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Sewage sludge ditch for recovering heavy metals can improve crop yield and soil environmental quality

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Abstract

The treatment and disposal of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) is an urgent problem to be resolved in many countries. Safely using the nutrients within MSS to increase crop yield and enhance the fertility of poor soil could contribute to achieving sustainable development. An indirect use of MSS in ditches alongside Pennisetum hybridum plants was studied in field plots for 30 months and the contents of heavy metals and macronutrients were monitored in soil, sludge and plant samples. We found that the yield of P. hybridum was significantly increased by 2.39 to 2.80 times and the treated plants had higher N content compared with no sludge. In addition, the organic matter (OM) and N contents in the planted soil increased significantly compared with the initial soil. The OM content in the planted soil of the MSS treatment was 2.9 to 5.2 times higher than that with no sludge, and N increased by 2.0 to 3.8 times. However, MSS had no significant effect on the N, P and K contents in the soil at the bottom of the MSS ditch, and the content of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn) were also within the safe range. Moreover, the moisture content and phytotoxicity of MSS after this indirect use were reduced and the heavy metal contents changed little, which is favorable to the further disposal of recovered MSS. Therefore, this indirect use of MSS is beneficial to agricultural production, soil quality and environmental sustainability.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by R and D program of Guangdong Provincial Department of Science and Technology, China (Nos. 2019BT02L218 and 2018B030324003); Water Resources Innovation Project of Guangdong Province, China (Nos. 2017–07 and 2017–29); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21606092), Pearl River S and T Nova Program of Guangzhou, China (No. 201710010109).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Waste Reuse in Agriculture of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, College of Natural Resources and Environment, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 510642, China

    Xianke Lin, Xiaohong Chen, Sichang Li, Yangmei Chen, Zebin Wei & Qitang Wu

  2. Key Laboratory of the Pearl River Estuarine Dynamics and Associated Process Regulation, Ministry of Water Resources, Pearl River Hydraulic Research Institute, Pearl River Water Resource Commission, Guangzhou, 510611, China

    Xianke Lin

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  1. Xianke Lin
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  2. Xiaohong Chen
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  3. Sichang Li
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  4. Yangmei Chen
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  5. Zebin Wei
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  6. Qitang Wu
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Correspondence to Qitang Wu.

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Highlights

• Indirect use of sludge in ditches alongside plants was tested in field experiments.

• The dried and stabilized sludge in ditches was recovered with heavy metals.

• Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in the planted soil were all in a safe range.

• The indirect use of sludge increased plant yield, soil N content and C storage.

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Lin, X., Chen, X., Li, S. et al. Sewage sludge ditch for recovering heavy metals can improve crop yield and soil environmental quality. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 15, 22 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1314-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-020-1314-1

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