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Nitrogen Movement Resulting from Surface Application of Liquid Sewage Sludge
Author(s) -
King Larry D.,
Morris H. D.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1974.00472425000300030011x
Subject(s) - lysimeter , sewage sludge , nitrification , environmental science , leachate , agronomy , volatilisation , denitrification , soil water , sewage , nitrogen , environmental engineering , chemistry , environmental chemistry , soil science , biology , organic chemistry
One of the factors limiting the rate at which sewage sludge can be applied to soil is the speed at which inorganic N is formed and the fate of that inorganic N. A greenhouse lysimeter study was initiated in order to quantify some of the sinks into which N from sludge applications might move. For 12 weeks soil columns were treated at 3‐week intervals with a surface application of 2.5 cm of liquid sewage sludge. During each 3‐day interval 2.5 cm of water was applied to: (i) soil receiving no sludge (Soil‐2.5), (ii) soil receiving sludge (Sludge‐2.5), and (iii) soil planted to Coastal bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon L. Pers.) receiving sludge (Grass‐2.5). Five centimeters of water was added to soil + grass + sludge (Sludge‐5) during each 3‐day interval. Another treatment was used to encourage a nitrification‐denitrification cycle. This treatment (Grass‐F) was identical to Grass‐2.5 except that during each third week sufficient water was added to bring the 3‐week total to the same as that in Grass‐5. Provisions were made to collect the leachate for NO 3 ‐N analysis and to measure NH 3 volatilization from the sludge. The average loss of N as NH 3 was 36% of the applied NH 4 ‐N in the Soil‐2.5 treatment and 24% in the three grass treatments. This represented 4.9 and 3.3%, respectively, of the total N applied. The Grass‐5 treatment resulted in the maximum NO 3 ‐N leaching loss (5.4% of the applied N). The Grass‐F treatment did not result in reduced NO 3 ‐N leaching. Grass removed 10.3% of the applied N. From 52 to 64% of the applied N remained in the sludge crust on the soil surface.