Trace Element Contaminants and Radioactivity from Phosphate Fertiliser

Taylor, Mykel R.; Kim, Nick; Smidt, Geerd; Busby, Chris; McNally, Sam; Robinson, Brett; Kratz, Sylvia; Schnug, Ewald

doi:10.1007/978-94-017-7612-7_12

Cited by 20 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 102 publications

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“…Cadmium contents in fertilizers result from the presence of Cd as a impurity in phosphate minerals and phosphoritic rocks. This pathway of Cd pollution into groundwater has been reported for the United States, Canada, Britain, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand (Grant ; Taylor et al ; Bigalke et al ). The Cd content, however, varies significantly between geologic occurrences, and there are no commercial means to entirely remove Cd during the phosphate fertilizer production (Mar and Okazaki ).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

“…The average crustal Cd content is 0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg (UNEP ). Naturally, Cd occurs in concentrations of 0.1 to 1 mg/kg in soils of Europe and the United States (Smolders and Mertens ; Smith et al ; Taylor et al ). In general, Cd concentrations in sedimentary rocks (0.01 to 2.6 mg/kg) are higher than those in igneous rocks (0.07 to 0.25 mg/kg) and metamorphic rocks (0.11 to 1.0 mg/kg) (Hammons et al ; Page et al ; Mar and Okazaki ; Smolders and Mertens ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Cadmium Background Levels in Groundwater in an Area Dominated by Agriculture

Kubier

Hamer

Pichler

2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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Cadmium is a highly toxic trace metal, which can be of geogenic or anthropogenic origin, for example, minerals, phosphate fertilizers, and combustion emissions. Due to its low sorption affinity compared to other heavy metals, Cd is easily mobilized, potentially resulting in elevated Cd concentrations in groundwater. This study assessed background levels of Cd in groundwater related to hydrogeology and hydrogeochemical processes through evaluation of a large hydrogeochemical data set composed of groundwater analyses from 6300 wells in Northwestern Germany. Calculated Cd background levels in groundwater were between 0.01 µg/L in hydrogeological units with mainly reducing conditions and 0.98 µg/L in less reducing groundwater recharge areas. The results showed that groundwater Cd concentrations above 0.5 µg/L (the German threshold value) are not necessarily elevated but could be the regional or ambient background level, depending on the hydrogeological unit. What would be considered as ambient background levels, however, indicated the influence by continuous intensive land use as well as the local geology, which is dominated by glacial deposits. Cadmium concentrations in groundwater were mainly controlled by hydrogeochemical and hydrogeological parameters and not by the amount of anthropogenic Cd input, in particular through the use of phosphate fertilizers. Instead, analyses of the solid phase revealed that Cd release from the aquifer matrix due to changes in hydrogeochemical parameters was more likely. Aquifer sediments in Northwestern Germany can be enriched in Cd originating from multiple sources, which in turn can cause elevated Cd concentrations in groundwater. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;00:1–11. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC)

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 52%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cadmium Background Levels in Groundwater in an Area Dominated by Agriculture

Kubier

Hamer

Pichler

2019

Integr Envir Assess & Manag

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“…Due to its deficiency in many soils and the human need for higher crop yields, mineral phosphorus fertilizers are produced via the treatment of phosphate rock (PR) from sedimentary or igneous origin [3,4] . The final products of the process include phosphoric acid, superphosphate (SP) and triple superphosphate (TSP) [4] . Other common P fertilizers include monoammonium (MAP) and diammonium (DAP) phosphate, the result of nitrogen addition in ammonium form to phosphoric acid [5] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cadmium pollution from phosphate fertilizers in arable soils and crops: an overview

Niño-Savala¹,

Zhuang²,

Ma³

et al. 2019

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

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The application of mineral and organic phosphorus fertilizers to arable land has greatly increased crop yield to meet the world food demand. On the other hand, impurities in these fertilizers, such as heavy metals, are being added to agricultural soils, resulting both from the raw materials themselves and the processes used to obtain the final product. Cadmium, a non-essential and toxic heavy metal, has been found in relatively high amounts in common P fertilizers obtained from sediments. This metal poses a high risk for soil fertility, crop cultivation, and plants in general. Furthermore, human health might be compromised by the cadmium concentrations in agricultural and livestock products, due to the bioaccumulation effect in the food web. The accumulation in the different matrixes is the result of the high mobility and flexible availability of this harmful metal. This review summarizes risks to human health, the factors influencing cadmium movement in soils and crop uptake, as well as common plant responses to its toxicity. In addition, it summarizes cadmium balances in soils, trends, long-term experiments, and further studies. Cadmium inputs and outputs in arable soil, together with their calculated concentrations, are compared between two different regions: the European countries (in particular Germany) and China. The comparison appears useful because of the different proportions in the inputs and outputs of cadmium, and the diverse geographical, environmental and social factors. Moreover, these variables and their influences on cadmium contamination improve the understanding of the pollution from phosphate fertilizers and will help to establish future mitigation policies.

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“…The second major risk is that depending on their origin and processing level, mineral phosphate fertilizers and byproducts of fertilizer production may contain considerable amounts of heavy metals and even radioactive elements (uranium), which represents a second environmental risk related to phosphate fertilization [9] . In addition, phosphate containing organic fertilizers may also contain heavy metals, depending on livestock diet and building materials used for animal housing.…”

Section: Phosphorusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptation of Chinese and German maize-based food-feed-energy systems to limited phosphate resources—a new Sino-German international research training group

Müller¹,

Zhang²

2019

Front. Agr. Sci. Eng.

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Phosphate is supplied to agriculture by mining and fertilizer production, followed by different steps of phosphate utilization, including primary production, feed and food consumption, and conversion of biomass, with accumulation in soils, but little recycling and severe environmental losses. Phosphate is a limited essential nutrient, however, with very uneven distribution worldwide. Closing the cycle and reducing primary phosphate consumption are fundamental future challenges. Maize has a relatively high phosphate requirement. China and Germany together cover the whole range of maize production systems. The new Sino-German international research training group "Adaptation of Chinese and German maize-based food-feed-energy systems to limited phosphate resources" (AMAIZE-P) was initiated in 2018 as a joint venture of the China Agricultural University (Beijing, China) and the University of Hohenheim (Stuttgart, Germany). The interdisciplinary and complementary research is driven by the hypothesis that under phosphate limited conditions, high productivity and high phosphate use efficiency can be achieved simultaneously by adapting phosphate cycling and availability (sources) to the multipurpose phosphate demands (sinks) in maizebased food-feed-energy systems. The educational program for doctoral researchers in China and Germany includes joint block seminars, thematic field trips, case studies, methodological courses, doctoral researchers' conferences, intercultural training sessions and personal training.

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Trace Element Contaminants and Radioactivity from Phosphate Fertiliser

Cited by 20 publications

References 102 publications

Cadmium Background Levels in Groundwater in an Area Dominated by Agriculture

Cadmium Background Levels in Groundwater in an Area Dominated by Agriculture

Cadmium pollution from phosphate fertilizers in arable soils and crops: an overview

Adaptation of Chinese and German maize-based food-feed-energy systems to limited phosphate resources—a new Sino-German international research training group

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