Recent revisions of phosphate rock reserves and resources: a critique

Edixhoven, J. D.; Gupta, J.; Savenije, H. H. G.

doi:10.5194/esd-5-491-2014

Articles | Volume 5, issue 2

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-5-491-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-5-491-2014

© Author(s) 2014. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

Articles | Volume 5, issue 2

Review

|

19 Dec 2014

Review |

| 19 Dec 2014

Recent revisions of phosphate rock reserves and resources: a critique

J. D. Edixhoven, J. Gupta, and H. H. G. Savenije

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Total article views: 10,947 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)

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Views and downloads (calculated since 12 Sep 2013)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Sep 2013	157	86	3	246
Oct 2013	75	61	15	151
Nov 2013	77	53	12	142
Dec 2013	34	45	14	93
Jan 2014	53	38	17	108
Feb 2014	44	21	18	83
Mar 2014	53	29	28	110
Apr 2014	34	20	19	73
May 2014	27	21	12	60
Jun 2014	19	13	3	35
Jul 2014	22	32	2	56
Aug 2014	12	22	4	38
Sep 2014	14	13	4	31
Oct 2014	17	16	6	39
Nov 2014	34	19	6	59
Dec 2014	101	89	8	198
Jan 2015	45	63	4	112
Feb 2015	48	32	9	89
Mar 2015	28	22	1	51
Apr 2015	37	14	2	53
May 2015	31	20	3	54
Jun 2015	47	23	0	70
Jul 2015	35	17	0	52
Aug 2015	23	14	1	38
Sep 2015	33	22	4	59
Oct 2015	34	21	2	57
Nov 2015	29	14	3	46
Dec 2015	23	24	5	52
Jan 2016	45	23	4	72
Feb 2016	32	8	2	42
Mar 2016	24	16	1	41
Apr 2016	16	7	1	24
May 2016	17	5	1	23
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Jul 2016	21	8	2	31
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Oct 2016	19	9	0	28
Nov 2016	10	8	0	18
Dec 2016	11	5	1	17
Jan 2017	23	6	0	29
Feb 2017	19	6	3	28
Mar 2017	33	3	3	39
Apr 2017	50	13	1	64
May 2017	27	12	2	41
Jun 2017	38	13	1	52
Jul 2017	21	14	2	37
Aug 2017	22	13	0	35
Sep 2017	16	15	0	31
Oct 2017	30	16	1	47
Nov 2017	27	12	0	39
Dec 2017	61	20	4	85
Jan 2018	32	16	1	49
Feb 2018	66	20	3	89
Mar 2018	37	25	0	62
Apr 2018	39	29	2	70
May 2018	28	17	0	45
Jun 2018	25	14	1	40
Jul 2018	32	21	0	53
Aug 2018	30	16	2	48
Sep 2018	48	6	1	55
Oct 2018	29	16	0	45
Nov 2018	32	18	3	53
Dec 2018	23	14	2	39
Jan 2019	25	12	0	37
Feb 2019	43	8	0	51
Mar 2019	43	13	0	56
Apr 2019	31	7	0	38
May 2019	44	12	1	57
Jun 2019	50	14	0	64
Jul 2019	57	23	0	80
Aug 2019	59	30	0	89
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Oct 2019	75	22	0	97
Nov 2019	67	9	0	76
Dec 2019	61	17	1	79
Jan 2020	70	12	7	89
Feb 2020	35	6	0	41
Mar 2020	48	8	1	57
Apr 2020	35	16	0	51
May 2020	46	7	0	53
Jun 2020	40	14	1	55
Jul 2020	66	31	26	123
Aug 2020	47	10	5	62
Sep 2020	61	9	2	72
Oct 2020	57	20	0	77
Nov 2020	58	13	3	74
Dec 2020	68	20	0	88
Jan 2021	79	28	0	107
Feb 2021	47	14	0	61
Mar 2021	67	25	2	94
Apr 2021	72	23	1	96
May 2021	52	16	2	70
Jun 2021	57	17	0	74
Jul 2021	49	26	1	76
Aug 2021	64	11	1	76
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Oct 2021	59	49	2	110
Nov 2021	80	40	3	123
Dec 2021	73	25	0	98
Jan 2022	78	26	6	110
Feb 2022	71	20	5	96
Mar 2022	72	23	3	98
Apr 2022	74	23	1	98
May 2022	92	31	2	125
Jun 2022	85	19	0	104
Jul 2022	65	8	3	76
Aug 2022	73	11	0	84
Sep 2022	59	15	4	78
Oct 2022	84	19	2	105
Nov 2022	82	18	2	102
Dec 2022	61	22	2	85
Jan 2023	57	34	0	91
Feb 2023	50	23	0	73
Mar 2023	80	33	3	116
Apr 2023	29	28	1	58
May 2023	33	22	2	57
Jun 2023	43	22	2	67
Jul 2023	52	16	2	70
Aug 2023	37	18	3	58
Sep 2023	39	20	1	60
Oct 2023	45	17	2	64
Nov 2023	16	3	0	19
Dec 2023	33	14	1	48
Jan 2024	93	16	6	115
Feb 2024	144	17	2	163
Mar 2024	92	22	1	115
Apr 2024	63	36	13	112
May 2024	66	23	4	93
Jun 2024	99	28	3	130
Jul 2024	90	24	7	121
Aug 2024	88	31	3	122
Sep 2024	38	32	1	71
Oct 2024	73	27	2	102
Nov 2024	47	24	1	72
Dec 2024	52	40	1	93
Jan 2025	61	42	4	107
Feb 2025	68	32	2	102
Mar 2025	46	22	2	70
Apr 2025	61	30	0	91
May 2025	127	40	1	168
Jun 2025	78	29	2	109
Jul 2025	78	45	4	127
Aug 2025	86	58	2	146
Sep 2025	86	32	1	119
Oct 2025	73	46	6	125
Nov 2025	8	5	7	20

Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 12 Sep 2013)

Month	HTML	PDF	XML	Total
Sep 2013	157	86	3	246
Oct 2013	75	61	15	151
Nov 2013	77	53	12	142
Dec 2013	34	45	14	93
Jan 2014	53	38	17	108
Feb 2014	44	21	18	83
Mar 2014	53	29	28	110
Apr 2014	34	20	19	73
May 2014	27	21	12	60
Jun 2014	19	13	3	35
Jul 2014	22	32	2	56
Aug 2014	12	22	4	38
Sep 2014	14	13	4	31
Oct 2014	17	16	6	39
Nov 2014	34	19	6	59
Dec 2014	101	89	8	198
Jan 2015	45	63	4	112
Feb 2015	48	32	9	89
Mar 2015	28	22	1	51
Apr 2015	37	14	2	53
May 2015	31	20	3	54
Jun 2015	47	23	0	70
Jul 2015	35	17	0	52
Aug 2015	23	14	1	38
Sep 2015	33	22	4	59
Oct 2015	34	21	2	57
Nov 2015	29	14	3	46
Dec 2015	23	24	5	52
Jan 2016	45	23	4	72
Feb 2016	32	8	2	42
Mar 2016	24	16	1	41
Apr 2016	16	7	1	24
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Jul 2016	21	8	2	31
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Nov 2017	27	12	0	39
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Jan 2018	32	16	1	49
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Apr 2018	39	29	2	70
May 2018	28	17	0	45
Jun 2018	25	14	1	40
Jul 2018	32	21	0	53
Aug 2018	30	16	2	48
Sep 2018	48	6	1	55
Oct 2018	29	16	0	45
Nov 2018	32	18	3	53
Dec 2018	23	14	2	39
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Jul 2019	57	23	0	80
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Oct 2019	75	22	0	97
Nov 2019	67	9	0	76
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Jan 2020	70	12	7	89
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Apr 2020	35	16	0	51
May 2020	46	7	0	53
Jun 2020	40	14	1	55
Jul 2020	66	31	26	123
Aug 2020	47	10	5	62
Sep 2020	61	9	2	72
Oct 2020	57	20	0	77
Nov 2020	58	13	3	74
Dec 2020	68	20	0	88
Jan 2021	79	28	0	107
Feb 2021	47	14	0	61
Mar 2021	67	25	2	94
Apr 2021	72	23	1	96
May 2021	52	16	2	70
Jun 2021	57	17	0	74
Jul 2021	49	26	1	76
Aug 2021	64	11	1	76
Sep 2021	81	20	1	102
Oct 2021	59	49	2	110
Nov 2021	80	40	3	123
Dec 2021	73	25	0	98
Jan 2022	78	26	6	110
Feb 2022	71	20	5	96
Mar 2022	72	23	3	98
Apr 2022	74	23	1	98
May 2022	92	31	2	125
Jun 2022	85	19	0	104
Jul 2022	65	8	3	76
Aug 2022	73	11	0	84
Sep 2022	59	15	4	78
Oct 2022	84	19	2	105
Nov 2022	82	18	2	102
Dec 2022	61	22	2	85
Jan 2023	57	34	0	91
Feb 2023	50	23	0	73
Mar 2023	80	33	3	116
Apr 2023	29	28	1	58
May 2023	33	22	2	57
Jun 2023	43	22	2	67
Jul 2023	52	16	2	70
Aug 2023	37	18	3	58
Sep 2023	39	20	1	60
Oct 2023	45	17	2	64
Nov 2023	16	3	0	19
Dec 2023	33	14	1	48
Jan 2024	93	16	6	115
Feb 2024	144	17	2	163
Mar 2024	92	22	1	115
Apr 2024	63	36	13	112
May 2024	66	23	4	93
Jun 2024	99	28	3	130
Jul 2024	90	24	7	121
Aug 2024	88	31	3	122
Sep 2024	38	32	1	71
Oct 2024	73	27	2	102
Nov 2024	47	24	1	72
Dec 2024	52	40	1	93
Jan 2025	61	42	4	107
Feb 2025	68	32	2	102
Mar 2025	46	22	2	70
Apr 2025	61	30	0	91
May 2025	127	40	1	168
Jun 2025	78	29	2	109
Jul 2025	78	45	4	127
Aug 2025	86	58	2	146
Sep 2025	86	32	1	119
Oct 2025	73	46	6	125
Nov 2025	8	5	7	20

Latest update: 08 Nov 2025

Short summary

Phosphate rock is a finite resource required for fertilizer production. Following a debate over the PR depletion timeline, global PR reserves were recently increased 4-fold based mainly on a restatement of Moroccan reserves. We review whether this restatement is methodologically compatible with resource terminology used in major resource classifications, whether resource classification nomenclature is sufficiently understood in the literature, and whether the recent restatements are reliable.