Sorption of Cd and Pb by selected temperate and semi-arid soils: effects of sludge application and ageing of sludged soils

Five soils from semi-arid regions of India and 5 soils from England were compared with regard to their ability to sorb Cd and Pb when mixed with sewage sludge and as unsludged controls. The application of sewage sludge at 150t ha^?1 significantly increased the amount of Cd retained by the soils. The sorption data were statistically best-fit to the linearized Freundlich equation and the slopes of the isotherms were steeper with sludge application, indicating an increased affinity for Cd in the soil-sludge mixtures. A similar trend in Pb sorption was also observed for the English soils following the sludge treatment. In contrast, most of the Indian soils showed a decline in Pb sorption following the sludge application. Liming an acidic English soil to pH 7.0 was shown to increase its metal sorption capacity. The longer-term persistence of these observed effects of sewage sludge addition on metal sorption by soils was investigated in two sludge-soil mixtures maintained under experimental conditions for up to 450 days. Samples of these soils taken 1,60 and 450 days after the mixing with the sludge were batch equilibrated with Cd and Pb and it was found that the metal retention in both soils decreased significantly over this time period.