Collaborative Research: From Global to Local: Geochemistry of Global Phosphate Ores and Implications for Tracing the Environmental Impacts of Fertilizers Utilization

合作研究：从全球到地方：全球磷矿石的地球化学以及追踪化肥利用对环境影响的意义

• 批准号: 2305946
• 负责人: Avner Vengosh
• 金额: $ 43.35万
• 依托单位: Duke University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2026-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2305946&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Global; Local; Geochemistry

Phosphorus (P) is one of the primary macronutrients essential for plant growth and crop production, and thus its availability is important for sustainable agriculture development and food security. Approximately 47 million tons of P-fertilizers are annually generated from phosphate rocks and applied worldwide. Intensification of P-fertilizer utilization over the last few decades has caused widespread eutrophication and degradation of the quality of freshwater resources and coastal areas. Yet elevated levels of metals in phosphate rocks and P-fertilizers such as cadmium, chromium, and uranium pose less recognized but significant potential risks to soil and water quality. Although pollution of soils and water from P-fertilizer applications has been documented in a few case studies, no systematic evaluation on the occurrence of metals in global phosphate ores and the ability to detect their impact in the environment have been conducted. The results of this study will have important and critical information on levels of metals in global phosphate rocks as well as in various fertilizers utilized in the U.S., the long-term impact on soil and water quality in agricultural areas, and the possible risks for rural communities in areas of extensive P-fertilizers utilization.The project will characterize the geochemistry of global phosphate ores and associated P-fertilizers, as well assess the environmental impact of the metals they contain. The project is based on developing novel geochemical methods for tracing the origin of the phosphate rocks and the impact of P-fertilizers in the environment. The objectives of the study are to: (1) generate a systematic chemical dataset of major global phosphate ores, including major and trace elements, rare-earth elements, strontium and lead isotopes, and radionuclides (uranium, radium) for evaluating the origin of the phosphate ores (geological setting, age, diagenetic modification), and the relationships between the geological settings and the occurrence of metals in global phosphate ores; (2) evaluate the differential incorporation of metals from dissolution of phosphate rocks in P-fertilizers and waste byproducts (gypsum); (3) evaluate the potential of using the geochemical and isotope variations as tracers to delineate the impact of P-fertilizers in the environment; and (4) evaluate the environmental impact of P-fertilizers application through laboratory experiments and a field-scale investigation in an agricultural research station in North Carolina, where different rates of P-fertilizers have been applied for several decades. The field study will include systematic monitoring of soils, plants, unsaturated zone, agriculture runoff, shallow groundwater underlying experimental agriculture fields, and regional groundwater in vicinity of extensive agricultural activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

磷(P)是植物生长和作物生产所必需的主要常量营养素之一，其有效性对农业可持续发展和粮食安全至关重要。磷矿每年产生约4700万吨磷肥，并在世界范围内使用。在过去的几十年里，磷肥利用的强化造成了广泛的富营养化和淡水资源和沿海地区质量的退化。然而，磷矿和磷肥中镉、铬和铀等金属含量的升高对土壤和水质构成了鲜为人知但却十分重要的潜在风险。虽然在一些案例研究中记录了施用磷肥对土壤和水的污染，但没有对全球磷矿中金属的出现情况和检测其对环境影响的能力进行系统评价。这项研究的结果将对全球磷矿以及美国使用的各种肥料中的金属含量、对农业地区土壤和水质的长期影响以及广泛使用磷肥地区农村社区可能面临的风险提供重要和关键的信息。该项目将描述全球磷矿和相关磷肥的地球化学特征，并评估其中所含金属对环境的影响。该项目的基础是开发新的地球化学方法来追踪磷矿的起源和磷肥对环境的影响。研究的目标是：(1)建立系统的全球主要磷矿化学数据集，包括主要元素和微量元素、稀土元素、锶和铅同位素以及放射性核素（铀、镭），用于评估磷矿的起源（地质环境、年龄、成岩作用），以及地质环境与全球磷矿中金属赋存的关系；(2)评价磷肥和废副产品（石膏）中磷矿溶解金属的差异；(3)评价利用地球化学和同位素变化作为示踪剂描述磷肥对环境影响的潜力；(4)在北卡罗莱纳州的一个农业研究站，通过室内试验和田间调查，评价施用磷肥对环境的影响，该研究站已施用了几十年不同比例的磷肥。实地研究将包括系统监测土壤、植物、不饱和带、农业径流、试验农田地下浅层地下水以及广泛农业活动附近的区域地下水。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。