Effect of drill cuttings addition on physicochemical and chemical properties of soil and red clover (Trifolium pretense L.) growth

Abstract

The most economical method of drill cuttings disposal may be their application in land reclamation which allows for the wastes recovery. However, the wastes application into the soil should ensure that the quality of the environment would not be deteriorated. These investigations were aimed at identifying the effect of drill cuttings, which were the mixture of different types of drilling wastes, on the physicochemical properties of acidic soil and growth of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.). The experimental design comprised 5 treatments, which differed in a dose of the drill cuttings: 0% (control), 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 15% of dry weight. A six-week pot experiment was conducted to determine the influence of the wastes on the plant growth. The results showed that the drill cuttings addition significantly changed the chemical and physicochemical properties of the soil, such as: electrical conductivity (EC), pH, base saturation, content of carbonate, alkaline cations (Ca2+, Na+, K+, Mg2+), organic matter, total organic carbon (TOC), and available phosphorus form. However, the most important factors that influenced the growth of red clover were pH, base saturation, content of Mg2+ and plant available phosphorus. The red clover biomass was increased from 1.5 to 2.5 times depending on the dose of wastes. We concluded that the examined wastes can be used for reclamation of the acid and unfertile degraded soils, but the amount of wastes should not exceed 5% of the soil, because the highest total clover biomass was observed just at this dose.

Selected Properties of Soil-like Substrates Made from Mine Coal Waste and Their Effect on Plant Yields

“…The pH KCl changes noted are due to a 'dilution' effect, as the sewage sludge had a lower pH than the mining waste. A similar range of pH KCl reduction was recorded for composites of mining waste from shale gas exploration enriched with sewage sludge [37,58]. A slight decrease in the pH KCl of the assessed substrates was observed during the assessed period.…”

“…Mineral wool was introduced to loosen the substrate and optimize water and air properties and, as a result of the greater access to oxygen, the mineralization processes of the organic matter introduced with the sewage sludge were intensified. A similar relationship was obtained by Firpo et al [49], who used rice husks as a structural material in the substrates of coal waste and sewage sludge, and the authors of a study on shaping the properties of 'artificial soil' from drilling waste, sewage sludge, and waste rock wool [37,58].…”

“…Its average content in this substrate was 5.6 times higher compared to that in CS. The increasing proportion of sewage sludge in the substrates (2.5 and 5.0%) was reduced, but not significantly, as was the content of available K. Similar trends of reduced contents of the available form of potassium were observed in composites of drilling waste enriched with sewage sludge [58]. Compared to CS, the content of Mg available in CW_1 was more than 10 times higher.…”

“…The observed increase in BC content in the evaluated substrates can be explained by the introduction of alkali cations together with the sewage sludge and the influence of rockwool on the rate and direction of transformation in the substrate. The results of studies on the properties of constructed technosols from mining waste indicate that the addition of materials rich in organic matter increases BC content [16,58,61].…”

Joint Recycling MSW Slag and Drill Cuttings Into Mineral Fertilizers With Lean-Grade Phosphorite

“…The influence of a mixture of different types of drilling waste on changes in the physicochemical properties of acidic soil, as well as on the growth of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) has been studied. The addition of drill cuttings into the soil raised the biomass of red clover from 1.5 to 2.5 times due to the soil saturation with bases, alkaline cations (Ca 2+ , Na + , K + , Mg 2+ ), organic substances and the available form of phosphorus [11].…”