Ground and Surface Water Pollution by Nitrogen Compounds

1. Ground and Surface Water Pollution by Nitrogen Compounds April 18, 2005 Team: Sluggers Names of Team Members

2. GOALS • Learn how to use nitrogen fertilizers effectively • Learn how nitrate effects drinking water from wells • Teach about the health effects of nitrogen in drinking water • Teach you how to remove nitrogen pollution and prevent it

3. 13.20 Nitrogen fertilizers are important for crops but cause serious pollution

4. Use of Nitrogen as a Fertilizer • In 1989 the main sources of nitrogen fertilizers were sodium nitrate and ammonium sulphate • Sodium nitrate was obtained from immense deposits of nitrate-bearing rocks, called caliche, that had been discovered in Chile at the beginning of the nineteenth century. • Ammonium sulfate was obtained from coal gas. Other sources of nitrogen included sewage, guano (bird droppings), and manure, but these were of declining importance.

5. Nitrogen in Plants, Soil, and Groundwater • Good crop yields = adequate supply of nitrogen. • Not enough nitrogen = yellow or stunted crops/ smaller than normal flowers/fruits. • Forms of Soil Nitrogen. In the soil, it exists in two major classes of compounds: • Organic nitrogen, such as proteins, amino acids, and urea, including nitrogen found within living organisms and decaying plant and animal tissues. • Inorganic nitrogen, including ammonium (NH4+), ammonia gas (NH3), nitrite (N02), and nitrate (N03).

6. Nitrogen in Plants, Soil, and Groundwater Cont. • The Nitrogen Cycle : • Fixation • Mineralization • Nitrification • Plant Uptake • Leaching • Denitrification

7. Fertilize Crops, Not Groundwater • Supply nitrogen in an organic form such as manure or legume residues - To use fertilizer nitrogen correctly, take the following steps for non legume crops: • 1. Establish a realistic goal for crop yield, and from this goal estimate the amount of nitrogen that the crop must accumulate. • 2. Estimate the amount of nitrogen that will be supplied by the mineralization of soil organic nitrogen and crop residues. • 3. Use any available manure nitrogen to supplement the soil and crop residue supplies. • 4. If necessary, supplement these nitrogen sources with enough fertilizer to meet the yield goal for the particular crop. • 5. Apply any needed fertilizer just before the period of most rapid crop uptake to minimize leaching and denitrification.

8. Nitrates in Well Water • Concern has been expressed about the increasing nitrate levels in drinking water- particularly in rural areas. • Uncontaminated groundwater has nitrate nitrogen level of 2ppm. • About 9% of shallow aquifers where well water is extracted now have nitrate levels of 10ppm.

9. How do Nitrates get into Wells? • Runoff of nitrogen fertilizers, both inorganic, and animal manure. • Atmospheric deposition • Human sewage deposited in septic system • Cultivation of soil • Runoff from barnyards and feedlots

10. Nitrates in Wells • Wells most vulnerable to nitrate contamination include; shallow wells, dug wells w/ casing that is not watertight, and wells that have damaged or leaking casing or fittings. • Nitrate contamination of a well is often regarded as the first sign of deteriorating groundwater.

11. Nitrates in Wells • Nitrate is tasteless, odorless, and colorless. To find out if there is nitrate in your water, have it tested by Dept. of Health. • It's a good idea to have a routine nitrate test every two or three years.

12. Health Effect of Nitrate Pollution • Excess nitrate ion in drinking water is a potential health hazard • Methemoglobinemia, otherwise known as blue baby syndrome deals with new born babies and adults with a particular enzyme deficiency is a pathological process

13. Health effects of Nitrate Pollution • Bacteria for example, in unsterilized baby bottles or in their stomach converts the nitrate ion to nitrite ion • NO3- ~> NO2- • The nitrite then combines with the hemoglobin in blood and prevents absorption and transfer of oxygen • Thus, the baby turns blue and suffers respiratory failure

14. In most adults the oxidized hemoglobin converts back to oxygen-carrying form and nitrite becomes nitrate again Before this occurs the nitrate is usually absorbed in digestive system before reduction to nitrite can occur Methemoglobinemia isn’t such a problem in industrialized countries but rather in some developing countries There is some things you can do to prevent such things as the “baby blue syndrome” The EPA set a public water supply maximum contaminant level of 10mg/l, or 10ppm for nitrate-nitrogen If drinking water source contains nitrate-nitrogen above this level, use bottled water or treat water with a distiller Boiling water containing the nitrate does not reduce these levels Health effects of Nitrate Pollution Cont…

15. Nitrate Ion causing Cancer • One more link between high levels of nitrate in drinking water is cancer • The increased risk for the cancer called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in a persons consuming water having the highest levels of nitrate

16. Removal of Nitrogen Pollutants • 3 general methods • Non-treatment • Ion exchange • Bio-chemical denitrification • Non-treatment replaces the polluted water with pure water • Only successful with contained pollution

17. Ion Exchange 4 steps Resin bed recharge Anion exchange Resin is “exhausted” Resin regeneration No complete removal with this method Cheapest at 24.2 cents/1000 gallons Bio-chemical Denitrification Denitrifying bacteria and microbes are implanted in the water Reduces nitrate ions to elemental N2 Photosynthetic algae can also do this Can be affected by other toxins in water rendering them useless Removal Methods

18. Prevention • Athletic fields and golf courses can control the pollution by using slow release nitrogen sources or smaller amounts used more often • Farmers need to cut down unnecessary amounts of nitrogen fertilizers used • Manure should be stored in cement pits or “slurrystores” rather than in manure lagoons • Grassy floodplains should be left in original state and not drained

19. Summary • Fertilizers • Sources of Pollution • Health effects • Removal of pollutants • Prevention

20. Bibliography • Baird, C.; Gloffke, W. Water: Sources Pollution, and Purification:Chemistry in Your Life. W.H. Freeman and Company: New York. 2003. pp. 498-502. • University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension. Drinking Water: Methemoglobinemia. http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/water. • Trautmann, N.; Porter, K. Nitrogen: The Essential Element.http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/nit-el-grw89.html. • Haller, L.; McCarthy, P. Nitrate Pollution of Groundwater. http://www.reopure.com/nitratinfo.html.