Transfer characteristic of fluorine from atmospheric dry deposition, fertilizers, pesticides, and phosphogypsum into soil

Fluorine (F) is widely dispersed in the environment and frequently used in industry and agriculture with a high migration ability. Thus, it is essential to understand the leaching characteristic of F in soil from industry and agriculture sources. Several sources of F pollutants in soil, including fertilizers, pesticides, phosphogypsum, and atmospheric deposition, were selected to investigate leaching characteristics of F in soil by leaching experiments. The addition of phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer (N:P:K = 20:10:15) enhanced the leachability of F in soil and the proportion of F leached out from soil treated by these fertilizers were 0.25% and 0.24%, respectively. However, unanticipated lower leachability of F appeared in compound fertilizer (N:P:K = 17:17:17), nitrogen fertilizer, dipterex, fluoroglycofen, fluopimomide, simulative dry deposition (YF3), and phosphogypsum loaded soils compared with additive-absent treatment. Although phosphogysum had a high F concentration, minimum proportion of F released (0.18%) was observed in phosphogypsum-coverd soil. The amounts of F leaching-out from surface soils (0–25 cm) treated with nitrogen fertilizer decreased 1.03 kg ha−1 comparing with blank control. Soil with phosphate fertilizer leached 5.47 kg F ha−1 a year, having the highest environment risk to deeper soil and groundwater. However, phosphogypsum and dry deposition of airbone F chemical had few effects on F leaching in soil. F-containing materials from agricultural process may leach more F from surface soils than industrial sources. [Display omitted] •Not every F-containing material in soil yields an increase of soil F leachability.•Soil applied with phosphate fertilizer had the highest F environment risk.•Minimum F leaching rate was observed in phosphogypsum-loaded soil.•Most of the F-containing atmospheric deposition accumulate in the surface of soil.•Fertilization contributes more in F leaching out from surface soil than pesticide.