Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Individual Effective Dose Estimate
Abstract
:1. Introduction
- phosphorites are minerals that contain radionuclide of 238U series in not negligible amounts; in the production of phosphoric acid through wet process, the radioactive equilibrium of phosphate rocks is disrupted during the chemical reaction, which leads to a redistribution of radionuclides. Previous studies have shown that radionuclides migrate according to their solubility in phosphoric acid or phosphogypsum. Accordingly, 226Ra is incorporated in the phosphogypsum, as its chemical behaviour is similar to calcium, 210Pb and 210Po also concentrate into phosphogypsum. The behaviour of Thorium depends on the chemical reaction and it is distributed in the two reaction products. The isotopes of Uranium form highly soluble compounds that are predominantly incorporated in phosphoric acid [2,3,4,5,6,7];
- MAP fertilizers contain 238U, but not 226Ra, as they derive directly from phosphoric acid;
- in SSP and TSP [5] both 238U and 226Ra are present;
- high activity concentrations of 40K are associated with the presence of potassium salts, with the 40K isotope in a standard ratio with respect to stable potassium; 40K makes up 0.012% of the total amount of potassium found in nature; and,
- in complex/mixed fertilizers the radionuclides content depends on the raw material used for phosphate and potassium components and on the production process.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Activity Concentration of Radionuclides in Italian Fertilizers
2.2. Activity Concentration of Radionuclides in Agricultural Soil
2.3. Calculating Model for Effective Individual Dose Evaluation for Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture
3. Results
3.1. Occasional Spreading of Fertilizers
3.2. Spreading of Fertilizers Over Time
4. Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Fertilizer | 238U | 226Ra | 210Pb | 40K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Straight Phosphate | 670 (57–1500) | 295 (34–500) | 295 (34–500) | - |
Straight Potassium | - | - | - | 14,000 (13,000–15,000) |
Compounds | 262 (24–560) | 107 (1–310) | 157 (1–310) | 3379 (0–9040) |
Area | Straight Phosphate | Straight Potassium | Compounds | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Veneto | 15,700 | 12,100 | 96,200 | 124,000 |
Italia | 113,700 | 77,000 | 636,400 | 827,100 |
Area | Straight Phosphate | Straight Potassium | Compounds | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Veneto | 0.0025 | 0.0019 | 0.0155 | 0.0199 |
Italia | 0.001 | 0.0009 | 0.0072 | 0.0094 |
Fertilizer | 238U | 226Ra | 210Pb | 40K |
---|---|---|---|---|
Straight Phosphate | 3 × 10−3 | 1.36 × 10−3 | 1.36 × 10−3 | |
Straight Potassium | 4.1 × 10−2 | |||
Compounds | 6.25 × 10−3 | 2.55 × 10−3 | 3.74 × 10−3 | 8.06 × 10−2 |
Fertilizer | Individual Effective Dose |
---|---|
Straight Phosphate | 0.011 |
Straight Potassium | 0.005 |
Compounds | 0.032 |
Total | 0.048 |
Fertilizer | Individual Effective Dose |
---|---|
Straight Phosphate | 0.71 |
Straight Potassium | 0.04 |
Compounds | 1.39 |
Total | 2.14 |
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Ugolini, R.; Caldognetto, E.; Trotti, F. Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Individual Effective Dose Estimate. Environments 2020, 7, 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7010007
Ugolini R, Caldognetto E, Trotti F. Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Individual Effective Dose Estimate. Environments. 2020; 7(1):7. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7010007
Chicago/Turabian StyleUgolini, Raffaella, Elena Caldognetto, and Flavio Trotti. 2020. "Use of Fertilizers in Agriculture: Individual Effective Dose Estimate" Environments 7, no. 1: 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments7010007