TSP (triple super phosphate)

TSP stands for Triple Super Phosphate, a concentrated phosphatic fertiliser containing about 46% available phosphorus as P₂O₅ — roughly three times the phosphorus content of ordinary Single Super Phosphate (SSP, about 16% P₂O₅), hence "triple". It is made by treating phosphate rock with phosphoric acid. Its wastewater generation benchmark in the fertiliser standards is 0.5 m³ per tonne (excluding the associated acid manufacture).

TSP and its relative SSP are the straight phosphatic fertilisers that supply phosphorus to crops. Their manufacture involves phosphate rock, which carries fluoride (linking to the fluoride emission concern) and produces phosphogypsum as a by-product. As a high-analysis fertiliser, TSP delivers a lot of phosphorus per tonne handled.

For recyclers, TSP is relevant as a phosphorus benchmark for recycled-nutrient products. The phosphorus that CBG digestate and compost deliver to crops is the same nutrient that TSP supplies in manufactured form. Understanding the P₂O₅ content of manufactured phosphatic fertilisers like TSP (46%) and SSP (16%) lets a recycler express the phosphorus value of their organic products in comparable terms and price them against the manufactured alternatives.

The practical relevance, mainly for CBG and composting operators, is in quantifying and marketing the phosphorus value of digestate and compost. Digestate carries phosphorus (one of its three main nutrients, with nitrogen and potassium), and being able to relate that to the P₂O₅ basis used for TSP and SSP helps in positioning the product, meeting Fertiliser Control Order labelling, and pricing. While digestate is far lower in concentration than 46% TSP, it offers organic-matter and soil-health benefits that high-analysis mineral fertilisers do not, which is part of the value proposition. TSP is thus a useful reference point for understanding where a recycler's phosphorus-bearing organic products sit relative to the manufactured phosphatic fertiliser market.