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Successive sewage sludge fertilization: Recycling for sustainable agriculture.

Authors :
Breda CC
Soares MB
Tavanti RFR
Viana DG
Freddi ODS
Piedade AR
Mahl D
Traballi RC
Guerrini IA
Source :
Waste management (New York, N.Y.) [Waste Manag] 2020 May 15; Vol. 109, pp. 38-50. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 May 05.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SS) is widely used in agriculture in several countries around the world. However, the impact of successive applications of SS on soil and the risks of nutrient leaching are often neglected. In this study, corn was grown on a constructed wetland for four crop cycles (two years), in which the wetland was subjected to successive SS applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate how the successive applications of SS affect the availability and leaching of nutrients in the soil profile, after two years of cultivation. Experiments were performed using a randomized block design with repeated measurements in time, that is, soil was sampled in each harvest. Six treatments were tested: four fertilizations based on sewage sludge, resulting from biological and anaerobic treatment, calculated to provide 25 (SS25), 50 (SS50), 75 (SS75), and 100% (SS100), of the N required for corn production (140 kg ha <superscript>-1</superscript> ); a mineral fertilization (NPK) (140 kg ha <superscript>-1</superscript>  N, 70 kg ha <superscript>-1</superscript> of P <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>5</subscript> and 40 kg ha <superscript>-1</superscript> of K <subscript>2</subscript> O) and a control (without fertilization). The results showed that four consecutive applications of SS100 for two years caused significant accumulation of nutrients and organic matter in the superficial layers of the soil. The electrical conductivity and the concentration of NO <subscript>3</subscript> <superscript>-</superscript> in the soil solution were higher than those permitted by Brazilian legislation. The adoption of domestic SS in Brazilian agriculture can be a viable alternative in the search for an environment-friendly and economically feasible method for SS disposal.<br /> (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1879-2456
Volume :
109
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Waste management (New York, N.Y.)
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32387839
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2020.04.045