Effect of Alkaline—Stabilised Sewage Sludge on Extractable Organic Carbon and Copper in Soils
摘要
An incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential for water contamination with sludgederived organic substances and copper following land application of alkaline-stabilised sewage sludge. Two contrasting sludge-amended soils were studied. Both soils were previously treated with urban and rural alkaline biosolids separately at sludge application rates of 0, 30 and 120 t ha-1 fresh product. The air-dried soil/sludge mixtures were wetted with distilled water, maintained at 40 % of water-holding capacity and equilibrated for three weeks at 4 ℃ before extraction. Subsamples were extracted with either distilled water or 0.5 mol L-1 K2SO4 solution. The concentrations of organic C in the aqueous and chemical extracts were determined directly with a total organic carbon (TOC) analyser. The concentrations of Cu in the two extracts were also determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The relationship between the two extractable organic C fractions was examined, together with that between extractable organic C concentration and extractable Cu concentration. Application of alkaline biosolids increased the concentrations of soil mobile organic substances and Cu. The results are discussed in terms of a possible increase in the potential for leaching of sludge-derived organics and Cu in the sludge-amended soils