Using Marine Products as Fertilizer: The Crisis of Guano(chemistry-4)
guano(A kinda stone)
Seabird droppings deposited on the coasts and islands of tropical arid regions are rich in nitrogen and phosphoric acid and are effective fertilizers. In the 19th century, guano began to be used in large quantities in Europe as a fertilizer. Initially, it was imported from the northwestern coast of the African continent. There are many seabirds that feed on it, and guano deposits that reach several tens of meters along the coast and islands have become known for their high quality and abundance. , began to be exported to Europe. (also known as guano)
War broke out over guano (Chile VS Bolivia), and the United States intervened (Guano Island Act), and you can see the importance of guano as a commodity.
A remarkable feature of this guano is that the seabirds that ate the sea fish concentrated the beneficial minerals in the seawater and dropped them on land. Leaving it aside, I believe that guano was the essence of how birds acted as a pump to drop minerals from seawater that did not reach land onto land. Thanks to their work, material circulation between the sea and the land was carried out. Phosphorus is a constituent element of ATP, which controls energy metabolism, and DNA, which is a gene. Phosphorus is one of the important pillars of life activities.
"Then, until now, humans have not produced phosphorus, even if they have consumed phosphate rock."
"Then what do you think?" Instead of phosphate rock, which is about to be depleted, plucking seaweed and fish from the sea and plowing them into the fields. A mineral rich fertilizer. In fact, there are people who live by the seaside who bring seaweed with them and practice such practices, and small fish in the sea (especially sesame sardines) were also called 'Tazukuri'. Humans, in turn, should be the “mineral pumps”. It's even better if you eat seafood and then use the waste produced. Since the modern era, humans have been wasting too much nitrogen and phosphorus due to the spread of sewage systems.














