Use of Raw and Composted Paper Sludge as a Soil Additive or Mulch for Cottonwood Plants

Pulp and paper sludge is a by-product of paper production and may be suitable in agricultural applications as a soil amendment or mulch. The objective of this study was to evaluate raw and composted pulp and paper sludge as soil additives or mulches for cottonwood plants. Primary sludge, a combination of by-products from bleached kraft and neutral sulfite semichemical paper, was mixed with tailings, slaughterhouse paunch, and 10 percent wood ash (by volume), and used raw or composted and cured in the field for 39 weeks. Cuttings of two cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh) clones were planted in a field soil (Quincy loamy fine sand) that was mixed (incorporated) or mulched (placed on top the soil) with raw or composted sludge mixtures at application rates of 0,45,90, 135 and 180 Mg/ha. The plants were grown in a plastic house for nine weeks. Electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), soluble Cl and extractable Na in soil amended with 180 Mg/ha of compost were 37, 22, 197 and 138 percent higher, respectively, than those of soil amended with the raw sludge mixture at the same rate. Bulk density of amended soil decreased, whereas soil aeration and water-holding capacity increased as sludge application rate increased. After nine weeks, raw or composted sludge applied at a rate of 135 Mg/ha, whether used as a mulch or incorporated, improved cottonwood plant height by 40 percent and stem diameter by 20 percent compared to plants grown in nonamended, nonmulched (control) soil. These results indicate that the pulp and paper sludge mixtures, whether raw or composted, improved soil characteristics and aided establishment of cottonwood cuttings.