Utilization of municipal organic wastes in agriculture: where do we stand,where will we go?

Generation of organic waste is increasing worldwide and strategies for its environmentally sound use must be developed and optimized. Regulations in European countries and the USA differ largely with respect to requirements of organic waste quality and the quantities of pollutants which can be added to the soil. Research has shown beneficial effects regarding the improvement of soil fertility. Enrichment of total metals in soil was attributed to long‐term sludge application but the effect on bioavailability of metals must be further clarified. A number of organic pollutants, such as hydrophobic persistent organic contaminants and surfactants, are known to accumulate in organic wastes. However, the former interact strongly with organic matter in the sludge‐soil‐plant system and systemic plant uptake is generally assumed to be minimal. Surfactants may cause adverse environmental impacts when they enter sewage systems in high loads and accumulate in sludge. Surfactants and some of their metabolites are not readily biodegraded in non‐aerated environments. Due to their toxicity and estrogenic activity, of nonylphenol for example, more research is needed to optimize analytical techniques and to trace their behavior in soil. Some options to cope with the risks of huge amounts of organic waste and also some benefits are presented: (1) further limitation of standards for pollutants and reduced application rates; (2) improved treatment of sewage sludge to reduce the total and bioavailable portions of both heavy metals and organic pollutants; (3) adaptation of waste application rates to soil properties such as sorption capacity for pollutants; (4) harmonization of analytical protocols for organic contaminants, i.e. surfactants and metabolites, enabling a more thorough monitoring of the wastes which are to be applied onto soils.     

Degradation of DEHP,PAHs and LAS in Source Separated MSW and Sewage Sludge During Composting

The efficiency of composting to remove the pollutants DEHP, PAHs and LAS from organic waste products was investigated. Source separated MSW and sewage sludge, respectively, were composted at temperatures ranging from 35 to 70°C using a laboratory-scale reactor composting system. At regular intervals, compost samples were taken from the reactors for chemical analysis. DEHP disappeared rapidly during composting of MSW; 96 to 99% of the initial content was degraded within 25 days of composting regardless of process temperature. In sewage sludge, the highest degradation of 91% was reached at a composting temperature of 65°C. LAS degradation in sewage sludge was fastest at 55°C, but at both process temperatures tested 99% of the initial content had been removed within 25 days. Degradation of PAHs was less complete. However, in all composting experiments, with MSW as well as sewage sludge, the final PAH concentration was less than in the starting material. Further experiments suggested that less than 0.1% of the pollutants had evaporated. Thus, composting proved to be a promising technique to promote degradation of organic pollutants — especially DEHP and LAS — in MSW and sewage sludge.     

Effects of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulphonates (LASs) on Exogenous Organic Matter Content and Evolution in Sewage Sludge–Amended Soils

Abstract

Linear alkylbenzene sulphonates (LASs) are anionic surfactants commonly used in commercial detergents. A potential risk associated with the recycling of sewage waste materials is the presence of LASs and their primary degradation products, which could accumulate in sludge, especially during anaerobic processing. The long‐term accumulation of these contaminants in soils and especially the potential disturbance of soil functions need to be studied in more detail. In our study, the influence of the amendment added to an agricultural soil with different organic wastes containing LASs on organic matter content and nitrogen (N) content evolution and mineralization was studied in field conditions. A completely randomized 3×3 factorial arrangement, representing two sewage sludge types (composted and uncomposted) and three levels of LAS presence (0, 15, and 30 g/m²) in treated soils, was established using field plots (7×2 m); the results are compared with untreated plots. Statistical models based on covariance analysis were used to understand the dynamics of and the main factors influencing carbon (C) and N mineralization in sewage sludge amended–soils in the presence of LAS. LAS seemed to alter nitrogen mineralization, especially the nitrate dynamics.     

Effects of five non-agricultural organic wastes on soil composition, and on the yield and nitrogen recovery of Italian ryegrass

Abstract. We studied the effects of five diverse non-agricultural organic wastes on soil composition, grass yield and grass nitrogen use in a 3–year field experiment. The applied wastes were distillery pot ale, dairy salt whey, abattoir blood and gut contents, composted green waste (two annual applications each), and paper-mill sludge (one annual application). With the exception of N immobilization in the paper-mill sludge treatment, the wastes had no unfavourable effects on the soil. In the 2–year treatments, grass dry matter yields from the abattoir and distillery wastes (26.3 t ha⁻¹) were larger than those from a NH₄NO₃ fertilizer treatment (24.3 t ha⁻¹) and from the dairy waste (20.4 t ha⁻¹) and composted waste (22.8 t ha⁻¹). Yield and N recovery were impaired markedly after the single application of paper-mill sludge, both in the year of application and in the following year. The results demonstrated clear differences in the ability of the applied wastes to provide crop-available N. We conclude that in order to improve prediction of both the benefits and risks from waste recycling to land, more information should be gathered on soil/waste/crop interactions.     

Behaviour of the endocrine disrupting chemical nonylphenol in soil: Assessing the risk associated with spreading contaminated waste to land

There is increasing environmental concern about the impact of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on ecosystem sustainability and human health. Many EDCs are present within wastes which are routinely spread to land (e.g. biosolids). The aim of this study was to investigate the behaviour and fate of the EDC, 4-nonylphenol (NP), in a range of soils and to assess the potential risk it may pose to soil and freshwaters environments. We showed that NP was not persistent in soil, that NP mineralization was concentration-dependent and was stimulated by the addition of organic residues (e.g. biosolids, glucose, dead roots) but not by the presence of a rhizosphere. NP had no negative effect on soil respiration or plant growth unless present at extreme concentrations (?10,000 mg NP kg⁻¹) and the uptake of NP by plants was very low. While NP was sorbed to the solid phase it could easily be leached from soil. Taking all of our results together, we conclude that the spreading of NP contaminated waste soil to soil probably poses a very low environmental risk to freshwater ecosystems and human health.     

Effects of Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonates (LASs) in Sewage Sludge–Amended Soils on Nutrient Contents of Broccoli Plants

Abstract

Sewage sludge is used in agriculture as a fertilizer and an organic amendment to improve physical and chemical soil properties. However, sludge contains organic compounds, such as surfactants, which may be toxic in the soil–plant system. The effects on plants of linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS), a group of anionic surfactants that are widely used in detergent products, have not been well defined. In this experiment, the effect of differently treated sewage sludge containing LAS on the macronutrient and sodium contents of different parts of broccoli plants (Brassica oleracea L. var. botrytis subvar. cymosa Lam.) was studied in a field experiment. Fertilizer treatments were un‐composted sewage sludge (UCSS), composted sewage sludge (CSS), and a control without fertilization (NF). The LAS levels were established across all fertilizer treatments by addition of 0, 15, or 30 g LAS m^?2 (LAS0, LAS15, and LAS30, respectively). In general, the macronutrient contents in shoots, leaves, and edible parts of broccoli were higher in plants cultivated without fertilization but with LAS. In most cases, the LAS application increased the nitrogen, phosphorus, and sodium contents of the different plant parts, whereas calcium and magnesium concentrations were reduced.     

施肥对灌漠土作物产量、土壤肥力与重金属含量的影响

有机物还田是提升土壤肥力的主要措施,但也存在造成土壤金属污染的潜在风险。为查明不同有机物还田对土壤质量及作物产量的影响,本文通过长期定位试验,研究了无肥对照、常规施化肥(氮磷配施)以及70%常规化肥与牛粪、沼渣、污泥、鸡粪、菌渣和猪粪配施对土壤理化性状、有机碳和氮的固存率、氮磷钾活化系数、作物产量及重金属含量的影响。结果表明:牛粪、沼渣、污泥、菌渣、鸡粪和猪粪与70%化肥配施虽作物产量与常规施化肥相似,但6种有机物处理土壤有机质、全氮和碱解氮含量都较常规施化肥处理显著增加,污泥、鸡粪和猪粪处理土壤全磷与速效磷含量较常规施化肥处理显著增加,而且牛粪、沼渣、鸡粪和猪粪处理的速效钾、土壤磷活化系数和土壤钾活化系数较常规施化肥处理也显著提升。牛粪、沼渣、污泥、菌渣、鸡粪和猪粪处理土壤有机碳固存率为36.42%～71.61%,较常规施化肥处理都显著提高;而其氮固存率为6.47%～49.44%,仅有菌渣处理与常规施化肥处理差异不显著,而其他处理较常规施化肥处理显著增加。长期施鸡粪和菌渣处理的土壤铜含量较常规施化肥处理显著增加,增加量分别为4.17mg·kg~(-1)和14.2mg·kg~(-1);而污泥、鸡粪和菌渣处理的土壤锌含量较常规施化肥处理显著增加,增加量分别为13.53 mg·kg~(-1)、22.60 mg·kg~(-1)和49.73mg·kg~(-1)。综上,等有机质(4 500kg×hm~(-2))的牛粪、沼渣、污泥、菌渣、鸡粪和猪粪可替代30%氮磷肥,作物产量不受影响;不同有机物培肥土壤效果为污泥、鸡粪和猪粪优于牛粪和沼渣,而沼渣的培肥效果略差。为保证土壤环境质量稳定不恶化,种植小麦时有机物铜和锌的年携入量应分别低于53.01g×hm~(-2)和221.30 g×hm~(-2),而种植玉米时应分别低于153.40 g×hm~(-2)和347.04 g×hm~(-2)。     

生物炭对滴灌春小麦产量及土壤肥力的影响

为了解生物炭对滴灌春小麦产量及土壤肥力的影响,通过2年田间试验对灰漠土土壤和春小麦养分及产量等进行了研究。结果表明:与CK相比,施用生物炭显著(P0.05)增加了土壤肥力,并显著(P0.05)增加春小麦对N、P和K的吸收,还对春小麦产量及构成具有积极的促进作用。与NP处理相比,NP+B6处理显著(P0.05)增加了土壤有机质、全氮和速效钾含量以及植株吸磷量。与NP+M6处理相比,NP+B6处理显著(P0.05)增加了土壤全氮、速效钾和植株养分吸收量。     

Mineralizable Nitrogen of Organic Wastes and Soil Chemical Changes under Laboratory Conditions

This study looks at the ability of organic wastes from different sources to efficiently promote chemical attributes and enhance nitrogen (N) concentrations in an Oxisol Ustox with a sandy texture. This experiment was performed in a randomized design using wastes from pulp mill sludge, petrochemical complex, sewage treatment plant, dairy factory sewage treatment plant, and pulp fruit industry, on 10 different days. Results showed that addition of the wastes to the soil amended their chemical attributes. The different characteristics of the organic wastes seem to have influenced the N mineralization rates during the 112 days. There was a close relationship between the N mineralization and organic waste C/N ratio: blank soil (SP) (Nma = 3.17) < Treated pulp mill sludge (PMS) (Nma = 30.49, C/N 63.6:1) < Organic compost from the fruit pulp industry (FPW) (Nma = 67.6, C/N 11.9:1) < Treated urban sewage sludge (USS) (Nma = 76.22, C/N 7.2:1) = Petrochemical complex sludge (PS) (Nma = 84.0, C/N 7.7:1) < Treated dairy industry sewage sludge (DSS) (Nma = 102.17, C/N 8.4:1).     

Manipulating the N release from N-rich crop residues by using organic wastes on soils with different textures

The potential to manipulate the N release from vegetable crop residues (cauliflower, leek) by using organic wastes was tested under field conditions on three soil textures during 2 years (silt loam, sandy loam and loamy sand). During the first year, incorporation of green waste compost and sawdust did not significantly increase microbial biomass N and did not lead to a significant N immobilization of crop residue‐N. During the second year, straw did increase microbial biomass N and showed a good N immobilization potential in all textures. The largest increase in microbial biomass N and the greatest N immobilization occurred in the loamy sand soil. The texture effect was probably because of better incorporation of the crop residues and immobilizer wastes in the loamy sand soil compared with the other textures. During spring, there was no consistent remineralization of immobilized N after the addition of malting sludge or vinasses in either year. This could be a result of the limited amount of N immobilized and available for remineralization in the first year or an unsuitable composition of the remineralizer wastes.     

不同有机废弃物对土壤磷吸附能力及有效性的影响

城郊农地是循环有机废弃物的重要场所,但长期施用畜禽粪和城市污泥可引起土壤磷素积累、磷饱和度提高,增加土壤向环境流失磷的风险。为了解施用不同来源的有机废弃物对城郊耕地土壤磷素化学行为的影响,选择4种不同磷含量的土壤,探讨在等量磷素情况下,施用KH2PO4、猪粪/稻草秸秆堆肥、沼渣、猪粪、鸡粪、生活垃圾堆肥和2种污泥等不同磷源时,土壤有效磷含量及磷吸附能力的差异。结果表明,施用有机废弃物增加了土壤有效磷和水溶性磷含量,降低了土壤对磷的吸附能力,但影响程度因有机废弃物来源而异。施用猪粪/稻草秸秆堆肥和猪粪降低土壤磷最大吸附量比例(9.03%~15.60%)与施KH2PO4(10.59%~16.63%)相当,但施用沼渣、鸡粪和生活垃圾堆肥降低土壤磷最大吸附量的比例(5.09%~9.84%)明显低于施KH2PO4;施用2种污泥降低土壤磷最大吸附量的比例(4.32%~6.77%)最小。不同有机废弃物对土壤有效磷的影响差异较小,但对水溶性磷的影响较大。施用有机废弃物后,土壤磷最大吸附量的下降值与施用有机废弃物中铁、铝、钙含量呈负相关;土壤水溶性磷的变化量与施用有机废弃物后土壤交换性钙的增加量呈负相关,表明有机废弃物中铁、铝和钙等矿质成分的增加,可在一定程度上减少有机废弃物在土壤循环处理时磷对环境的负影响。在农田施用有机废弃物时,不仅要考虑有机废弃物磷素状况,也应适当考虑其他矿质成分的组成特点。该研究可为城郊农地科学施用有机废弃物提供依据。     

Changes in the microbial activity of an arid soil amended with urban organic wastes

Changes produced in the biological characteristics of an arid soil by the addition of various urban wastes (municipal solid waste, sewage sludge and compost) at different doses, were evaluated during a 360-day incubation experiment. The addition of organic materials to the soil increased the values of biomass carbon, basal respiration, biomass C/total organic C ratio and metabolic quotient (qCO₂), indicating the activation of soil microorganisms. These biological parameters showed a decreasing tendency with time. Nevertheless, their values in amended soils were higher than in control soil, which clearly indicates the improvement of soil biological quality brought about by the organic amendment. This favorable effect on soil biological activity was more noticeable with the addition of fresh wastes (municipal solid waste or sewage sludge) than with compost. In turn, this effect was more permanent when the soil was amended with municipal solid waste than when it was amended with sewage sludge. Received: 28 May 1996     

Ecotoxicological assessment of organic wastes using the soil collembolan Folsomia candida

The reproduction test with the collembolan Folsomia candida is used as a tool to evaluate the ecotoxicological potential of organic wastes currently applied to soil. Seven organic wastes (dewatered sewage sludges, thermally dried sewage sludges, composted sewage sludges, and a thermally dried pig slurry) were tested. These wastes had different origins, treatments, and pollutant burdens, and were selected as a representative sample of the wide variety of wastes currently generated. F. candida showed varied sensitivity depending on the waste, but also depending on the endpoint assessed. Reproduction was more sensitive than survival, although no correlations between reproduction and physico-chemical parameters and pollutant burden could be found. On the other hand, mortality was directly related to the lack of stability of wastes, probably reflecting the toxicity of end-products such as ammonium. Body length was not shown to be a sensitive endpoint for waste testing, as it was neither affected nor even stimulated by waste concentrations.Organic matter, pH, and electrical conductivity varied with waste concentration in soil-waste mixtures, although their effect on collembolan performance was expected to be low and part of the complex effect exerted by wastes when applied to real soils. Selection of the water content is the most problematic aspect in waste testing, as it may affect the performance of test organisms. In this study, a qualitative approach for water content selection in waste testing was considered to be the most suitable.Treatment of wastes affected composition and toxicity. Composting of sewage sludge increased its stability, compared to the initial sludge, but decreased its non-persistent organic pollutant burden and toxicity. On the other hand, thermally dried wastes from sludge and pig slurry displayed high toxicity, mainly attributable to their low stability. The results from the study indicate the inability of chemical methods to predict the effects of complex mixtures on living organisms with respect to ecotoxicity bioassays, but also the need for stabilization treatments of organic wastes prior to their reuse in soils.     

Evolution of mercury content in agricultural soils due to the application of organic and mineral fertilizers

Purpose

Mercury pollution in agricultural soils associated to the use of fertilizers and its influence on crops is a cause of major concern. The purpose of this work was to investigate the impact of the application of different organic and mineral fertilizers on the Hg concentration in the agricultural soils and its uptake by barley.

Materials and methods

Hg concentration was studied through a field test in an agricultural land located in the province of Palencia (Spain) over a 5-year period. The impact of irrigation and of four different fertilizers (a mineral one and three different organic waste materials, namely municipal solid waste compost, sewage sludge, and dehydrated sewage sludge) was assessed. The amounts of the mineral and organic fertilizers added to the soil were determined according to agricultural fertilization needs. The experimental crop was barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), planted as an annual crop. Mercury analyses were conducted using a direct mercury analyzer and validated according to EPA Method 7473. BCR-141R was used as a certified reference material.

Results and discussion

After 5 years, whereas the application of the mineral fertilizer did not increase the mercury content in the agricultural soils, the application of the organic residues led to Hg contents 1.7–7.6 times higher than that of the control soil. The treatment with solid municipal waste compost (MSWC) led to the largest increase in Hg content in the soil, followed by composted sewage sludge (CSS) and by dehydrated sewage sludge (DSS). No significant differences were observed in the Hg content in the barley grains, although the highest values were associated to the sludge-treated plots.

Conclusions

The application of organic fertilizers such as sewage sludges and municipal solid wastes led to an increase in the mercury concentration in the agricultural soils, noticeable for soils with low initial Hg concentrations (similar to background levels). This increase differed depending on the type of waste and on the intra-organic matter diffusion mechanisms, as well as on the type of irrigation of the agricultural land. Conversely, no significant differences in the Hg content in grains were found among the soils with the different fertilization treatments, although the highest values were observed for those treated with sewage sludge. The resulting Hg levels in both soils and grains were within legal limits, posing no danger to the environment or to human health.

     

共消化污泥施用对贫瘠土壤性质和蔬菜品质的影响

将市政污泥、餐厨垃圾和果蔬垃圾的共消化污泥进行农业利用,通过分析土壤和蔬菜中营养元素和重金属含量,研究共消化污泥对土壤营养元素变化、蔬菜养分吸收、土壤重金属累积、蔬菜重金属积累的影响。结果表明,共消化污泥施用显著提高了土壤有机质、总氮、总磷含量,且提高幅度与共消化污泥的施用量呈线性关系,同时促进了蔬菜对氮、磷的吸收和利用,但土壤总钾含量和蔬菜对钾的吸收受共消化污泥施用影响较小。共消化污泥施用后,土壤中Zn、Cu和Cd含量增加,尤其是Cd含量增加较明显,并且在蔬菜中累积,但土壤重金属含量均低于土壤环境质量标准二级标准规定的限值,蔬菜可食部分中Cu、Zn、Cr和Cd含量均低于食品中污染物限量规定的限值。因此,在共消化污泥农业利用过程中,仍需重点关注重金属含量的变化和累积。     

生物炭：一种新型改良剂能修复矿物、工业以及污水废弃物污染的土壤

Mine tailings, waste rock piles, acid mine drainage, industrial wastewater, and sewage sludge have contaminated a vast area of cultivable and fallow lands, with a consequence of deterioration of soil and water quality and watercourses due to the erosion of contaminated soils for absence of vegetative cover.High concentrations of toxic elements, organic contaminants, acidic soils, and harsh climatic conditions have made it difficult to re-establish vegetation and produce crops there. Recently, a significant body of work has focussed on the suitability and potentiality of biochar as a soil remediation tool that increases seed emergence, soil and crop productivity, above ground biomass, and vegetation cover on mine tailings, waste rock piles, and industrial and sewage waste-contaminated soils by increasing soil nutrients and water-holding capacity, amelioration of soil acidity, and stimulation of microbial diversity and functions. This review addresses: i) the functional properties of biochar, and microbial cycling of nutrients in soil; ii) bioremediation, especially phytoremediation of mine tailings, industrial waste, sewage sludge, and contaminated soil using biochar; iii) impact of biochar on reduction of acid production, acid mine drainage treatment, and geochemical dynamics in mine tailings; and iv) treatment of metal and organic contaminants in soils using biochar, and restoration of degraded land.     

DEHP污染的两种土壤中接种丛枝菌根对豇豆生长和DEHP降解的影响

A 60-day pot experiment was carried out using di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as a typical organic pollutant phthalic ester and cowpea (Vigna sinensis) as the host plant to determine the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation on plant growth and degradation of DEHP in two contaminated soils, a yellow-brown soil and a red soil. The air-dried soils were uniformly sprayed with different concentrations of DEHP, inoculated or left uninoculated with an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, and planted with cowpea seeds. After 60 days the positive impact of AM inoculation on the growth of cowpea was more pronounced in the red soil than in the yellow-brown soil, with significantly higher (P < 0.01) mycorrhizal colonization rate, shoot dry weight and total P content in shoot tissues for the red soil. Both in the yellow-brown and red soils, AM inoculation significantly (P < 0.01) reduced shoot DEHP content, implying that AM inoculation could inhibit the uptake and translocation of DEHP from roots to the aboveground parts. However, with AM inoculation no positive contribution to the degradation of DEHP was found.     

Effect of Organic Materials on Yields and Nutrient Accumulation of Wheat

ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted under greenhouse conditions using a sandy clay loam treated with garbage and mushroom composts, cattle and chicken manures, or municipal sludge at rates of 0, 30, or 60 ton ha^?1. The organic materials were applied to the pots and incubated for 15 d. The soil samples were watered at field capacity. In this experiment, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was used as a test crop. At the end of the experiment, it was found that treating sandy clay loam with the organic materials increased plant total and grain yields, protein content, 1000-kernel weight, number of grains in spike, and accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) by wheat compared with the control treatment, depending on the organic material applications. Thus, the increases were found to be statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05). Among the types of organic materials, the sewage sludge was the most effective material in increasing N, P, K, Fe, Zn, and Mn content of leaf, grain, and stem samples of the wheat plant. It was followed by mushroom compost and cattle manure. Based on the results, sewage sludge and garbage compost are suggested for use as an amendment for the soil studied. Comparing the beneficial effects of the organic materials applied for improving plant growth and nutrient accumulation, the materials can be arranged in the following descending order: municipal sludge > chicken manure > cattle manure > garbage compost > mushroom compost. It is suggested that recycling of organic materials for agricultural usage as an organic-matter resource is an alternative, organic fertilization option in Turkey.     

有机物料还田对华北小麦玉米两熟农田土壤有机碳及其组分的影响

中国农业废弃物种类多、数量大、利用率低、污染重。将有机物料还田,是实现废弃物资源化利用的重要途径。该研究以循环农业理念为指导,选择代表农田内循环的秸秆以及代表农沼循环、农牧循环、农菌循环、农工循环的废弃物沼渣、猪粪、菌渣和酒渣为试验材料,开展了等碳量还田定位试验,分析各有机物料还田后对土壤有机碳及其组分的影响。结果表明:1)连续施用有机物料提高了土壤总有机碳(TOC)、易氧化有机碳(LOC)、微生物量碳(MBC)和可溶性有机碳(DOC)含量。随着有机物料还田年限的增加,土壤TOC、LOC和MBC含量均不同程度地增加,年平均增幅分别为:15.57%~22.82%、20.00%~38.31%和16.30%~50.56%。还田5年后各有机物料处理土壤TOC、LOC、MBC和DOC含量平均分别是无机肥处理的1.24~1.62、2.07~3.19、1.20~2.06和1.05~3.36倍。2)不同有机物料中均利于土壤TOC含量的提高,秸秆提升效果相对最差,沼渣、菌渣、猪粪、酒渣和秸秆还田处理的0~20cm土壤TOC含量平均增长速率分别为:22.82%、21.88%、16.42%、16.13%和15.57%。