Fate of biosolids Cu and Zn in a semi-arid grassland

Ippolito, James A.; Barbarick, K. A.; Brobst, Robert B.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2009.02.013

Cited by 12 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Treated municipal sewage sludge or biosolids are a valuable resource for enhancing the vegetative density of marginal landscapes including arid and semiarid rangelands (Basta et al, 2005;Fresquez et al, 1991;Ippolito et al, 2009;Pierce et al, 1998;Sloan et al, 1997). Biosolids represent a low cost source of organic matter as well as nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that are needed to restore highly disturbed and/or marginal landscapes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of Biosolids Pollutants on Disturbed Western Rangelands

Vutran¹,

Vasquez²,

McFarland³

et al. 2010

proc water environ fed

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Biosolids land application has been found to be an environmentally sound and potentially cost effective approach for restoring forage productivity on disturbed western rangelands. In spite of the potential economic and environmental benefits associated with increased forage yield (e.g., higher animal stocking rates, reduced soil erosion etc.), the fate of regulated biosolids pollutants on disturbed and/or marginal landscapes when biosolids application rates exceeds the agronomic rates remains a concern for the agricultural community as well as environmental regulators. In the current study, the vegetative forage yield as well as the regulated pollutants arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, molybdenum, nickel, selenium and zinc were monitored over an 18 month period following biosolids land application on disturbed western rangeland.By land applying aerobically digested and lime stabilized biosolids on 1/3 acre rangeland test plots at rates of up to twenty times (20X) the estimated agronomic rate, disturbed rangeland forage yields were found to increase from 84.1 lbs/acre (control plots) to over 1800 lbs/acre on plots receiving biosolids. The increase in vegetation on disturbed rangelands not only reduces soil erosion potential but reduces the footprint of agriculture by limiting the land requirement needed to support ranching activities.The soil concentrations of cadmium, lead and molybdenum were found to be below the method detection limits in all test plots even when biosolids were applied at rates equivalent to 20X the agronomic rate. Moreover, the soil concentrations of arsenic, copper, nickel and zinc in test plots were found to be comparable to the control plots even at biosolids application rates significantly greater than the agronomic rate. These findings suggest that, when regulated pollutant levels are compliant with national quality standards, the variability in the background soil mineralogy may be a more important factor in determining soil metal concentration than biosolids land application rates.Of all regulated pollutants evaluated, selenium appeared to have been mobilized within the 18 month test period. In most cases, selenium levels were significantly greater in soil receiving biosolids land application compared to the control plots. Current efforts to analyze forage harvested from sites receiving biosolids land application will help determine the extent to which selenium (as well as other regulated pollutants) is taken up and concentrated within rangeland vegetation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of Biosolids Pollutants on Disturbed Western Rangelands

Vutran¹,

Vasquez²,

McFarland³

et al. 2010

proc water environ fed

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“…The studies marked with an asterisk* represent multiple amendments; all of the others used single amendments. Of the latter, Ippolito, Barbarick, and Brobst (2009), represents surface deposition, and Michalk, Curtis, Seaman, Langford, and Osborne (1995) represents partly tilled deposition.…”

Section: Penetration Of Metals Following Unusually Large Amendmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metals Leak from Tilled Soil in a Century – A Review

Bengtsson¹

2015

JAS

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Toxic metals are mobilized on a large scale in modern society. Many of those metals end up in sewage sludge. The objective of this review was to elucidate the threat to groundwater due to a few metals lost from tilled sludge amended soils. It is sometimes suggested that these metals are immobilized in the topsoil and do not move downward. In contrast, dozens of long term field studies around the world indicate that penetration depths for metals increase with time since deposition.Such studies were examined in depth in the current analysis. An equation was developed for calculation of long term mean metal penetration rates into the topsoil for copper and silver. The equation is valid for about a century but not much longer. The mean depths of a basic set of 11 cases from studies over 4 years to 100 years were predicted with a standard deviation of 11%. A typical penetration rate was 3 mm per year. There was no significant difference in penetration rate between several cations. Extremely large amendments were associated with larger penetration rates.When metals have traversed the topsoil, the groundwater will be contaminated. The European Groundwater Pollution Directive stipulates that pesticide levels should be kept below 0.1 µg/l. When sludge is applied to agricultural soil, this level may by far be exceeded for many metals, even if strict limitations are applied to the metal contents of the sludge. This calls for careful assessment of the groundwater consequences of sludge amendment.Extensive supplementary material provides many detailed tables, texts and references.

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“…A decrease in Cr and Ni concentrations associated with both increasing biosolids application and depth to 30 cm was also observed. Ippolito et al (2009) revisited the Harris‐Pierce research site in 2003 and found increasing total soil Zn and Cu in the 0‐ to 8‐cm soil depth associated with increasing biosolids application rates. The authors also observed evidence of organically complexed downward Cu transport.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The authors also noted that Zn was relatively immobile, remaining in the topsoil in a plant‐available form. Ippolito et al (2009) used a sequential extraction scheme to discern differences in a semiarid grassland soil trace‐metal pools associated with a single or repeated, increasing biosolids application of up to 30 Mg ha −1 . Similar to the findings of McBride et al (1997), biosolids‐borne Cu was added to the system as an organically complexed phase that appeared to be transported downward and then, given time, transformed to a more stable oxyhydroxide phase.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%