Journal
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
Volume 87, Issue 1, Pages 93-102Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/S0960-8524(02)00188-8
Keywords
pathogens; sewage sludge; irradiation; pasteurization; lime; biosolids; dynamics of N, C and P
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Sewage biosolids contain high concentrations of pathogens, which limits their use as soil amendment. This study investigated how application of lime (Ca(OH)(2)), irradiation, or pasteurization reduced pathogens in biosolids and how its application affected soil characteristics. A soil sampled outside the canopy of Mesquite trees (Prosopis laevigata) and from a pasture at Lerma (Mexico) was amended with treated or untreated biosolids, characterized and incubated aerobically while dynamics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were monitored. Heavy metals concentrations in the biosolids were low, so it was of excellent quality (USEPA). The amount of pathogens in the biosolids made it a class B (USEPA) which can be used in forests. Only irradiation sufficiently reduced faecal coliforms to make it a class A biosolids without restrictions in application. C mineralization increased significantly when biosolids were added, but not concentrations of available P (P < 0.05). Ammonium (NH4+) concentrations in soil amended with biosolids were higher compared to unamended soil, but not the concentrations of nitrate (NO3-) except when biosolids treated with Ca(OH)(2) was added to the Lerma soil. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available