Abstract
Soil contamination caused by the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing industry is a growing global concern. This study focused on soil contamination in the nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing industry with 50 years of production history. In order to precisely control pollutants in the nitrogen fertilizer industry, according to overall exceedance of contaminants, the contaminants of concern (COC) have been identified as ammonia nitrogen and arsenic. We have also adeptly utilized spatial interpolation techniques, geodetector, to investigate the spatial distribution patterns of these pollutants and the factors influencing their origins, both anthropogenic and natural. The research findings indicate ammonia nitrogen was concentrated in urea and compound fertilizer production, water treatment, and coal gas production areas. Arsenic was mainly concentrated in the auxiliary areas. Furthermore, the urea-production area significantly influenced the distribution of ammonia nitrogen. The gas-production area had an important effect on arsenic and ammonia nitrogen distribution. Additionally, groundwater considerably influenced the distribution of ammonia nitrogen in the 3–5-m soil layer. Simultaneously, we have conducted human health risk assessment. Human health risk assessment indicated both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks exceeding acceptable limits. The research findings provide theoretical support for nitrogen fertilizer manufacturing enterprises to identify key pollutants and functional areas for priority management, facilitating the implementation of targeted and precise management strategies and prioritization in environmental management.
Graphical Abstract
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
Data will be made available on reasonable request.
References
Choudri, B. S., Al-Nasiri, N., Charabi, Y., & Al-Awadhi, T. (2020). Ecological and human health risk assessment. Water Environment Research, 92(10), 1440–1446. https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1382
de Jesus, A. O. C., de Farias Araujo, G., Saggioro, E. M., Mannarino, C. F., & Ritter, E. (2022). Contamination assessment of soil and groundwater of a deactivated dumpsite in Brazil. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 194(3), 216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-022-09790-3
Deng, X., Gibson, J., & Wang, P. (2017). Management of trade-offs between cultivated land conversions and land productivity in Shandong Province. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142, 767–774. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.04.050
Gao, G., Fu, B., Zhan, H., & Ma, Y. (2013). Contaminant transport in soil with depth-dependent reaction coefficients and time-dependent boundary conditions. Water Research, 47(7), 2507–2522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2013.02.021
Guo, G., Wang, Y., Zhang, D., & Lei, M. (2021). Source-specific ecological and health risks of potentially toxic elements in agricultural soils in Southern Yunnan Province and associated uncertainty analysis. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 417, 126144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126144
Hosono, T., Tokunaga, T., Kagabu, M., Nakata, H., Orishikida, T., Lin, I.-T., & Shimada, J. (2013). The use of δ15N and δ18O tracers with an understanding of groundwater flow dynamics for evaluating the origins and attenuation mechanisms of nitrate pollution. Water Research, 47(8), 2661–2675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2013.02.020
Hou, D., O’Connor, D., Nathanail, P., Tian, L., & Ma, Y. (2017). Integrated GIS and multivariate statistical analysis for regional scale assessment of heavy metal soil contamination: A critical review. Environmental Pollution, 231, 1188–1200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.021
Huang, D., Gui, H., Lin, M., & Peng, W. (2018). Chemical speciation distribution characteristics and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in soil from Sunan mining area, Anhui Province, China. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 24(6), 1694–1709. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2017.1422973
Kang, S., Kim, G., Roh, J., & Jeon, E. (2022). Ammonia emissions from NPK fertilizer production plants: Emission characteristics and emission factor estimation. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6703. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116703
Li, D., Zhou, Y., Long, Q., Li, R., & Lu, C. (2020). Ammonia nitrogen adsorption by different aquifer media: An experimental trial for nitrogen removal from groundwater. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 26(9), 2434–2446. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2020.1768361
Li, C., Bundschuh, J., Gao, X., Li, Y., Zhang, X., Luo, W., & Pan, Z. (2022). Occurrence and behavior of arsenic in groundwater-aquifer system of irrigated areas. Science of the Total Environment, 838, 155991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155991
Liu, H., Qu, M., Chen, J., Guang, X., Zhang, J., Liu, M., et al. (2022a). Heavy metal accumulation in the surrounding areas affected by mining in China: Spatial distribution patterns, risk assessment, and influencing factors. Science of the Total Environment, 825, 154004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154004
Liu, L., Xu, W., Lu, X., Zhong, B., Guo, Y., Lu, X., et al. (2022b). Exploring global changes in agricultural ammonia emissions and their contribution to nitrogen deposition since 1980. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(14), e2121998119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2121998119
Liu, Z., Fei, Y., Shi, H., Mo, L., & Qi, J. (2022c). Prediction of high-risk areas of soil heavy metal pollution with multiple factors on a large scale in industrial agglomeration areas. Science of the Total Environment, 808, 151874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151874
Ma, Y., Li, Y., Fang, T., He, Y., Wang, J., Liu, X., et al. (2023). Analysis of driving factors of spatial distribution of heavy metals in soil of non-ferrous metal smelting sites: Screening the geodetector calculation results combined with correlation analysis. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 445, 130614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.130614
Mancus, P. (2007). Nitrogen fertilizer dependency and its contradictions: A theoretical exploration of social-ecological metabolism*. Rural Sociology, 72(2), 269–288. https://doi.org/10.1526/003601107781170008
Peter, P. O., Rashid, A., Nkinahamira, F., Wang, H., Sun, Q., Gad, M., et al. (2021). Integrated assessment of major and trace elements in surface and core sediments from an urban lagoon, China: Potential ecological risks and influencing factors. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 170, 112651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112651
Qiao, P., Yang, S., Lei, M., Chen, T., & Dong, N. (2019). Quantitative analysis of the factors influencing spatial distribution of soil heavy metals based on geographical detector. Science of the Total Environment, 664, 392–413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.310
Rosa, L., & Gabrielli, P. (2023). Energy and food security implications of transitioning synthetic nitrogen fertilizers to net-zero emissions. Environmental Research Letters, 18(1), 014008. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aca815
Shi, T., Hu, Z., Shi, Z., Guo, L., Chen, Y., Li, Q., & Wu, G. (2018). Geo-detection of factors controlling spatial patterns of heavy metals in urban topsoil using multi-source data. Science of the Total Environment, 643, 451–459. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.224
Singh, B. (2009). Treatment of spent catalyst from the nitrogenous fertilizer industry—A review of the available methods of regeneration, recovery and disposal. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 167(1–3), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.01.071
Sun, R., Gao, Y., & Yang, Y. (2022). Leaching of heavy metals from lead-zinc mine tailings and the subsequent migration and transformation characteristics in paddy soil. Chemosphere, 291, 132792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132792
Tao, H., Liao, X., Li, Y., Xu, C., Zhu, G., & Cassidy, D. P. (2020). Quantifying influences of interacting anthropogenic-natural factors on trace element accumulation and pollution risk in karst soil. Science of the Total Environment, 721, 137770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137770
Tei, F., De Neve, S., De Haan, J., & Kristensen, H. L. (2020). Nitrogen management of vegetable crops. Agricultural Water Management, 240, 106316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2020.106316
Tian, L. (2005). Inferences on the common coefficient of variation. Statistics in Medicine, 24(14), 2213–2220. https://doi.org/10.1002/sim.2088
Wang, J., & Xu, C. (2017). Geodetector: Principle and prospective. Acta Geographica Sinica, 72, 116–134. https://doi.org/10.11821/dlxb201701010
Wang, J.-F., Li, X., Christakos, G., Liao, Y., Zhang, T., Gu, X., & Zheng, X. (2010). Geographical detectors-based health risk assessment and its application in the neural tube defects study of the Heshun Region, China. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 24(1), 107–127. https://doi.org/10.1080/13658810802443457
Wang, P., Sun, Z., Hu, Y., & Cheng, H. (2019). Leaching of heavy metals from abandoned mine tailings brought by precipitation and the associated environmental impact. Science of The Total Environment, 695, 133893. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133893
Wang, X., Wang, M., Chen, L., Shutes, B., Yan, B., Zhang, F., et al. (2023). Nitrogen migration and transformation in a saline-alkali paddy ecosystem with application of different nitrogen fertilizers. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-25984-9
Wang, Y., Duan, X., & Wang, L. (2020). Spatial distribution and source analysis of heavy metals in soils influenced by industrial enterprise distribution: Case study in Jiangsu Province. Science of the Total Environment, 710, 134953. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134953
Williams, A. J., Lambert, J. C., Thayer, K., & Dorne, J.-L.C.M. (2021). Sourcing data on chemical properties and hazard data from the US-EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard: A practical guide for human risk assessment. Environment International, 154, 106566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2021.106566
Wong, Y. J., Shimizu, Y., He, K., & Nik Sulaiman, N. M. (2020). Comparison among different ASEAN water quality indices for the assessment of the spatial variation of surface water quality in the Selangor river basin, Malaysia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 192(10), 644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08543-4
Wong, Y. J., Shimizu, Y., Kamiya, A., Maneechot, L., Bharambe, K. P., Fong, C. S., & Nik Sulaiman, N. M. (2021). Application of artificial intelligence methods for monsoonal river classification in Selangor river basin, Malaysia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 193(7), 438. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-09202-y
Wu, J., Li, P., Wang, D., Ren, X., & Wei, M. (2020). Statistical and multivariate statistical techniques to trace the sources and affecting factors of groundwater pollution in a rapidly growing city on the Chinese Loess Plateau. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 26(6), 1603–1621. https://doi.org/10.1080/10807039.2019.1594156
Wu, H., Song, F., Min, L., Li, J., Shen, Y., Huang, Y., et al. (2024). Exploring recharge mechanisms of soil water in the thick unsaturated zone using water isotopes in the North China Plain. CATENA, 234, 107615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2023.107615
Xiong, K., Kukec, A., Rumrich, I. K., Rejc, T., Pasetto, R., Iavarone, I., & Hänninen, O. (2018). Methods of health risk and impact assessment at industrially contaminated sites: A systematic review. Epidemiologia & Prevenzione, 42(5–6S1), 49–58. https://doi.org/10.19191/EP18.5-6.S1.P049.087
Yang, W., Zhao, Y., Wang, D., Wu, H., Lin, A., & He, L. (2020). Using principal components analysis and IDW interpolation to determine spatial and temporal Changes of surface water quality of Xin’anjiang River in Huangshan, China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 2942. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082942
Zhang, R., Chen, T., Zhang, Y., Hou, Y., & Chang, Q. (2020). Health risk assessment of heavy metals in agricultural soils and identification of main influencing factors in a typical industrial park in northwest China. Chemosphere, 252, 126591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126591
Zheng, C., Li, X., Li, J., Duan, J., Wu, H., & Zhu, F. (2022). Investigation on the ammonia emission characteristics in coal-fired power plants of China. Fuel, 314, 123046. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.123046
Zhu, Z., Wang, J., Hu, M., & Jia, L. (2019). Geographical detection of groundwater pollution vulnerability and hazard in karst areas of Guangxi Province, China. Environmental Pollution, 245, 627–633. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.10.017
Acknowledgements
We gratefully thank all the institutes, organizations, and developers of the various datasets for making their products freely available.
Funding
This study was supported by the Program National Key R&D Program of China (grant number: No.2020YFC1806700).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Xu, M., He, R., Cui, G. et al. Understanding Soil Contamination in Nitrogen Fertilizer Manufacturing: Spatial Distribution, Factors, and Implications for Environmental Management. Water Air Soil Pollut 235, 236 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-07024-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-024-07024-5