Redefining phosphorus efficiency with RhizoSorb

FERTILIZER TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

Redefining phosphorus efficiency with RhizoSorb

Phospholutions is meeting the phosphorus efficiency challenge head-on with its proprietary RhizoSorb® technology. Building on nearly a decade of research and commercialisation experience, the US-based company has developed a nutrient-efficient, next-generation fertilizer. This innovative crop nutrient product enhances phosphorus delivery, reduces environmental losses, supports sustainability goals, and extracts more value from phosphate reserves.

Introduction

Fertilizer demand has remained steady in 2025, despite rising prices, volatile global trade, and tightening profit margins. The rising cost of phosphate compared to grain prices has become a major concern for growers and the broader value chain. Stakeholders across the phosphorus value chain are now under pressure to find new strategies to remain profitable. With traditional cost-cutting measures offering diminishing returns, the industry is turning to innovation, particularly in nutrient use efficiency, to reduce costs and maintain competitiveness.

Practical, scalable, and cost-effective

RhizoSorb is the first dry granular fertilizer additive designed for full integration into phosphate production, offering manufacturers and farmers alike a practical and scalable option for improving phosphorus efficiency. The company currently partners with phosphate manufacturers to produce RhizoSorb 8-39-0 for distribution customers across the Americas.

Backed by five years of field trials across diverse soils and crop types, RhizoSorb enables growers to reduce phosphorus application rates by up to 50% without compromising yield. Field trial results show that farmers across the globe consistently achieve the same or higher yields using this more efficient and cost-effective alternative to products like monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and diammonium phosphate (DAP). In the United States, growers have seen returns on investment increase by up to $20 per acre when switching from MAP and/or DAP to RhizoSorb 8-39-0.

Delivering more value per tonne

RhizoSorb offers manufacturers a value-added technology that can be distributed uniformly throughout phosphate fertilizer granules during production. Unlike surface coatings and additives, which are applied post-production, RhizoSorb is incorporated directly into wet-process production as a dry powder during the granulation phase. The product generated by the in-process integration of this proprietary technology enhances phosphorus availability, reduces fixation losses, and increases agronomic efficiency per unit of P₂O₅.

The result is a high-quality, uniform granule with improved flowability and a more consistent bulk density. RhizoSorb 8-39-0, the company’s current formulation, demonstrates physical properties comparable to those of standard MAP and DAP fertilizers. Its beneficial qualities extend into operations, minimising material hang-up, abrasion, and equipment wear during production. The net effect for manufacturers is greater handling efficiency, less unplanned downtime, and higher throughput per tonne. Consequently, manufacturers can maximise the efficiency of existing infrastructure, extracting greater value from this without significant capital investment – ultimately generating higher margins compared to conventional fertilizer production.

Strategic expansion through partnerships

Phospholutions is rolling out RhizoSorb globally and expanding its footprint through key partnerships in North and South America. In the US, The Andersons, one of North America’s leading agricultural retailers and fertilizer distributors, serves as both a distributor and strategic investor, helping deliver RhizoSorb-enhanced fertilizers to growers across the Midwest and other major agricultural regions.

“We’re building solutions that align profitability across the phosphorus value chain with sustainability,” said Hunter Swisher, CEO of Phospholutions. “Very few solutions on the market today can offer more margin across a value chain while reducing environmental impact.”

Following registration approval in the second quarter of 2025, Phospholutions has partnered with Must-Grow to support nationwide expansion in Canada (Fertilizer International 527, p8). The partnership with this Canadian ag-biotech firm, a recognised leader in specialty crop nutrition, was secured alongside a new strategic investment from Keytrade Ag, their parent company.

Keytrade Ag is supporting Phospholutions in its mission to deliver its patented phosphate technology, with all its attendant benefits, throughout the agricultural supply chain in Latin America. This partnership, by targeting specialty markets, aligns with the company’s broader goal of accelerating the commercialisation and global adoption of RhizoSorb. In support of this, additional trials are currently underway in Brazil to address growing demand in the country – the world’s leading agricultural powerhouse – for improved input efficiency.

To accelerate product development, Phospholutions has also developed a partnership with the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC). This includes providing targeted financial support to maintain and upgrade IFDC’s research infrastructure. In return, Phospholutions receives dedicated access to IFDC’s facilities to conduct testing of new product formulations and materials.

As an investor in Phospholutions, Turkish fertilizer manufacturer Toros – the production affiliate of Tekfen Ventures – has also played a key role in advancing product development. This mutually productive relationship has enabled Phospholutions to refine product formulations and successfully execute its first large-scale production of RhizoSorb 8-39-0.

Affordable sustainability with proven impact

RhizoSorb enters the market at a time when agriculture globally is being asked to become resource efficient and do more with less.

Around the world, phosphorus-related water quality issues are also driving tighter nutrient management regulations. RhizoSorb helps meet these evolving standards by significantly improving phosphorus uptake while at the same time reducing environmental losses by, for example, cutting runoff by 78%.

As well as having economic, agronomic, and environmental advantages, with accrued benefits across the entire value chain, RhizoSorb also offer an affordable way of delivering on sustainability ambitions.

“… the industry is turning to innovation to reduce costs and maintain competitiveness.”

Life cycle analysis, for example, confirms that RhizoSorb reduces carbon emissions by up to 45% compared to conventional MAP. If adopted across all US corn acres, this would deliver a CO2 reduction of 3.4 million tonnes, the equivalent of removing more than 730,000 cars from the road every year.

Conclusion

As the phosphorus industry faces mounting economic, political, and environmental challenges, RhizoSorb – the Next Generations of Phosphorus Fertilizer™ – is redefining what’s possible for fertilizer engineering.

RhizoSorb delivers measurable agronomic performance, enhanced manufacturing value, and meaningful sustainability outcomes.

For manufacturers, distributors, and growers alike, RhizoSorb offers a pathway to stay competitive in an ever-evolving industry. Phospholutions is not just improving phosphorus use either, says the company, it’s also redefining the way the world thinks about fertilizer efficiency.