Mutagenic potential of municipal sewage sludge amended soils

This study was conducted to measure the mutagenic potential of municipal sewage sludge amended soil. Two separate sludge samples were collected from one municipal wastewater treatment plant and applied to undisturbed soil lysimeters over a 9 mo interval. Soil and sludge samples were collected for approximately 2 yr following sludge application. Samples were solvent extracted using methylene chloride and methanol, and the bacterial mutagenicity of the resulting residue determined using the Salmonella/microsome assay. The maximum specific activity of the sludge amended soil was 416 net revertants per 10 mg of residue induced by the methanol fraction extracted from the Weswood soil collected 154 d following the first sludge application. In the Padina sand, the maximum specific activity was 320 net revertants per 10 mg of residue induced by the methanol fraction extracted from the sample collected 154 d following the first sludge application. The specific activity of the sludge amended soil was observed to decrease slowly with time. For both the Padina and the Weswood soils, mutagenic organic chemicals were detected in soil samples collected 510 d following the second sludge application. For the Weswood soil, the mutagenic activity per unit weight of soil with metabolic activation of the samples collected 510 d after the final sludge application was decreased by 15 and 76% for the methylene chloride and methanol fractions, respectively, when compared to the maximum weighted activity observed 56 d after the final sludge application. The results indicate that municipal sewage sludges may contain organic mutagens which are persistent in the soil.     

Redistribution and Availability of Iron,Manganese, Zinc,and Copper in Four Malian Agricultural Soils Amended with Solid Municipal Waste Compost

Abstract

Municipal waste compost can improve the fertility status of tropical soils. The redistribution of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in tropical soils after amendment with solid municipal waste compost was investigated. Four tropical agricultural soils from Mali characterized by poor trace‐element status were amended with compost and incubated for 32 weeks at 35°C. The soil were analyzed at the beginning and the end of the incubation experiment for readily available fractions, organic fractions, and residual fractions as operationally defined by sequential extraction. Readily available Fe increased significantly with compost application in most soils. Readily available Mn was mostly unaffected by compost application. After 32 weeks, readily available Zn had increased, and readily available Cu had decreased. Readily available levels of the elements remained greater than deficiency levels in the compost‐amended soils. Organic fractions of the elements increased after compost addition. The organic fractions and residual forms, depending on the element and the soil, remained constant or increased within the duration of the experiment.     

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     

Build-up of carbon fractions in technosol-biochar amended partially reclaimed mine soil grown with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassica juncea</Emphasis>

Purpose

Soil organic carbon (SOC) and its labile fractions are strong determinants of physical, chemical and biological properties. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the effects of organic amendments (technosol made of wastes and biochar) and Brassica juncea L. on the soil C fractions in a reclaimed mine soil.

Materials and methods

The studied soil was from a former copper mine that was subsequently partially reclaimed with vegetation and wastes. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to amend the mine soil with different proportions of technosol and biochar mixture and planting B. juncea. B. juncea plants can tolerate high levels of metals and can produce a large amount of biomass in relatively short periods of time.

Results and discussion

The results showed that with the addition of biochar and wastes, soil pH increased from 2.7 to 6.18, SOC from undetectable to 105 g kg^?1 and soil total nitrogen (TN) from undetectable to 11.4 g kg^?1. Amending with wastes and biochar also increased dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from undetectable to 5.82 g kg^?1, carbon in the free organic matter (FOM) from undetectable to 30.42 g kg^?1, FAP (carbon in fulvic acids removed with phosphoric acid) from undetectable to 24.14 g kg^?1 and also increased the humification ratio, the humification index, the polymerisation rate and the organic carbon in the humified fractions (humic acids, fulvic acids and humin). Soils amended and vegetated with B. juncea showed lower FOM values and higher humification index values than the soils amended only with biochar and wastes.

Conclusions

This study concludes that the combined addition of wastes and biochar has a greater potential for both increasing and improving organic carbon fractions in mine soils. The authors recommend the application of biochar and technosol made of wastes as a soil amendment combined with B. juncea on soils that are deficient in organic matter, since they increased all of the SOC fractions in the studied copper mine soil.

     

The Impact of Allolobophora molleri on Soil Biology Under Different Organic Amendments

We investigated the effects of the endogenous Allolobophora molleri earthworm on the enzyme activities, the humus–enzyme complexes and the microbial community of a Plagic Antrosol soil which had been amended with different sources of organic matter. During a period of 300 days, the soil was amended with the organic fraction of a municipal solid waste at a rate of 10% or poultry manure at a rate of 7·6%, respectively, in order to apply the same amount of organic matter to the soil. At the end of the experiment, soil enzymatic activities were highest in organic amended soils with earthworms, followed by the organic‐amended soils without earthworms. The reason being, the earthworms stimulate microbial action by increasing the surface area for microbial colonization of the substrate and enzymatic through comminuting the organic wastes. The evolution of soil humus–enzyme complexes indicated the highest values of enzymes adsorbed to humus with the highest humic acid contents. The presence of A. molleri in organic‐amended soils significantly (p < 0·05) increased the soil microbial diversity. Possibly, the progressive breakdown of organic matter applied to the soil by earthworms does appear to produce new organic substrates which therefore promote the appearance of new microorganisms in the soil capable of degrading these substrates. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

半干旱土添加有机改良剂后有机质的化学结构变化

A 9-month incubation experiment using composted and non-composted amendments derived from vine pruning waste and sewage sludge was carried out to study the effects of the nature and stability of organic amendments on the structural composition of organic matter (OM) in a semi-arid soil.The changes of soil OM,both in the whole soil and in the extractable carbon with pyrophosphate,were evaluated by pyrolysis-gas chromatography and chemical analyses.By the end of the experiment,the soils amended with pruning waste exhibited less organic carbon loss than those receiving sewage sludge.The non-composted residues increased the aliphatic-pyrolytic products of the OM,both in the whole soil and also in the pyrophosphate extract,with the products derived from peptides and proteins being significantly higher.After 9 months,in the soils amended with pruning waste the relative abundance of phenolic-pyrolytic products derived from phenolic compounds,lignin and proteins in the whole soil tended to increase more than those in the soils amended with sewage sludge.However,the extractable OM with pyrophosphate in the soils amended with composted residues tended to have higher contents of these phenolic-pyrolytic products than that in non-composted ones.Thus,despite the stability of pruning waste,the composting of this material promoted the incorporation of phenolic compounds to the soil OM.The pyrolytic indices (furfural/pyrrole and aliphatic/aromatic ratios) showed the diminution of aliphatic compounds and the increase of aromatic compounds,indicating the stabilization of the OM in the amended soils after 9 months.In conclusion,the changes of soil OM depend on the nature and stability of the organic amendments,with composted vine pruning waste favouring humification.     

Organic Amendment Effects on the Transformation and Fractionation of Aluminum in Acidic Sandy Soil

Addition of organic amendments can alleviate the level of aluminum (Al) phytotoxicity in acid soils by affecting the nature and quantity of Al species. This study evaluated the transformation of Al in an acidic sandy Alaquod soil amended with composts (10 and 50 g kg^?1 soil of yard waste, yard + municipal waste, GreenEdge^®, and synthetic humic acid) based on soil Al fractionation by single and sequential extractions. Though the organic compost amendments increased total Al in soil, they alleviated Al potential toxicity in acidic soil by increasing soil pH and converting exchangeable Al to organically bound and other noncrystalline fractions, stressing the benefits of amending composts to improve acid soil fertility. The single‐extraction method appears to be more reliable for exchangeable Al than sequential extraction because of the use of nonbuffered pH extract solution.     

Sorption of s-Triazine Herbicides in Organic Matter Amended Soils: Fresh and Incubated Systems

Fresh amendment of soil with sewage sludge and composted sewage sludge resulted in increased sorption of three s-triazine herbicides: atrazine, ametryn and terbuthylazine. The extent of increased sorption (as evaluated by sorption coefficients K_d or K_f) was a function of soil type, such that sorption in amended organic carbon-poor soil (0.4% OC) was more enhanced than in amended organic carbon-rich soil (1.55% OC). Despite significant differences between the organic amendments in terms of humic and fulvic acid content, humin content, soluble organic matter content, total organic matter content, and H/C and O/C atomic ratios, organic matter composition had no discernible effect on either sorption distribution coefficients or on isotherm linearity in amended soils. Soils amended with composted sludge had the same sorption potential as did soils amended with the analogous uncomposted sludge. After incubating soil-sludge mixtures for a year at room temperature, organic matter content decreased to original pre-amendment levels. Sorption coefficients for the three compounds similarly decreased to initial pre-amendment values. Organic carbon normalized sorption coefficients (K_oc) were essentially identical in the soils, amended soils, and incubated amended soils, indicating that sludge and compost derived organic matter does not have a significantly different sorption capacity as compared with the original soils, despite compositional differences.     

Carbon and trace element mobility in an urban soil amended with green waste compost

Background, aim and scope  

The amendment of degraded urban soils using recycled organic wastes offers potential improvements to physicochemical status and functionality, but there is a paucity of knowledge on the potential impact on residual contaminants in soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mobility of trace metals and arsenic (As) through an urban soil following amendment with green waste compost over an annual cycle.     

Tillage effects on the accumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls in biosolid‐amended soils

Soil tillage along with the application of organic waste probably affects the concentrations of organic carbon and the enrichment of introduced polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). In a three‐year experiment the PCB status of soils from three different field sites (silty clay loam, silt loam, sandy loam) which were long‐term differently tilled (NT = no‐tillage, CT = conventional plough tillage) and amended with two different organic wastes such as sewage sludge and compost (biosolids) was examined. No significant alteration in soil‐PCB quality and quantity with biosolid application could be proven within the course of the experiments. This indicates soil‐air exchange of PCBs dominates their concentrations in soil. Organic carbon in soil was significantly tillage‐dependent and determined the fate of PCBs resulting in a generally elevated PCB‐level in the non tilled soils. Linear regression of PCB load and organic matter content of all investigated untreated soils was highly significant (R² = 0.73). Due to already elevated PCB levels in non tilled soils with a maximum of 65 μg kg^—1 in the superficial layer of the silt loam control plot, any additional potential input, i. e. through the amendment with organic wastes, should therefore be avoided.     

Valorization of Organic Wastes to Reduce the Movement of Priority Substances Through a Semiarid Soil

In this work, we examined the effect of two different organic wastes, composted sheep manure and coir, on the sorption, persistence, and mobility of three pesticides (alachlor, chlorfenvinphos, and chlorpyrifos) included as priority substances in European Directive 2013/39/EU. With this aim, leaching studies were conducted using disturbed soil columns filled with a typical agricultural soil (hipercalcic calcisol) from a semiarid area (southeastern Spain) to determine their potential for groundwater pollution. The three compounds were found in leachates of unamended soil although in different proportions: 53% (alachlor), 9% (chlorfenvinphos), and 6% (chlorpiryfos). The addition of organic wastes significantly increased the sorption of the studied pesticides. As a consequence, the half-lives of the studied pesticides were higher in amended than in unamended soils. A marked reduction of the amount recovered in leachates was observed in the amended soils, except for chlorpiryfos, whose recoveries barely changed. According to their potential groundwater pollution calculated as the groundwater ubiquity score (GUS) index, alachlor and chlorfenvinphos show medium leachability while chlorpiryfos is unlikely to leach.     

Fractionation of soil phosphorus in organic amended farms located on savanna sandy soils of Venezuelan Amazonian

In Venezuelan Amazonian, some producers have established small agroforestry systems of production on sandy savanna soils by a long-term addition (more than 25 years) of animal manures at a low dressing (2 Mg ha⁻¹) as fertilizer input. As a result of the organic fertilizers regime, the original savanna soil has been changed in terms of soil quality parameters. The main objective of the study was to investigate using sequential fractionation of soil P the impact of organic manures on the amount and partitioning of bioavailable P in soils of the Amazonas. Fractionation was carried out on Typic Ustipsamments amended with three different organic manure sources for extended periods. In general, after fertilization, all Pi and Po fractions increased significantly. The increase was striking in the resin-Pi and HCl-Pi, and among the organic P fractions, the changes were highest for the NaOH-Po sonicated and non-sonicated fractions. The total P increment was more relevant when soils were amended with chicken manure (1,194 mg Pt kg⁻¹) and less relevant for the farm soil treated with compost (500 mg Pt kg⁻¹), where the soil amended with cattle waste presented an intermediate value in total soil P (851 mg Pt kg⁻¹). The importance of this field study was to assess the sustainability of long-term established organic management characterized by the low inputs, and this information is poor in the Amazonas.     

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。     

Evaluation of three organic wastes for reclaiming burnt soils: Improvement in the recovery of vegetation cover and soil fertility in pot experiments

The efficacy of three abundant organic wastes: poultry manure (PM), cattle slurry (CS) and sewage sludge (SS) for the reclamation of burnt soils was evaluated. A forest soil, previously furnace-heated in order to simulate exposure to a high-intensity wildfire, was labelled with nitrogen-15 (¹⁵N) to evaluate the contribution of N derived from the organic waste to the burnt soil and vegetation. Four treatments were performed with the heated ¹⁵N-labelled soil: an unamended control soil (S) and three waste amended soils (S+PM, S+CS and S+SS) at a dose waste of 167mg total N kg^–1 soil. Lolium perenne was grown in all the pots for 3 months. In each treatment the phytomass produced and its N content decreased significantly in the following order of treatments: S+PM S+CS > S+SS S. The percentage of plant N derived from the waste was similar in the S+PM (22.8%) and S+CS (24.0%) treatments, but significantly lower in the S+SS treatment (16.5%). At the end of the 3 month experimental period, the available N reserves (phytomass N+soil inorganic N) in the control soil accounted for 51.5–71.5% of those in the S+PM, S+CS and S+SS treatments, whereas the yield of the plants was only 13.4–29.8% of that in the manured soils. These results demonstrated the importance of the addition of organic wastes, particularly PM, for the recovery of the vegetation cover and for the stabilization of the soil ash layer. They also showed that the level of N was not the main controlling factor of plant growth in the control soil, which, moreover, did not show evidence of a shortage of macronutrients, i.e. phosphorus, potassium, calcium or magnesium. It is hypothesized that, as occurs in heat-sterilized soils, phytomass production in the control-heated soil could have been inhibited by the heat-induced production of phytotoxic compounds, their negative effects being microbially or chemically suppressed by the addition of organic wastes. Received: 3 March 1997     

Effect of cultivation on chemical characteristics and respiratory activity of crusting soil from Mazowe (Zimbabwe)

Abstract

Clearing and cultivation in crusting soils from Mazowe (Zimbabwe) has lead to severe changes in most physico‐chemical characteristics related to the concentration and distribution patterns of plant nutrients and to the total amount of soil organic matter. Nevertheless, the concentration of the different humus fractions showed lower intensity changes, as did the mineralization rates of the organic matter. The most significant effects of cultivation on the soil chemical characteristics coincided with those considered to favor clay dispersion and crusting phenomena, including generalized desaturation of the exchange complex and losses of divalent ions with a potential bridging effect between soil particles. Concerning the soil organic matter, the humic acid tended to concentrate in the cultivated soils as a probable consequence of selective biodegradation of the other humic fractions. The composition and activity of soil humus suggest low‐performance organo‐mineral interactions: in these soils the active turnover of the plant wastes is not regulated by intense physico‐chemical interactions with the soil mineral fractions, or by physical encapsulation of organic particles. In consequence, the mineralization rates were relatively constant in the soils studied and unrelated to soil organic matter concentration. The results suggests that there is a possibility to revert the early degradation stages of these soils through a rational management of suitable amounts of crop wastes.     

Formation of volatile organic products in soils under anaerobiosis—II: Metabolism of amino acids

Volatile organic compounds generated microbiologically under anaerobic conditions from various soils amended with glucose and amino acids were identified by combined gas chromatographymass spectrometry. Volatile compounds were usually found up to 4 weeks and sometimes longer. Acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl propyl ketone, diacetyl, ethanol, n- and iso-propanol, n-, 2- and iso-butanol, acetic acid, butyric acid, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, butyl acetate, butyl butyrate, methane thiol, dimethysulfide, dimethyldisulfide and methyl thioacetate were detected at various time intervals. Volatile organic sulfur compounds were evolved from soils amended with glucose and methionine but not with glucose and cysteine. Volatile nitrogen containing organic compounds were not detected with any of the amended soils.     

Changes in enzyme activities and microbial biomass after “in situ” remediation of a heavy metal-contaminated soil

Microbial properties such as microbial biomass carbon (MBC), arylsulfatase, β-glucosidase and dehydrogenase activities, and microbial heterotrophic potential, together with several chemical properties such as pH, CaCl₂ soluble heavy metal concentrations, total organic carbon and hydrosoluble carbon were measured to evaluate changes in soil quality, after “in situ” remediation of a heavy metal-contaminated soil from the Aznalcóllar mine accident (Southern Spain, 1998). The experiment was carried out using containers, filled with soil from the affected area. Four organic amendments (a municipal waste compost, a biosolid compost, a leonardite and a litter) and an inorganic amendment (sugarbeet lime) were mixed with the top soil at the rate of 100 Mg ha⁻¹. Unamended soil was used as control. Agrostis stolonifera L. was sown in the containers. The soil was sampled twice: one month and six months after amendment application. In general, these amendments improved the soil chemical properties: soil pH, total organic carbon and hydrosoluble carbon increased in the amended soils, while soluble heavy metal concentrations diminished. At the same time, higher MBC, enzyme activities and maximum rate of glucose mineralization values were found in the organically amended soils. Plant cover was also important in restoring the soil chemical and microbial properties in all the soils, but mainly in those that were not amended organically. As a rule, remediation measures improved soil quality in the contaminated soils.     

半干旱退化土壤中施入城市垃圾的长期效应研究

The addition of municipal solid wastes (MSW) is considered as a possible strategy for soil rehabilitation in southeast Spain. The objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term (17 years) effect of five doses of MSW addition on the microbiological, biochemical, and physical properties of semiarid soil. Increased values of several parameters that serve as indicators of general microbiological activity, such as, basal respiration, adenosine triphosphate (ATP) or dehydrogenase activity;microbial population size (microbial biomass C), and extracellular hydrolase activity related to macronutrient cycles, such as, urease, β-glucosidase, and N-α-benzoyl-L-argininamide protease, were observed in the amended soils. The highest MSW doses showed the highest values in these hydrolase activities. The incorporation of municipal waste resulted in a more dense development of the plant cover, 50% greater in higher doses than in the control treatment, which generated a substantial increase in several C fractions. Total organic carbon reached 12 g kg^-1 soil with the highest MSW doses, compared to 4.30 g kg^-1 soil in the control treatment. The physical properties of the soil were also improved, showing greater percentage of stable aggregates and water holding capacity. Positive correlation coefficients between C fractions and parameters related to microbial activity and aggregate stability were observed. Although these improvements were greater in the soils receiving the highest doses of organic amendment, the increases were not proportional to the amount added, demonstrating the existence of a threshold, above which an increase in the amount of organic matter added is not reflected in an increase in the soil's physical, biochemical, and microbiological properties. However, the addition of municipal solid wastes proved its suitability for improving soil quality, thereby indicating the potential of such an amendment, to prevent desertification in Mediterranean areas such as those studied.     

Estimating soil resilience to a toxic organic waste by measuring enzyme activities

The ability of a degraded soil to respond to successive additions of a toxic organic waste (olive-mill solid waste) and its vermicompost was studied in a controlled incubation experiment for 32 weeks. Hydrolytic enzyme activities (phosphatase, β-glucosidase), oxidoreductase activities (dehydrogenase, o-diphenol oxidase) and indole acetic acid production, were used as measures of soil perturbation. No microbial activity, indicated by the total lack of dehydrogenase activity, was detected when the olive-mill solid waste was added to the soil. However, after 16 weeks, the activity returned to the original soil levels (1.35 μg INTF g⁻¹ h⁻¹). The addition of vermicomposted olive-mill solid waste increased the original soil dehydrogenase activity by five-fold, indicating a loss of toxicity of the waste during the vermicomposting process; the activity remained high throughout the experiment. At week 21, a second addition of olive solid waste, was made to both olive waste and vermicompost-amended soils, when the soil originally amended with olive waste had reached the activity measured in soil amended with vermicompost. Dehydrogenase activity recovered immediately, reaching levels up to seven-fold higher than the background levels of the soil. The ability of soil to respond to a toxic waste clearly differed after a period of exposure to the waste. The faster response was probably related to the increased pool of stabilized organic matter present in soil, arising from the stabilization of added olive waste in the soil or through the amended vermicompost. The amplitude (period of recovery to the initial state after disturbance) and the elasticity (speed of recovery) of the soil could also be monitored by o-diphenol oxidase and β-glucosidase activities. However, indole-3-acetic acid production proved to be a useful measure of perturbation only following the second addition of the olive waste.     

Evolution of Humic Fractions in Calcimagnesic Soils And Brown Isohumic Soils Amended With Compost and Manure

The composting process of organic wastes consists of the bioconversion of biologically unstable wastes to stabilized products for application to soils. This study was carried out on different soils (brown isohumic soils in Sfax region in southern Tunisia and calcimagnesic soils in Korba region in northern Tunisia). The mineralization process of organic matter is more important in isohumic soils, showing less tenors of fine fractions than in calcimagnesic soils. The study of different humic fractions in amended soils shows that humic acid tenors and the polymerization rates are linked to soil nature. Calcimagnesic soils ensure a more important humification than isohumic soils.