The radioactivity measurements in soils and fertilizers using gamma spectrometry technique

Because of their mineral content, soils are naturally radioactive and one of the sources of radioactivity other than those of natural origin is mainly due to the extensive use of fertilizers. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate the fluxes of natural radionuclides in local production of phosphate fertilizers to determine the content of radioactivity in several commercial fertilizers produced in Algeria and to estimate their radiological impact in a cultivated soil even for the long-term exposure due to their application.For these purposes, virgin and fertilized soils were collected from outlying Setif region in Algeria and from phosphate fertilizers used in this area.Gamma spectrometry was exploited to determine activity concentration due to naturally occurring ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in five types of samples (two different sorts of fertilizers, virgin and fertilized soils and well water used for irrigation) taken from Setif’s areas.The results show that these radionuclides were present in an average concentration of 134.7 ± 24.1, 131.8 ± 16.7, 11644 ± 550 Bq/kg for the first fertilizer NPK and 190.3 ± 30, 117.2 ± 10.3, 5312 ± 249 Bq/kg for the second fertilizer (NPKs). For the virgin and the fertilized soils, the corresponding values were respectively 47.01 ± 7.3, 33 ± 7, 329.4 ± 19.7 Bq/kg and 53.2 ± 10.6, 50.0 ± 7, 311.4 ± 18.7 Bq/kg. For well water, the values were 1.93 and 0.12 Bq/kg; however the third value was below the Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA).The radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and the representative level index I_γr for all samples were also calculated. The data were discussed and compared with those given in the literature.     

Country-scale phosphorus balancing as a base for resources conservation

In order to effectively conserve the non-renewable resource phosphorus (P), flows and stocks of P must be known at national, regional and global scales. P is a key non-renewable resource because its use as fertilizer cannot be substituted posing a constraint on the global food production in the long-term. This paper presents a methodology to establish country-wide P balances that emphasises resource use. We develop a material flow analysis (MFA) model that comprises all relevant flows and stocks of P in five subsystems, seven processes and 36 material flows. For quantification, statistical data from economic and agricultural sources as well as available information about P partitioning in natural and anthropogenic processes are used. Special attention is paid to data gaps and uncertainties. The model was tested in two case studies on P management in Turkey and Austria. MFA appears to be a tool well suited for establishing country-wide P balances, provided that national statistics are well-structured and accessible. If a common approach is used for modelling P-flows and stocks, regional and national balances can be compared and linked towards larger scale P balances for an improved management of the resource.     

Enhancement of phosphorus sorption onto light expanded clay aggregates by means of aluminum and iron oxide coatings

Phosphorus (P) loading from non-point or point sources increases the eutrophication risk of natural waters. The functioning of constructed wetlands (CWs) used as natural water treatment systems can be improved by means of additional materials adsorbing soluble P. In this study, light expanded clay aggregates (LECA) and LECA coated with aluminum (Al) oxide (Al-LECA) or iron (Fe) oxide (Fe-LECA) were tested for their efficiency as P sorbents in the pH range 3–8. The oxide coatings duplicated the actual sorption capacity calculated from the sorption isotherms at the P concentration in the equilibrium solution of 20 μg L⁻¹, assumed to be the allowable P level in purified water. In the oxide-coated LECAs the sorption was fast and followed both the first- and second-order Lagergren kinetic models, suggesting that the formation of a binuclear surface complex was feasible. In LECA, sorption was markedly slower and followed the first-order kinetic model, indicating that retention occurred through a monodentate attachment. These findings were in harmony with the degree of P saturation (DPS) of the sorbent surfaces at the highest P addition level (200 μg L⁻¹), DPS being decisively higher for LECA than for the oxide-coated sorbents. Accordingly, at higher pH values the competition by hydroxyl ions diminished the sorption in LECA relatively more than that in the coated sorbents. In agreement with the acidity of Al³⁺ being 100 times lower than that of Fe³⁺, at elevated pH the sorption by Al-LECA proved to be less reversible than that by Fe-LECA. The results provide evidence that in CWs Al-coated sorbents are superior to Fe-coated ones that are also redox-sensitive and may lose their sorption properties in anoxic conditions.     

Detection of phosphorus species in sediments of artificial landscape lakes in China by fractionation and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Phosphorus (P) pollution in the sediments of seven artificial landscape lakes was studied via fractionation and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance ((31)P NMR) spectroscopy. The lake sediments accumulated significant amounts of P from supplementation with reclaimed water and from runoff from the golf course lawns. The differences in total sediment P among lakes were correlated to the varied pollution extent from the lawns. One striking feature of the artificial lake sediments was the insufficiency of NaOH-extracted Al, which plays an important role in avoiding internal P release during anoxia. Another characteristic was the dominance of orthophosphate in the NaOH-EDTA extractants of the sediments, due to the heavy external P pollution. Phytate, considered prevalent in many soils and lake sediments, as well as polyphosphates and phosphonates which have appeared in some natural lake sediments, was not detected. The rank order of present biogenic P species was monoester-P>DNA-P>pyrophosphate>lipid-P.     

Landscape Planning for Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Reduction III: Assessing Phosphorus and Sediment Reduction Potential

Riparian buffers have the potential to improve stream water quality in agricultural landscapes. This potential may vary in response to landscape characteristics such as soils, topography, land use, and human activities, including legacies of historical land management. We built a predictive model to estimate the sediment and phosphorus load reduction that should be achievable following the implementation of riparian buffers; then we estimated load reduction potential for a set of 1598 watersheds (average 54 km²) in Wisconsin. Our results indicate that land cover is generally the most important driver of constituent loads in Wisconsin streams, but its influence varies among pollutants and according to the scale at which it is measured. Physiographic (drainage density) variation also influenced sediment and phosphorus loads. The effect of historical land use on present-day channel erosion and variation in soil texture are the most important sources of phosphorus and sediment that riparian buffers cannot attenuate. However, in most watersheds, a large proportion (approximately 70%) of these pollutants can be eliminated from streams with buffers. Cumulative frequency distributions of load reduction potential indicate that targeting pollution reduction in the highest 10% of Wisconsin watersheds would reduce total phosphorus and sediment loads in the entire state by approximately 20%. These results support our approach of geographically targeting nonpoint source pollution reduction at multiple scales, including the watershed scale.     

Acidification of a solonetzic soil by nitrogenous fertilizers

Abstract

Annual applications of (NH₄)₂SO₄ NH₄NO₃ and urea on a Solonetzic soil at 112 kg N/ha for 10 consecutive years reduced pH levels from 5.6 for the check to 4.4, 4.9 and 5.3, respectively for (NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄NO₃ and urea. (NH₄)₂SO₄ generated twice as much exchange acidity as NH₄NO₃ and four times as much as urea. Net extractable cations leached from the Ap horizon closely approximated the amount of exchange acidity generated by (NH₄)₂SO₄ and NH₄NO₃ fertilizers. The levels of soil extractable Al and Mn were greatly enhanced by (NH₄)₂SO₄ as were plant contents. Similar acidifying effects to that produced by the (NH₄)₂SO₄ occurred when NH₄NO₃ was applied at 300 kg N/ha annually for 12 consecutive years in another field experiment on the same soil. Liming samples of the field (NH₄)₂SO₄ acidified soils in the greenhouse, significantly increased yields and lowered the Al and Mn contents of the plants to normal levels.     

A review and model assessment of (32)P and (33)P uptake to biota in freshwater systems

Bioaccumulation of key short-lived radionuclides such as ¹³¹I and ^32,33P may be over-estimated since concentration ratios (CRs) are often based on values for the corresponding stable isotope which do not account for radioactive decay during uptake via the food chain. This study presents estimates for bioaccumulation of radioactive phosphorus which account for both radioactive decay and varying ambient levels of stable P in the environment. Recommended interim CR values for radioactive forms of P as a function of bioavailable stable phosphorus in the water body are presented. Values of CR are presented for three different trophic levels of the aquatic food chain; foodstuffs from all three trophic levels may potentially be consumed by humans. It is concluded that current recommended values of the CR are likely to be significantly over-estimated for radioactive phosphorus in many freshwater systems, particularly lowland rivers. Further research is recommended to field-validate these models and assess their uncertainty. The relative importance of food-chain uptake and direct uptake from water are also assessed from a review of the literature. It can be concluded that food-chain uptake is the dominant accumulation pathway in fish and hence accumulation factors for radioactive phosphorus in farmed fish are likely to be significantly lower than those for wild fish.     

汽车制造厂废水处理工程实例分析

采用二级混凝-气浮-水解酸化-SBR-过滤工艺，对某汽车制造厂的混合废水（包括脱脂废水、电泳废水、磷化废水和生活污水等）进行处理。经过对处理工艺进出水主要水质指标连续1个月的监测，发现COD去除率可达92．5％，SS去除率可达95．2％，NH3-N去除率可达58％，TP去除率可达96．7％，出水水质符合国家《污水综合排放标准》（GB8978—1996）一级排放标准，吨水处理成本为1．6元／t，系统运行稳定，具有明显的经济、环保和社会效益。t     

Phosphorus use-efficiency of agriculture and food system in the US

The rapid increase in human mobilization of phosphorus has raised concerns on both its supply security and its impact on the environment. Increasing the efficiency of phosphorus use is an approach to mitigate the adverse impacts associated with phosphorus consumption. This study estimates the life-cycle phosphorus use-efficiency of the US food system. A framework for accounting phosphorus stocks and flows is developed, and the account was populated with data. A map of phosphorus stocks and flows around the US food system is drawn and phosphorus use-efficiency was calculated. The results show that only 15% of the total phosphorus extracted from nature for the provision of food is eventually ingested by humans and the rest is lost to the environment. Major losses occur during the livestock, meat and dairy production and crop cultivation stage, where about 66% of the total phosphorus extracted is lost to the environment. The results also show that other losses of phosphorus including household food waste, mining waste, and fertilizer manufacturing waste are not negligible, which constitute about 19% of the total phosphorus extracted for food purpose. A data quality assessment and sensitivity analysis was performed to identify data quality hotspots and to envisage effective measures to improving phosphorus use-efficiency. Improving yields of livestock and crop cultivation without additional phosphorus input and reducing household food waste are shown to be effective measures to improve life-cycle phosphorus use-efficiency. The results highlight the need of a concerted effort by all entities along the life-cycle for efficient use of phosphorus.     

A New Phosphorus Paradigm for the Baltic Proper

The external phosphorus (P) loading has been halved, but the P content in the water column and the area of anoxic bottoms in Baltic proper has increased during the last 30 years. This can be explained by a temporary internal source of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) that is turned on when the water above the bottom sediment becomes anoxic. A load-response model, explaining the evolution from 1980 to 2005, suggests that the average specific DIP flux from anoxic bottoms in the Baltic proper is about 2.3 g P m⁻² year⁻¹. This is commensurable with fluxes estimated in situ from anoxic bottoms in the open Baltic proper and from hydrographic data in the deep part of Bornholm Basin. Oxygenation of anoxic bottoms, natural or manmade, may quickly turn off the internal P source from anoxic bottoms. This new P-paradigm should have far-reaching implications for abatement of eutrophication in the Baltic proper.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s13280-013-0441-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.