Nutrient leaching following land application of aerobically digested municipal sewage sludge in a northern hardwood forest

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · Journal of Environmental Quality

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1994.00472425002300010021x· OSTI ID:244256

Medalie, L; Bowden, W B; Smith, C T ^[1]

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1. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)

Concentrations of selected cations and anions were determined in soil solutions from a forested site in southern New Hampshire during the first growing season after surface application of an aerobically digested, limed, liquid municipal sludge. Sludge was applied in June 1989 at 0, 3.3, 6.9, and 14.5 Mg ha{sup -1}, which corresponded to 199, 396, and 740 kg N ha{sup -1} as total Kjeldahl N (TKN). Porous, suction-cup lysimeters were used to sample soil solutions below the rooting zone ({approximately}60 cm) within subplots designed to include (untrenched) or exclude (trenched) uptake by vegetation. Following sludge application, measured solute concentrations remained low until September 1989, when NO{sub 3}, Cl, Ca, Mg, Na, and K in trenched subplots increased simultaneously to maximum values in October or November 1989, just before the soil froze for the winter. Nitrate was the dominant anion in soil solutions from trenched subplots and averaged in excess of 0.71 mmol L{sup -1} (10 mg L{sup -1} NO{sub 3}-N) at all loading rates. Highest concentrations of NO{sub 3} occurred on subplots with the highest sludge application rates. In the entrenched areas, NO{sub 3} concentrations rarely exceeded 0.001 mmol L{sup -1}; Cl increased in treated areas and was the dominant anion by the end of the season. Soil solution NH{sub 4}, PO{sub 4}, SO{sub 4} K, and pH did not change significantly for any sludge application rate. Comparison of results from trenched and untrenched areas suggests that, at application rates of up to 14.5 Mg ha{sup -1 }(799 kg TKN ha{sup -1}), a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors (most likely plant uptake) limited the movement of sludge or sludge-derived constituents from the sites of application. 37 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 244256
• Journal Information: Journal of Environmental Quality, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Quality Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 23; ISSN JEVQAA; ISSN 0047-2425
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ANIONS
CATIONS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
FORESTS
LEACHING
LYSIMETERS
NITRATES
NITROGEN
PH VALUE
PHOSPHATES
SEWAGE SLUDGE
SOIL CHEMISTRY
SULFATES
UPTAKE
WASTE DISPOSAL