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Heavy metals in composts of China: historical changes, regional variation, and potential impact on soil quality

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Abstract

Composts are considered one of major sources that contribute heavy metals to the environment. The objective of this study was to investigate historical changes and spatial variation of metal concentrations in Chinese composts by analysing representative compost samples and published data from 2002 to 2013. Mean concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu) in the composts were 2.42, 35.52, 32.38, 16.33, 0.32, 258.1, 9.71, and 72.24 mg kg−1, respectively. The percentages of samples with metal concentration exceeding critical levels of Chinese standards for organic fertilizers (NY525–2012) were 28.7, 18.3, 9.6, 1.7, and 0.9%, respectively, for Cd, As, Pb, Cr, and Hg. Modelling predicts that it would take 18, 24, 29, and 48 years for Cu, Zn, Hg, and Cd to reach Category I Environmental Capacity of China (GB15618–1995) according to current application rate. During the 2002–2013 period, concentration of Cd in composts tended to decrease with time, whereas those of Zn, Cu, and As were opposite, which is likely due to less or no control for these elements. Concentrations of Cu, Zn, As, and Cd were generally higher in composts from the economically developed regions in China, where more commercial farms were built that use metal-spiked feeds. Manures from the commercial farms generally had higher metal concentration, as compared to the subsistence farms. Further research is needed to monitor metal concentrations from source materials to composts and assess long-term impact of compost application on soil quality.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (LQ13C030004/LY12C03005), Lishui High-level Talent Projects (2014RC04), and a Key Project Funded by Chinese Education Department (212067), China Scholarship Council (CSC 201308330413) visiting fellowship awarded to Dr. Fenghua Ding, and University of Florida.

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  1. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Indian River Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL, 34951, USA

    Fenghua Ding, Zhenli He & Peter J. Stoffella

  2. Institute of Ecology, Lishui University, Lishui, Zhejiang, 323000, China

    Fenghua Ding, Shuxin Liu & Sihai Zhang

  3. Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, Hainan Province, 571101, China

    Fengliang Zhao & Qinfen Li

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  1. Fenghua Ding
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Ding, F., He, Z., Liu, S. et al. Heavy metals in composts of China: historical changes, regional variation, and potential impact on soil quality. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 3194–3209 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-8057-3

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