Phosphate rock: Emissions
Where the carbon in a bag of DAP comes from
What this tab covers The greenhouse-gas footprint of the commodity at a global level, split by lifecycle phase: extraction (or farming), refining and processing, movement, usage, and recycling or end of life. Intensities are per unit of product; the global total combines intensity with world output. Also covers other environmental impacts and the main levers to cut emissions. Emission intensity 0.70 t CO2e per t range 0.5-1.0 · cradle-to-gate; ammonia in DAP (about 0.22 t NH3 per t at 2.4 t CO2/t) plus about 1.7 t of rock per t DAP and acid processing Global emissions per year 70.0 Mt CO2e per year 2025 · about 1.5 t CO2e per t P2O5 (0.7 / 0.46) times 47.8 Mt P2O5 in fertilisers; an upper estimate, because MAP and SSP carry less ammonia than DAPPer t of DAP (18-46-0), cradle-to-gate, the main product made from phosphate rock. Intensity: Derived from IEA Ammonia Technology Roadmap 2021 and stoichiometry (indicative). Global total: Derived from USGS MCS 2026 (indicative).
Share of footprint by lifecycle phase
Extraction 15% Refining / processing 80% Movement 5%Footprint by lifecycle phase
| Phase | Intensity | Share | Main sources of emissions | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extraction | about 0.03-0.1 t CO2e/t rock, or 0.05-0.15 t per t DAP (indicative) | 15% | draglines and trucks, slurry pumping, washing and flotation, drying and calcining of some rock | OCP's Khouribga to Jorf Lasfar slurry pipeline replaced rail haulage (indicative) | Indicative |
| Refining / processing | about 0.55-0.65 t CO2e/t DAP (indicative) | 80% | embedded ammonia (about 0.53 t CO2 per t DAP), phosphoric acid concentration, granulation and drying | Burning sulfur to make sulfuric acid emits no CO2 and exports steam, a small credit | Derived from IEA (2021) and stoichiometry (indicative) |
| Movement | about 0.03-0.05 t CO2/t DAP for Morocco to India (roughly 8,000-11,000 km by sea) | 5% | bulk carriers emit roughly 3-10 g CO2 per tonne-km depending on size (IMO Fourth GHG Study 2020, indicative) | India imports rock, acid and DAP | IMO Fourth GHG Study 2020 (indicative) |
| Usage | field N2O and CO2 from the nitrogen in DAP; none from phosphorus itself | – | 18% N in DAP behaves like other N fertiliser in soil | Counted under the nitrogen tile | Menegat et al. 2022 |
| Recycling / end of life | not recycled; struvite and sludge recovery are small | – | phosphorus runoff, sewage, manure | EU CRM 2023 recycling input rate 0% | USGS MCS 2026; EU CRM 2023 |
Other environmental impacts
About 5 t of phosphogypsum per t of P2O5 piles up in stacks containing fluoride and radium. Phosphorus runoff causes eutrophication and dead zones. Open-pit mines disturb large areas of land, as in Florida.
Levers to cut emissions
- Low-carbon ammonia for DAP and MAP, the largest share of the footprint
- Use steam from sulfuric acid plants to make power
- Slurry pipelines in place of trucks and rail (OCP)
- Reuse phosphogypsum in cement and soil, and recover phosphorus from wastewater as struvite
India
India imported about two-thirds of its 9.40 Mt of DAP in FY2026 and most of its rock and acid, so most emissions occur in Morocco, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and China; DAP made in India from imported ammonia and rock carries similar intensities (Chambal MD&A; derived).
Emission figures are indicative global averages from the life-cycle studies named; actual footprints vary widely by site, energy mix and method.