Fertilizer is used in agriculture to increase the yield. Artificial fertilizers used in Denmark supply three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (N, P and K). The fertilizers are delivered as straight fertilizers (N, P or K fertilizers), or mixed fertilizers (e.g. PK and NPK fertilizers) from industry.

Fertilizer consumption is decreasing in Europe in these years as a result of decreasing production in agriculture and increasing efficiency of fertilizer application. Hence, nitrogen fertilizer plants are closing down at the moment and is assumed that less efficient ammonia-plants in Eastern Europe are closing down first and that these plants are the marginal plants for fertilizer applied in Denmark (see Weidema, 2003).

Data on three frequently applied straight fertilizers: Calciumammoniumnitrate (N-fertiliser) produced in former East Germany, tripplesuperphosphate (P-fertilizer) and K₂O (K-fertilizer) produced in former West Germany can be found in Patyk and Rheinhardt (1997). Data cover all production and transportation processes from raw material extraction to distribution to farmers in Germany. Although the Danish geographic situation is different from the German it is supposed that the data provide a reasonable estimate of marginal fertilizer applied in Denmark.

References:

Patyk A and Reinhardt G (1997). Düngemittel- Energie- und Stoffstromsbilanzen. Friedr. Vieweg & Sohn Publishers. Braunschweig/Wiesbaden, Germany. ISBN: 3-528-06885-X.

Weidema B (2003): Market information in life cycle assessments. Technical report, Danish Environmental Protection Agency (Environmental Project no. 863).