Radium in New Zealand agricultural soils: Phosphate fertiliser inputs, soil activity concentrations and fractionation profiles

Pearson, Andrew; Gaw, Sally; Hermanspahn, Nikolaus; Glover, Chris N.; Anderson, C. W.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.05.010

Cited by 26 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The non-labile part (occluded P, reductant soluble P, and residual P) corresponds to a fraction of P that is not readily available for plants because of complexation with metal oxides and hydroxides or is bound within mineral compounds such as apatite [81]. The non-labile P is hard to solubilise; thus, the conversion of non-labile to labile and soil solution P is slow [82]. Non-labile P is only available through the dissolution of primary and secondary minerals.…”

Section: Phosphorus Poolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus Transformation in Soils Following Co-Application of Charcoal and Wood Ash

et al. 2021

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Phosphorus (P) is a vital soil macronutrient required by plants for optimum growth and development. However, its availability is limited because of fixation. The phosphorus fixation reaction is pH dependent. In acid soils, the predominance of aluminium (Al) and iron (Fe) oxides in both crystalline and amorphous forms reduces the solubility of soil inorganic P through fixation on positively charged surfaces and formation of insoluble Al and Fe precipitates. In alkaline soils, P readily reacts with calcium (Ca) to form sparingly soluble calcium phosphates. As a result, a large proportion of applied P may become chemically bound, whereas only a small fraction of soil P remains in the soil solution and available for plant uptake. To date, there is little information available on the use of charcoal with a highly negative charge and wood ash with high alkalinity to minimise P fixation in acid soils. Thus, this study examined the potential of the combined use of charcoal and wood ash to unlock P fixation in acid soils. Numerous studies have been conducted to identify effective approaches to improve P availability through the use of different types of soil amendments, regardless of whether P is organically or inorganically present. For example, to mitigate P fixation in acid soils, amendments such as compost and zeolite are used to reduce P sorption sites. These amendments have also been used to increase P uptake and crop productivity in P deficient acid soils by reducing soil acidity and the toxicity of Al and Fe. It is believed that long-term application of charcoal and sago bark ash can positively change the physical and chemical properties of soils. These improvements do not only reduce P fixation in acid soils, but they also promote an effective utilisation of nutrients through timely release of nutrients for maximum crop production.

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Section: Phosphorus Poolsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Phosphorus Transformation in Soils Following Co-Application of Charcoal and Wood Ash

et al. 2021

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“…The reviewed results show that the concentration of 226 Ra in fertilized soils was higher compared with the mean concentration of it in the control (forestry soils). Therefore, the concentrations of U in New Zealand's agricultural soils displayed a linear correlation with the concentration of U in P fertilizers [78].…”

Section: Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Similarly, the country uses reactive phosphate rock (RPR) directly in agricultural soils, which also contains a high 226 Ra concentration. The concentration of U in P fertilizers in New Zealand ranges from 12.1 to 129.5 mg kg −1 , while in agricultural soils, it is 2.1-7.1 mg kg −1 [78]. The reviewed results show that the concentration of 226 Ra in fertilized soils was higher compared with the mean concentration of it in the control (forestry soils).…”

Section: Australia and New Zealandmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…For instance, the cost of recovering 1 kg of U was reported to range between USD 88 and 122 while the market value was quoted as USD 50 per kg [109,110]. Due to these Bangladesh [95], Brazil [37,102], Germany [55,72], Greece [69], India [87,88], New Zealand [78], Saudi Arabia [79,80,82,83], Vietnam [98,103], East African Community (EAC) ( [27,47]), Egypt [48], and Morocco [20].…”

Section: U As a Potential Agricultural Soil Contaminantmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Uranium Dissemination with Phosphate Fertilizers Globally: A Systematic Review with Focus on East Africa

Mwalongo,

Haneklaus,

Lisuma

et al. 2024

Sustainability

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Growing concern has been expressed about uranium (U) accumulation in agricultural soils caused by the long-term application of mineral fertilizers. More than 80% of naturally occurring U transfers from phosphate rock (PR), the raw material used in mineral fertilizer production, to phosphorus (P) fertilizers. These fertilizers are then distributed on agricultural soils, where the U could accumulate over time and become a risk to the environment. The objective of this work was to review the reported content of U in P fertilizers, its potential dispersion in soils, and its uptake by plants in different countries in the world as reported in the literature. The articles for this systematic review were selected from the Scopus database published between 2003 and 2022. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) protocol were used. A total of 54 articles were assessed based on the standard inclusion and exclusion criteria. U concentrations in P fertilizers, agricultural soil dissemination, and plant uptake for available data were obtained and assessed. In order to compare a set of related data from the collected articles, box and whisker plots showing the distribution of U in P fertilizers are presented by region. The results from the reviewed articles show that the U concentrations in P fertilizer were in the range of 0.1–653 mg kg−1. Interestingly, Minjingu P fertilizers from Tanzania, which are used in six East African countries, showed the highest U concentrations (159 to 653 mg kg−1, average 390 mg kg−1). The reported U concentrations for these fertilizers are, in fact, comparable to those of conventional low-grade uranium deposits mined in Namibia and elsewhere. Additionally, approximately 96% of the reviewed articles indicate that fertilized soil has higher U concentrations than non-fertilized soils, hinting at a measurable effect of mineral fertilizer use. The review recommends U extraction during mineral fertilizer production so that potential environmental risks can be reduced and U resources that would otherwise be lost can be recovered and used to substitute conventional U mining elsewhere.

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“…Ra in groundwater can also be derived from external U-and Th-rich sources, such as effluents from uranium mining (Carvalho et al, 2007;De Pree, 2020;Gil-Pacheco et al, 2020;Mangeret et al, 2020;Mathuthu et al, 2020;Matshusa and Makgae, 2017;Ruedig and Johnson, 2015), oil and gas wastewater (Agbalagba et al, 2013;Ahmad et al, 2021;Jaeschke et al, 2020;Knee and Masker, 2019;Lauer et al, 2018;Ni et al, 2018;Tomita et al, 2010;Van Sice et al, 2018;Vengosh et al, 2014;Warner et al, 2013), and deicing using oil-produced water (Lazur et al, 2020;McNaboe et al, 2017). Both Ra and U are enriched in phosphorite rocks, but during extraction and fertilizer production most of the Ra is incorporated in the solid waste product (phosphogysum), while U is enriched in the fertilizers (Al Attar et al, 2011;Barisic et al, 1992;Haridasan et al, 2002;Hassan et al, 2016;Lauria et al, 2004;Pearson et al, 2019;Sandhu et al, 2018). Likewise, Ra is relatively enriched in fly ash, particularly from U-rich coals (Lauer et al, 2017;Lauer et al, 2015) and under reduced conditions in environments lacking sulfate could leach to groundwater systems.…”

Section: Radium 41 Factors That Control the Occurrence Of Radium In G...mentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical review on the occurrence and distribution of the uranium- and thorium-decay nuclides and their effect on the quality of groundwater

Vengosh

Coyte

Podgorski

2022

Science of The Total Environment

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Radium in New Zealand agricultural soils: Phosphate fertiliser inputs, soil activity concentrations and fractionation profiles

Cited by 26 publications

References 24 publications

Phosphorus Transformation in Soils Following Co-Application of Charcoal and Wood Ash

Phosphorus Transformation in Soils Following Co-Application of Charcoal and Wood Ash

Uranium Dissemination with Phosphate Fertilizers Globally: A Systematic Review with Focus on East Africa

A critical review on the occurrence and distribution of the uranium- and thorium-decay nuclides and their effect on the quality of groundwater

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