Published in

Crop Science Society of America, Journal of Environmental Quality, 5(28), p. 1644

DOI: 10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800050031x

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Co-Application Effects of Water Treatment Residuals and Biosolids on Two Range Grasses

Journal article published in 1999 by J. A. Ippolito ORCID, Ippolito Ja, K. A. Barbarick, Barbarick Ka, E. F. Redente
This paper is available in a repository.
This paper is available in a repository.

Full text: Download

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Alum [A12(SO4)314H20] is commonly used in the municipal water treatment process to destabilize colloids for subsequent flocculation and water clarification. Water treatment residuals (WTR) can classified as a waste material from these treatment plants. Concerns over land application of WTR are due to its postulated reduction of plant available P and potential plant AI toxicity with increasing WTR rates. Co-application of WTR with biosolids may benefit municipali-ties with biosolids inherently high in P concentrations and in terms of a cost savings by landfill avoidance. In a greenhouse study, we investigated the efficacy of co-application of WTR and biosolids to the native shortgrass prairie species blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis H.B.K. Lag) and western wheatgrass [Pascopyrum smithii (Rydb.) A. Love]. Our objectives were to quantify co-application effects on plant P and AI concentrations and uptake, biomass production, and WTR P adsorbing capacity. With blue grama, we observed a positive linear relationship between increasing WTR rate and yield and a ' negative linear relationship with increasing WTR rate and shoot P and AI concentration (P < 0.10). With western wheatgrass, increasing WTR rate produced a negative quadratic effect on shoot AI concentra-tion (P < 0.10). Some investigators have observed P deficiency symp-toms associated with WTR application; however, we did not. Our adsorption study indicated that co-mixing of the City of Fort Collins, CO, WTR and biosolids at ratios of 8:1 will adsorb all soluble biosolids P. Beyond this ratio the WTR could adsorb all biosolids available P and possibly some soil-borne P.