Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations

Fertilizer utilization is critical for food security. This study examines the occurrence of trace elements (TEs) and Sr isotope (87Sr/86Sr) variations in phosphate rocks and mineral fertilizers from a sample collection representative of major phosphate producing countries. We show high concentration...

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Main Authors: Hill, R.C., Williams, G.D.Z., Wang, Zhen, Hu, J., El-Hasan, T., Duckworth, O.W., Schnug, E., Bol, R., Singh, A., Vengosh, A.
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2024
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97534
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author Hill, R.C.
Williams, G.D.Z.
Wang, Zhen
Hu, J.
El-Hasan, T.
Duckworth, O.W.
Schnug, E.
Bol, R.
Singh, A.
Vengosh, A.
author_facet Hill, R.C.
Williams, G.D.Z.
Wang, Zhen
Hu, J.
El-Hasan, T.
Duckworth, O.W.
Schnug, E.
Bol, R.
Singh, A.
Vengosh, A.
author_sort Hill, R.C.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Fertilizer utilization is critical for food security. This study examines the occurrence of trace elements (TEs) and Sr isotope (87Sr/86Sr) variations in phosphate rocks and mineral fertilizers from a sample collection representative of major phosphate producing countries. We show high concentrations of several TEs in phosphate rocks (n = 76) and their selective enrichment in phosphate fertilizers (n = 40) of specific origin. Consistent with the concentrations in parent phosphate rocks, phosphate fertilizers from the U.S. and Middle East have substantially higher concentrations of U, Cd, Cr, V, and Mo than those in fertilizers from China and India. Yet, fertilizers from China and India generally have higher concentrations of As. The 87Sr/86Sr in phosphate fertilizers directly mimic the composition of their source phosphate rocks, with distinctive higher ratios in fertilizers from China and India (0.70955-0.71939) relative to phosphate fertilizers from U.S. and Middle East (0.70748-0.70888). Potash fertilizers have less Sr and TEs and higher 87Sr/86Sr (0.72017-0.79016), causing higher 87Sr/86Sr in mixed NPK-fertilizers. Selective extraction (Mehlich III) of soils from an experimental agricultural site shows relative enrichment of potentially plant-available P, Sr, and TEs in topsoil, which is associated with Sr isotope variation toward the 87Sr/86Sr of the local utilized phosphate fertilizer.
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institution Curtin University Malaysia
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-975342025-04-17T00:31:21Z Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations Hill, R.C. Williams, G.D.Z. Wang, Zhen Hu, J. El-Hasan, T. Duckworth, O.W. Schnug, E. Bol, R. Singh, A. Vengosh, A. Fertilizer utilization is critical for food security. This study examines the occurrence of trace elements (TEs) and Sr isotope (87Sr/86Sr) variations in phosphate rocks and mineral fertilizers from a sample collection representative of major phosphate producing countries. We show high concentrations of several TEs in phosphate rocks (n = 76) and their selective enrichment in phosphate fertilizers (n = 40) of specific origin. Consistent with the concentrations in parent phosphate rocks, phosphate fertilizers from the U.S. and Middle East have substantially higher concentrations of U, Cd, Cr, V, and Mo than those in fertilizers from China and India. Yet, fertilizers from China and India generally have higher concentrations of As. The 87Sr/86Sr in phosphate fertilizers directly mimic the composition of their source phosphate rocks, with distinctive higher ratios in fertilizers from China and India (0.70955-0.71939) relative to phosphate fertilizers from U.S. and Middle East (0.70748-0.70888). Potash fertilizers have less Sr and TEs and higher 87Sr/86Sr (0.72017-0.79016), causing higher 87Sr/86Sr in mixed NPK-fertilizers. Selective extraction (Mehlich III) of soils from an experimental agricultural site shows relative enrichment of potentially plant-available P, Sr, and TEs in topsoil, which is associated with Sr isotope variation toward the 87Sr/86Sr of the local utilized phosphate fertilizer. 2024 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97534 10.1021/acs.estlett.4c00170 unknown
spellingShingle Hill, R.C.
Williams, G.D.Z.
Wang, Zhen
Hu, J.
El-Hasan, T.
Duckworth, O.W.
Schnug, E.
Bol, R.
Singh, A.
Vengosh, A.
Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title_full Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title_fullStr Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title_full_unstemmed Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title_short Tracing the Environmental Effects of Mineral Fertilizer Application with Trace Elements and Strontium Isotope Variations
title_sort tracing the environmental effects of mineral fertilizer application with trace elements and strontium isotope variations
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/97534