1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture:
TOWARDS SOIL SUSTAINABILITY
11–13 June 2024 • Lublin–Nałęczów, Poland

https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.22
Published online: 4 October 2024

Assessment of the natural radioactivity of waste fertilizers from municipal water and sewage companies in Poland
Aneta Łukaszek-Chmielewska¹*, Marzena Rachwał¹, Anna Podleśna², Barbara Piotrowska³

¹ Fire University, Słowackiego 52/54, 01-629 Warsaw, Poland
² Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation State Research Institute, Czartoryskich  8, 24-100 Puławy, Poland
³ Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection, Konwaliowa 7, 03-194 Warsaw, Poland
* Corresponding author:

Abstract
Currently, mineral fertilization is the basis for sustainable food production on an industrial scale. The use of mineral fertilizers is intended to improve soil fertility by supplementing the deficiency of nutrients. The fertilizer industry of the European Union (EU) is dependent on external sources of supplies of raw materials necessary for the production of mineral fertilizers (phosphates) and energy carriers. The depletion of non-renewable resources of natural raw materials (phosphates) and the increasing global demand for nutrients may, in the long run, lead to an increase in the prices of mineral fertilizers. The production of mineral fertilizers is highly energy-intensive. Due to this fact, cheap and environmentally safe sources of organic matter and nutrients for soils and plants are being sought. Such properties are exhibited by sewage sludge from the sewage treatment process. Depending on their composition, they may constitute waste for storage or a product for natural use. Sewage sludge can be a valuable source of nutrients and organic matter in the soil, which justifies its use in agriculture. However, sewage sludge may contain organic pollutants, pathogenic microorganisms and heavy metals, which may exclude or limit their natural use. The literature on the subject contains many scientific papers on the positive aspects of using sewage sludge by increasing plant yields or increasing soil fertility. However, there is a lack of information on the impact of the use of waste fertilizers on natural radioactivity in the environment. Therefore, the authors of the study determined the concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes of radium (²²⁶Ra), thorium (²³²Th) and potassium (⁴⁰K) in waste fertilizers obtained from Municipal Water and Sewerage Companies (MPWiK) using gamma spectrometry. The averages concentrations of isotopes of radium (²²⁶Ra), thorium (²³²Th) and potassium (⁴⁰K) in waste fertilizers were in the ranges of 18.5–25.3 Bq/kg, 12.0–18.4 Bq/kg and 100–348 Bq/kg, respectively. The authors compared the obtained concentrations of natural radioactive isotopes of radium, thorium and potassium with the results of tests on organic fertilizers and with the average content of natural isotopes present in Polish soil and in the earth’s crust.

Keywords: ionizing radiation, waste fertilizers, MAZAR, radium, thorium, potassium

How to cite
Łukaszek-Chmielewska A., Rachwał M., Podleśna A., Piotrowska B., 2024. Assessment of the natural radioactivity of waste fertilizers from municipal water and sewage companies in Poland.  1st International Conference of Soil and Agriculture: Towards Soil Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICSA1.PP.22