Environmental Response to the Use of Sewage Sludge on European Mediterranean Degraded Soils
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14738/aivp.1303.19018Keywords:
sewage sludge, degraded soils, soils recovery, semi-arid conditions, European soilsAbstract
Soils in the Mediterranean region have a low resilience to disturbances and are now extensively degraded both physically and bio-chemically. Inappropriate agricultural practices, exacerbated by other natural and human induced perturbations such as increased drought and forest fire occurrence have caused soil impoverishment and the subsequent abandonment of agricultural land in many regions. One of the most promising approaches to soil rehabilitation on such land is the application of organic wastes. Organic refuses, such as sewage sludge, are commonly used on agricultural land, but are increasingly considered for the reclamation of degraded land and mine deposits. The positive effect of such organic matter, nutrient and microorganism additions are now widely recognised. Very little, however, is known about the detrimental effects of such treatments. The impacts of phytotoxins, heavy metals, salts (especially sodium) and hydrocarbons added via organic wastes are not well enough understood to be thoroughly considered before application. Potential detrimental impacts include accumulation of metals, phosphorus, nitrogen, and resilient aliphatic hydrocarbons, leading to toxicity, nitrate influxes to the groundwater and changes in soil wetting properties.
References
Mataix-Solera, J., Navarro-Pedreño, J., Guerrero, C., García, E., Jordán, M.M. & Gómez, I. (2001). Application of different organic wastes to three soils of degraded areas: effects of some physical, chemical and biological soil properties. In Y. Villacampa, C.A. Brebbia, J.L. Usó (Ed.), Ecosystems and Sustainable Development III (pp. 321-330). WIT Press.
Correia, O., Clemente, A.S., Correira, A.I., Máguas, C., Caroline, M., Afonso, A.C. & Martins-Loucao, M.A. (2001). Quarry rehabilitation: a case study. In Y. Villacampa, C.A. Brebbia, J.L. Usó (Ed.), Ecosystems and Sustainable Development III (pp. 331-346). WIT Press.
García, C., Hernández, T., Roldán, A. & Martín, A. (2002). Effect of plant cover decline on chemical and microbiological parameters under Mediterranean climate. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 34, 635-642.
Stenberg, B. (1999). Monitoring soil quality of arable land: Microbiological indicators (review). Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B, Soil and Plant Science, 49, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1080/09064719950135669
Ritsema, C.J (Ed.). (1999). Special issue: Preferential flow of water and solutes in soils. Journal of Hydrology, 215.
McGill, W.B. & Cole, C.V. (1981). Comparative aspects of cycling of organic C, N, S and P through soil organic matter. Geoderma, 26, 267-286. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7061(81)90024-0
Doerr, S.H., Shakesby, R.A. & Walsh, R.P.D. (2000) Soil water repellency: its causes, characteristics and hydro-geomorphological consequences. Earth-Science Reviews, 51(1-4), 33-65.
Navarro-Pedreño, J., Moral, R., Gómez, I. & Mataix, J. (1995). Residuos orgánicos y Agricultura. Secretariado de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Alicante.
Furrer, O.J. & Stauffer, T.W. (1983). Influence of sewage sludge application on physical properties of soil and its contribution to the humus balance. In G. Cartoux, P. L´Hermite & D. Reidel (Ed.). The Influence of Sewage Sludge Application on Physical and Biological Properties of Soils (pp. 65-76). Springer.
Guerrero, C., Gómez, I., Mataix-Solera, J., Moral, R., Mataix-Beneyto, J. & Hernández, M.T. (2000). Effect of solid waste compost on microbiological and physical properties of a burnt forest soil in field experiments. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 32, 410-414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740000270
Batjes, N.H. (1999). Management options for reducing CO2-concentrations in the atmosphere by increasing carbon sequestration in the soil (Report 410-200-031). Dutch National Research Programme on Global Air Pollution and Climate Change & Technical Paper 30. ISRIC International Soil Reference and Information Centre, Wageningen.
Borken, W., Muhs, A. & Beese, F. (2002). Changes in microbial and soil properties following compost treatment of degraded temperate forest soils. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 34, 403-412.
Caravaca, F., Barea, J.M., Figueroa, D. & Roldán, A. (2002). Assessing the effectiveness of mycorrhizal inoculation and soil compost addition for enhancing reafforestation with Olea europaea subsp. sylvestris through changes in soil biological and physical parameters. Applied Soil Ecology, 20, 107-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-1393(02)00015-X
Clapp C.E., Stark, S.A., Clay, D.E. & Larson W.E. (1986). Sewage sludge organic matter and soil properties. In: Y. Chen & Y. Avnimelech (Eds.), The role of organic matter in modern agriculture. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 25. Springer (pp. 209-253). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4426-8_10
Albiach, R., Canet, R., Pomares, F. & Ingelmo, F. (2001). Organic matter components, aggregate stability and biological activity in a horticultural soil fertilized with different rates of two sewage sludges during ten years. Bioresource Technology, 77, 109-114. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(00)00166-8
Perucci, P. (1992). Enzyme activity and microbial biomass in a field soil amended with municipal refuse. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 14, 54-60. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00336303
Pascual J.A., García, C. & Hernández, T. (1999). Lasting microbiological and biochemical effects of the addition of municipal solid waste to an arid soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 30, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740050579
García, C., Hernández, T. & Costa, F. (1992). Variation in some chemical parameters and organic matter in soils regenerated by the addition of municipal solid waste. Environmental Management, 16, 763-768. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02645666
Sort, X. & Alcañiz, J.M. (1996). Contribution of sewage sludge to erosion control in the rehabilitation of limestone quarries. Land Degradation and Development, 7, 69-76. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-145X(199603)7:1<69::AID-LDR217>3.0.CO;2-2
Chandler, C.C., Cheney, P., Thomas, P., Trabaud, L. & Williams, D., (1983). Fire in forestry, Volume I: Forest fire behavior and effects. J. Wiley & Sons.
Carballas, M., Acea, M.J., Cabaneiro, A., Trasar, M.C., Villar, M.C., Díaz-Raviña, M., Fernández, I., Prieto, A., Saá, A., Vázquez, F.J., Zëhner, R. & Carballas, T. (1994). Organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and microbial population evolution in forest humiferous acid soils after wildfires. In: L. Trabaud & R.Prodon (Eds.), Fire in Mediterranean Ecosystems. Ecosystems Research Series: Report 5 (pp. 379-385). Comission of the European Comunities.
Guerrero, C., Mataix-Solera, J., Navarro-Pedreño, J., Mataix-Beneyto, J. & Gómez, I. (2002). Evolution of indices of soil quality in a chronosequence of semiarid Mediterranean burned soils: influenced by climatic conditions or age of fire?. In D.X. Viegas (Ed.), Forest Fire Research & Wildland Fire Safety (pp. 1-11). Millpress.
Prieto-Fernández, A., Acea, M.J. & Carballas, T. (1998). Soil microbial and extractable C and N after wildfire. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 27, 132-142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740050411
Rubio, J.L. (1987). Desertificación en la Comunidad Valenciana: antecedentes históricos y situación actual de la erosión. Revista Valenciana d’Estudis Autonómics, 7, 231-258.
Acea, M.J. & Carballas, T. (1999). Microbial fluctuations after soil heating and organic amendment. Bioresource Technology, 67, 65-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(99)00068-1
Villar, M.C., González-Prieto, S.J. & Carballas, T. (1998). Evaluation of three organic wastes for reclaiming burnt soils: Improvement in the recovery of vegetation cover and soil fertility in pot experiments. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 26, 122-129. https://doi.org/10.1007/s003740050354
Guerrero, C., Gómez, I., Moral, R., Mataix-Solera, J., Mataix-Beneyto, J. & Hernández, T. (2001). Reclamation of a burned forest soil with municipal waste compost: macronutrient dynamic and improved vegetation cover recovery. Bioresource Technology, 76, 221-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(00)00125-5
Cerdà, A. (1998). Soil aggregate stability under different Mediterranean vegetation types. Catena, 32, 73-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(98)00041-1
Jordán, M.M.; García-Sánchez, E.; Almendro-Candel, M.B.; Pardo, F.; Vicente, A.B.; Sanfeliu, T. & Bech, J. (2017). Technosols designed for rehabilitation of mining activities using mine spoils and biosolids. Ion mobility and correlations using percolation columns. Catena, 148, 74-80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2016.02.027
Pérez-Gimeno, A.; Navarro-Pedreño, J.; Almendro-Candel, M.B.; Gómez, I. & Jordán, M.M. (2016). Environmental consequences of the use of sewage sludge compost and limestone outcrop residue for soil restoration: salinity and trace elements pollution. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 16, 1012–1021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1288-y
Jordán M.M. (2023). Criteria for Assessing the Environmental Quality of Soils in a Mediterranean Region for Different Land Use. Soils Systems, 7(3), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems7030075
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 María Belén Almendro-Candel, Ignacio Gómez Lucas, Jose Navarro-Pedreño, Ana Pérez-Gimeno, María Teresa Rodríguez-Espinosa, Manuel M. Jordán
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
