COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ELEMENTAL TRANSPORT AND DISTRIBUTION
IN SOILS AMENDED WITH FLY ASH AND SEWAGE SLUDGE ASH
S. Paramasivam1, K.S. Sajwan1, A.K. Alva2,
D.C. Adriano3, T. Punshon3, D. van Clief4,
and K.H. Hostler4
1Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,
Savannah State University, Savannah, GA 31404, U.S.A.
2USDA-ARS Pacific West Area, Vegetable and Forage Crops Research
Unit, 24106 N Bunn Rd., Prosser, W A 99350, U.S.A.
3Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia,
Aiken, SC 29802, U.S.A.
4Citrus Research and Education Center, University of Florida,
Lake Alfred, FL 33850, U.S.A.
ABSTRACT
Disposal of various coal combustion and municipal by-products is a serious
and challenging problem due to strict environmental regulations. This
is due to the threat of accumulation of certain heavy metals in soils,
plants and groundwater when these products are used as soil amendments
or disposed of in landfills. This chapter describes a study that was undertaken
on a coarse and medium textured soils amended with single
rate of (74.1 Mg ha-l) fly ash (FA), sewage sludge (SS) and sewage sludge
ash (SSA) to compare the transport and leaching potential of various elements
and their distribution within 30-cm soil columns. Transport and leaching
potential of macro nutrient elements were highest in SSA amended soils
followed by SS and FA. Leaching potential of Cr, Cd and Ni were the lowest
in SSA followed by SS and FA. In addition, the total quantity of metals
in the leachate (total of 2640 mL) were generally greater when the amendments
were applied to coarse textured soil compared to medium textured soil
with the exception ofPb. The results also suggest that binding sites created
by the interaction between soil and amendments may modify metal adsorption-desorption
and solubility, with a consequential effect on leaching and downward transport
of various elements.
SREL Reprint #2758
Paramasivam, S., K. S. Sajwan, A. K. Alva, D. C. Adriano, T. Punshon, D. van Clief and K. H. Hostler. 2003. Comparative study of elemental transport and distribution in soils amended with fly ash and sewage sludge ash. p. 189-202. In Chemistry of Trace Elements in Fly Ash, edited by K. S. Sajwan, A. K. Alva and R. F. Keefer. Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.
