PROBLEMS ARE NOT ONLY AESTHETIC, BUT ALSO CARRY SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC COSTS IN THEIR IMPACTS ON TOURISM AND FISHERIES.THIS PROJECT WILL INVESTIGATE AND IDENTIFY ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES FOR RECOVERING PHOSPHORUS FROM ANIMAL WASTEWATERS USING MATERIALS DERIVED FROM LOW COST AGRICULTURAL WASTES (MAINLY PLANT BIOMASS), THEN REAPPLYING THE COLLECTED PHOSPHORUS AS AN EFFECTIVE, LOW COST FERTILIZER. THE PROJECT WILL BE CARRIED OUT BY (1) EVALUATING THE PERFORMANCE OF MATERIALS SYNTHESIZED FROM LOW COST AGRICULTURAL WASTES FOR PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE FROM MODEL ANIMAL WASTEWATERS, (2) TESTING THE POTENTIAL OF PROMISING MATERIALS FOR PHOSPHORUS RE-RELEASE UNDER CONDITIONS REPRESENTING AGRICULTURAL SOILS, AND (3) ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF THESE PROMISING MATERIALS USING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT AND COST ANALYSIS.THE RESEARCH HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE SEVERAL SOCIETAL BENEFITS. FIRST, IT WILL IDENTIFY WAYS TO UTILIZE AGRICULTURAL WASTES FOR ECONOMIC GAIN THROUGH RECOVERY OF VALUABLE PHOSPHORUS FOR REUSE. SECOND, IT WILL REDUCE THE ADVERSE ENVIRONMENTAL AND FINANCIAL IMPACTS OF SIGNIFICANT LOSSES OF PHOSPHORUS TO THE ENVIRONMENT ARISING FROM CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES. THIRD, IT WILL HELP ADDRESS CHALLENGES RELATED TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, INCLUDING SUSTAINABLE FOOD PRODUCTION IN THE FACE OF LIMITED PHOSPHORUS RESERVES AND GROWING DEMANDS FOR FOOD PRODUCTION, BOTH IN THE UNITED STATES AND ABROAD. AND FOURTH, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP A LOW-COST, LOCALLY MANUFACTURABLE PHOSPHORUS FERTILIZER FOR USE IN THE U.S. AND WORLDWIDE.