Understanding Soil Contamination in Nitrogen Fertilizer Manufacturing: Spatial Distribution, Factors, and Implications for Environmental Management

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