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Recovery of Biosolids-Applied Heavy Metals Sixteen Years after Application

Article  in  Journal of Environmental Quality · November 1998

DOI: 10.2134/jeq1998.00472425002700060007x

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 Recovery of Biosolids-Applied Heavy Metals Sixteen Years after Application
J. J. Sloan, R. H. Dowdy,*and M. S. Dolan
ABSTRACT
Little is knownof the long-termfate of biosolids-applied
heavy
metalsin soil. Theobjectiveof this studywasto quantifypercent
recovery of biosolids-appliedheavymetalsin a well-drained soil.
Three annual applications
of biosolidsresultedin cumulative
biosolids
loadingsof 0, 60, 120, and180Mgha-1. Cumulative metalloadings
for the180Mgha-1 biosolidsratewere25, 141,127,43, 173,and348
kg ha-1 for Cd,Cr, Cu,Ni, Pb, andZn,respectively.Soils were
sampled to a depthof 0.9 m.Soil organiccarbon(OC)wasmeasured.
Soil wasextractedwith 1 MHNO3 andmetalsweredetermined in
the supernatants.Soil OCconcentrationswerelinearlycorrelatedto
biosolidsIoadingsanddidnotchange significantlyduringthe 16 yr
afterbiosolidsapplications.Concentrations
of extractable
Cd,Cr,Cu,
Ni, Pb,andZnin biosolids-treated soils weremuch greaterthanthe
controlto a depthof 0.30 m(P < 0.01), slightlygreaterat 0.30
0.45 m(P < 0.05)andsameas the controlbelow0.45 m.Forthe 180
Mgha-1 biosolidsloading,percentrecoveries for Cd,Cr,Cu,Ni, Pb,
andZnwere112, 59,119,114,102, and97%,respectively.Lowrecov-
eryof Crwasprobably dueto incomplete extractionfromthe soil.
Theseresultsshowthat complete recoveryof biosolids-applied
heavy
metalsis possiblewhenplot size is largeenough to preventcross-
mixingof treatedsoils duringtillage operations andwhensediment
lossesareminimal.
E NDapplication of biosolids (sewage sludge) can sig-
nificantly increase heavy metal concentrations in
agricultural soils. For soil managementand water qual-
ity purposes, it is important to determine the long-term
fate of biosolids-applied heavy metals. Do they remain
near the soil surface in the zone of incorporation or are
they leached from the rooting zone? Column leaching
studies have shownlittle or no short-term (<1 yr) move-
ment of heavy metals through the soil as a result of
biosolids applications (Dowdyand Volk, 1983; Emmer-
ich et al., 1982; Sommerset al., 1979). Field studies have
generally shownno difference in heavy metal concentra-
tions between control and biosolids-treated soils below
0.3 m (Chang et al., 1982, 1983; Dowdyand Volk, 1983;
Kelling et al., 1977; McGrath and Lane, 1989; Parker
et al., 1978; Sidle and Kardos, 1977; Sidle et al., 1977;
Williams et al., 1984, 1985), although leaching of some
heavy metals to the 0.4 to 0.6 m depth can occur when
large amounts of liquid sewage sludge are applied (Rob-
ertson et al., 1982). With the aforementioned results
in mind, it is reasonable to suppose that in a typical
agricultural landscape with little or no slope, the major
portion of biosolids-applied heavy metals should remain
near the soil surface in the zone of incorporation. How-
ever, some studies have reported only 47 to 83%recov-
ery of biosolids-applied Cd and Zn at various times
USDA-ARS,Soil &WaterManagement ResearchUnit and Dep. of
Soil, Water,and Climate,Univ.of Minnesota,St. Paul, MN
55108.
Received24 Nov.1997. *Correspondingauthor (bdowdy@soils.
umn.edu).
Publishedin J. Environ.Qual.27:1312-1317
(1998).
1312
after application (Bell et al., 1991; Dowdyet al., 1991;
McGrath and Lane, 1989). Reasons suggested for the
inability to completely recover biosolids-applied heavy
metals include losses due to leaching (McBride, 1995),
dispersion of heavy metals due to tillage (McGrath and
Lane, 1989), and incomplete chemical extraction of met-
als from soil (Dowdyet al., 1991). It is apparent that
determining the long-term fate of biosolids-applied
heavy metals is no easy task.
Close scrutiny of studies that report low recovery of
biosolids-applied heavy metals reveals certain factors
that possibly contribute to the low recovery. These in-
clude possible overestimation of heavy metal loadings
due to the difficulty in quantifying multiple applications
of liquid biosolids (Dowdyet al., 1991) and dilution
biosolids-applied heavy metals in small plots due to
dispersion from tillage operations (Bell et al., 1991;
McGrath and Lane, 1989).
Careful selection of the sludge application site and
layout of the plot plan can minimize the long-term deg-
radation of plot integrity due to tillage and erosion.
Using carefully measured quantities of dewatered bio-
solids can greatly improve the estimation of heavy metal
loadings. Desired field plot characteristics for long-term
heavy metal studies can be summarized as follows: (i)
large plot size (i.e., small border to area ratio) to prevent
contamination/dilution of plots with soil from adjacent
plots during tillage operations; (ii) little or no slope
to prevent redistribution of sediments by erosion; (iii)
accurate data for biosolids and heavy metal loadings on
soils; and (iv) knowncropping, tillage, and fertilizer
history. The I-9 plots at the Rosemount Experimental
Station in Minnesota exhibit these properties. The ob-
jectives of this study were to examine soils from the
I-9 site to determine the long-term leaching potential
of biosolids-applied heavy metals and to quantify the
percentage of heavy metals remaining in soil 16 yr
after application.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Background
The I-9 site is part of the Rosemount ExperimentStation,
whichwas established in 1947. For approximately30 yr prior
to application of biosolids (sewagesludge) in 1976, the I-9
site was part of a corn (Zea maysL.)/small-grain/forage rota-
tion. The Waukegansoil (a fine-silty over sandy or sandy-
skeletal, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludoll) at the I-9 site is
well-drained, Typic Hapludollconsisting of uniformsilt loam
material overlying neutral to calcareous outwashsand and
gravel at a depth of approximately0.6 m. Prior to application
of biosolids in 1976, the I-9 site was segmentedinto four 73.2
by 29.7 mplots (0.22 ha) replicated four times with a 13
Abbreviations: OC,organiccarbon;DTPA,diethylenetriamine
penta-
acetic acid; ICP-AES,inductivelycoupledplasmaatomicemission-
spectroscopy.
 SLOAN ET AL.: RECOVERYOF BIOSOLIDS-APPLIED HEAVYMETALS 1313

alley betweenreps (Fig. 1). Surface soil samples(0-0.30 High

Control Medium Medium
were collected from each plot. Averagesoil pH(1:1 soil/H20)
was 6.2 -+ 0.3 and organic carbon (OC) was 23.8 -+ 3.0 High Medium Low
Low
kg-1. For three consecutive years, waste-activated dewatered
biosolids were surface-applied and immediatelyincorporated High High
Control Low
into the surface 0.15 mof soil with a moldboardplowas part
of a silage-feeding study (Dowdyet al., 1983a,b). Cumulative Low Control
Medium Control
........
biosolids and heavy metal loadings are shownin Table 1.
Treatmentswere replicated four times in a randomizedblock
design. Following biosolids applications, plots were main- 73.2
................................ m
tained in agricultural production. Cornwas the major crop
produced,but other crops included alfalfa (Medicagosativa
L.), soybean[Glycine max(L.) Merr.], and oat (Avenasativa ~__ Tillage
L.) (Table2). operations
soil sample
site
Soil Sampling and Analysis
Plot size= 0.22 ha
Three 5 cmsoil cores were collected from an area near the Fig. l. Size, orientation, and arrangementof 1-9 biosolids field plots.
center of each 0.22 ha plot (Fig. 1) with a hydraulic probe. The expandedview shows the area within the main plot wheresoil
Soil cores were segmentedinto 0.15 mincrements to a depth samples were collected.
of 0.9 mand correspondingincrementswere combined.In the
laboratory, field-moist bulk-samples were weighedand then
a subsample was removedto measure soil moisture content concentrationsin soils were multiplied by soil massto deter-
gravimetrically. Soil moisturedata wasused to calculate oven- minetotal metal massin each depth increment(Eq. [1]). Soil
dry weight for each bulk sample. Bulk density was calculated massfor each depth increment was calculated from the soil
for each depth increment by dividing the bulk-sample oven- bulk density Db(Eq. [2]). Bulk density values, determinedfor
dry weightby the total volumeof the three 0.15 mcore incre- each 0.15-mdepth increment, were 1.33, 1.54, 1.53, and 1.43
gcm-3 for the 0 to 0.15, 0.15 to 0.30, 0.30 to 0.45, and 0.45
ments in each bulk sample. A single bulk density value was
calculated for each 0.15 mdepth incrementby averagingindi- to 0.60 mdepths, respectively. Recoveryof biosolids-applied
vidual values from the 16 plots. heavymetalswascalculated by subtracting the control for each
Bulk soil sampleswere air dried, crushed to pass a 2 mm depth, adding metal contents from each depth, and dividing by
sieve, and homogenized. Soils fromthe control and biosolids- the cumulativemetal loading (Eq. [3]).
treated plots were extracted for 20 h on a reciprocal shaker Soil metal/(kg ha-1) -1)= Soil metal conc.i (mg kg
with 1 MHNO3 (4 g:20 mLsoil/solution) in acid-cleaned poly-
propylene centrifuge tubes followed by centrifugation at × Soil mass~ (kg ha-~) [1]
10 000 rpmfor 10 rain to isolate the supernatant. The 20 h, 3)
1 MHNO3extraction procedure was chosen to be consistent Soil mass/= Soil volume/(m
with earlier bioavailability research conductedwith soils from × Ob.i (kg -3) [2]
this site (Bidwell and Dowdy,1987; Dowdy and Volk, 1983).
In a similar fashion,soils wereextractedfor 2 h witha solution Metal Recovery (%)
of 0.005 Mdiethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA),0.01 -1)
~ {Soil metalbio~o~id~
- Soil metalco~t~o~}~
(kg ha
MCaC12and 0.1 Mtriethanolamine, adjusted to pH7.3 (Lind- -~)
Cumulative metal loading (kg ha
[3]
say and Norvell, 1978). Metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn)
were determined in the supernatants by inductively coupled
plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES). A small
portion of each soil samplewas pulverized in a ball and mill
grinder and analyzed for OCby dry combustionwith a Carlo RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Erba, Model1500 analyzer.
Soil Organic Carbon
Heavy Metal Recovery Surface soil OClevels (0-0.30 m) prior to biosolids
Heavymetal recovery was based on concentrations in the applications are represented by the bar graph in Fig. 2.
upper0.45 mof the soil profile. Removal of heavymetals by Each bar is an average of the four plots assigned to
crop harvests was a neglible factor during the 16 yr since individual treatments. Soil OClevels prior to biosolids
biosolids applications (<1%of total applied) and those values applications were nearly identical in all plots. The re-
were not included in the recovery calculations. Heavymetal gression lines in Fig. 2 show the effect of cumulative

Table1. Cumulative
biosolids andheavymetalIoadingson the 1-9 plots at the Rosemount
Experimental
Station.
Cumulativeloads
Years
Treatment applied Biosolids Cd Cr Cu Ni Pb Zn
-~
Mgha -~
kg ha
Low 1977-1979 60 9 48 41 16 54 106
Med 1977-1979 120 17 91 83 26 97 220
High 1977-1979 180 25 141 127 43 173 343
CPLRlimit’~ 39 3000 1500 420 300 2800
Cumulative Pollutant LoadingRate limit established by the USEPA
(1993).
 1314 J. ENVIRON.QUAL., VOL. 27, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER
1998

Table 2. Croppingand fertilizer history of I-9 field plots during and after biosolids applications.
Year Crop Variety Fertilizerappliication
1977 Cornt Pioneer 3780 Dewateredsludge
1978 Corn Pioneer 3780 Dewateredsludge + 1112 kg K -1
ha
1979 Corn Pioneer 3780 Dewateredsludge
1980 Corn Pioneer 3780 None
1981 Corn Pioneer 3780 None
1982 Corn Pioneer 3780 92 kg ha-1 N
1983 Corn Pioneer 3780 92 kg ha-1 N
1984 Corn Pioneer 3780 160 + 98 kg ha-~ N-t+ K
1985 Oat~ Ogle 35 + 15 + 29 kg ha N + P + K
1986 Alfaifal[ None
1987 Oat None
1988 Alfalfa Pioneer 532 129 kg ha-~ K
1989 Alfalfa Pioneer 532 None
1990 Alfalfa Pioneer 532 112 kg ha-1 K
1991 Corn None
1992 Corn Dekalb 421 115 kg ha-t N + manure
1993 Corn NK4242 40 + 112 kg ha-1 N + K
1994 Soybean§ Evans None
1995 Corn NK4242 83 kg ha-I N
~ Zea mays.
~ Avena sativa L.
¶ Medicagosativa L.
§ Glycine max.

biosolids loadings on surface soil OC(0-0.30 m) <1
after the third and final biosolids application (1979) and
16 yr after application (1995). Less than 1 yr after the
third and final biosolids application (1979), soil OCwas
linearly correlated to cumulative loading rate (r = 0.61).
The same relationship was still apparent in 1995 (r
0.56), 16 yr after the last biosolids application.
Significant increases in soil OCwere expected due to
the addition of relatively large amountsof biosolids to
the soil (i.e., up to 180 Mgha-l). A more relevant ques-
tion is the fate of biosolids-applied organic matter in
the soil with time. Beckett and Davis (1978) suggested
a possible "time bombeffect" where leaching of heavy
metals would increase with time due to decomposition
of biosolid organic matter. For the individual treatments
in our study, there were no statistically significant
changes in soil OCcontent between 1979 and 1995. This
was due in part to high levels of variability, especially
45
1976:Prior to application
1979: Y = 20.35 + 0.05X; r= 0.61"*
1995: Y = 21.8 + 0.04X; r = 0.56**
0 60 120 180
"1
BIOSOLIDSLOADING,Mg ha
Fig. 2. Soil OCas a function of total biosolids Ioadings for the last
year of application (1979) and16 yr after applications (1995). Bars
showsoil OClevels before first biosolids application (1976). Error
bars represent _+1 standard deviation of the treatment means.
**Significant at the 0.05 level of probability.
at the 120 and 180 Mgha -1 loading rate. However,
the similarity of the regression lines for 1979 and 1995
suggests there were only small changes in soil OCfor
the control and biosolids treatments during the 16 yr
after cessation of biosolids applications.
The greatest rate of OCmineralization in biosolids-
treated soils occurs within 7 to 11 d after applications
(Lerch et al., 1992; Wisemanand Zibilske, 1988). After
this initial period of rapid mineralization, biosolids-
treated soils continue to exhibit greater OCmineraliza-
tion rates than untreated soils (Boyle and Paul, 1989;
Linden et al., 1994). However, the rate of OCdecompo-
sition decreases greatly with time if no additional biosol-
ids applications are made. Logan et al. (1997) observed
the greatest decrease in soil OCduring the first 2 yr after
biosolids applications with only small changes during the
next 3 yr. Boyle and Paul (1989) suggested that total
soil OCin biosolids-treated soils after 3 yr of field de-
composition might be more recalcitrant than native soil
OC. In our study, biosolids were applied over a 3-yr
period with the largest application being madethe first
-1
year. Annual applications rates for the 180 Mg ha
cumulative loading were 90, 45, and 45 Mgha -1 yr -1
for 1977, 1978, and 1979, respectively. Consequently,
when soil OCwas measured in 1979, 50°,/0 of the total
biosolids load had decomposed for more than 2 yr and
75%for more than 1 yr. Lack of significant decreases
in soil OCfrom 1979 to 1995 suggests that the period
of most rapid decomposition had already occurred and
subsequent rates of decomposition were much lower.
The addition of an estimated <1 Mgha-1 dairy manure
in 1992 ( Table 2) was too small to significantly affect
soil OC.
Vertical Translocation of Heavy Metals
Sixteen years after cessation of biosolids applications,
all heavy metals exhibited a similar pattern of distribu-
tion with depth in the well-drained Waukegansilt loam
soil (Fig. 3). Biosolids-applied heavy metals were mostly
 SLOAN ET AL.: RECOVERYOF BIOSOLIDS-APPL1ED HEAVYMETALS
Cd
0.00
0.30
0.45
NS
0.60 Itl i NS
E 0.75 ~l.qNS
- NS
0.90 ’ : : ~, : i"~
O. 0 2 4 6 8
IU
Cr
.a
o.oo ±
", ""
NS
0.45 ~-
0.66
0.90 ~
0 10 20 30
METAL CONCENTRATION, 4
Fig. 3. Distributionof Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, andZn in the profile of a well-drained,TypicHapindoll16 yr after biosolidsapplications.*, **, ***
Significant effect of biosolids loading at 0.05, 0.01, and 0.001 level of probability, respectively.
concentrated in the upper 0.30 mof soil. Metal concen-
trations at the 0 to 0.15 m depth were similar to those
at the 0.15 to 0.30 m depth. At the 0.30 to 0.45 msoil
depth, metal concentrations in biosolids-treated soils
were slightly elevated above the control (P < 0.05).
Below 0.45 m, biosolids-applications had no effect on
heavy metal concentrations. These heavy metal distribu-
tion patterns are similar to those reported by McGrath
and Lane (1989) 24 yr after applying biosolids at a rate
of 30.6 Mgha -~ yr -~ for 20 yr. Chang et al. (1983)
reported that more than 90% of biosolids-applied Cd
and Zn (50 and 2000 kg ha-~, respectively), remained
in the 0 to 0.15 m soil layer after applying biosolids at
90 Mgha-1 yr -~ for six consecutive years. Studies that
examined heavy metal concentrations with depth in bio-
solids-treated soils generally report increased metal con-
centrations to a depth of 0.30 m, but no measurable
increases below 0.40 m (Chang et al., 1982, 1983; Dowdy
and Volk, 1983; Kelling et al., 1977; McGrathand Lane,
1989; Parker et al., 1978; Sidle and Kardos, 1977; Sidle
et al., 1977; Williamset al., 1984, 1985).
The six heavy metals examinedin this study (Cd, Cr,
Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) have different chemical properties
due to their atomic structures. Consequently, each metal
reacts differently with biosolids and soil solids (McLean
and Bledsoe, 1992). Their association with soil solids
ranges from easily-extracted exchangeable forms for Cd
to more resistant oxide and strongly-bound organic and
inorganic forms for Cr and Pb (Sloan et al., 1997). With
this in mind, it is somewhatsurprising to see similar
patterns of distribution in the soil profile for each of
these metals (Fig. 3). This suggests that physical, rather
than chemical, processes are primarily responsible for
heavy metal distribution in this soil. Biosolids were orig-
inally surface-applied and incorporated to a depth of
0.15 to 0.20 m with a moldboard plow. During the 16
yr since biosolids were applied and soil samples for this
study were collected (Table 2), annual tillage operations
have facilitated the movementof heavy metals to the
0.15 to 0.30 m depth and to a lesser extent, the 0.30 to
1315
Ni Zn
:--.
.,,,....
/
NS NS
~lz NS ~ 0
5 10 15 0 30 60 90 120
--~-- 120
Cu Pb
--~-- 180
20 40 0 20 40 60 80
mg kg
0.45 m depth. Movementof heavy metals to the 0.30 to
0.45 m depth maybe attributed to co-transport with soil
colloids and/or bioturbation by soil organisms. There is
no indication that significant amounts of heavy metals
have migrated to depths >0.45 m.
Heavy Metal Recovery
Since biosolids applications had no effect on soil metal
concentrations below 0.45 m (Fig. 3), only the upper
0.60 m of soil was used to calculate heavy metal recover-
ies. In general, >90%of biosolids-applied Cd, Cu, Ni,
Pb, and Zn were present in the upper 0.30 m of soil
(Table 3). This finding agrees with various studies that
found about 95%of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn were retained
in the 0 to 0.30 m depth after application of sewage
sludge to soil (Sidle and Kardos, 1977; Sidle et al., 1977;
Parker et al., 1978). In fact, if soils are sampledwithin
1 to 6 yr after biosolids application, more than 90%of
heavy metals are found in the 0 to 0.15 mdepth (Chang
etal., 1983).
In the present study, metal concentrations at the 0 to
0.15 m depth were approximately equivalent to those
at the 0.15 to 0.30 mdepth (Fig. 3). Metal concentrations
at the 0.15 to 0.30 mdepth 16 yr after biosolids applica-
tions were generally within 10%of the concentrations
extracted with 1 M HNO3by Dowdy and Volk (1983)
at the 0.10 to 0.20 mdepth <1 yr after applying biosolids.
The concentrations measured by Dowdy and Volk
(1983) at the 0.10 to 0.20 m depth are equivalent to 51,
50, 54, and 37%of biosolids-applied Cd, Cu, Ni, and
Zn, respectively. Assuming equal amounts of metals
were present in the 0 to 0.10 m depth, nearly 100%of
biosolids-applied heavy metals were present in the up-
per 0.20 mof soil 1 to 3 yr after the biosolids applications.
The fact that 16 yr after biosolids applications, >90%
of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn are present in the upper 0.30
m of soil and 100% are present in the upper 0.45 m
indicates the heavy metals migrated very slowly into the
soil profile and consequently, there was little risk of
1316 J. ENVIRON. QUAL., VOL. 27, NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1998

Table 3. Percent of biosolids-applied heavy metals extracted (1 M HNO,) from the upper 0.60 m of a Typic Hapludoll.
0-0.15 0.15-0.30 0.30-0.45 0.45-0.60 0-0.60
Sludge
Metal load Mean SDt Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Mean
Mg ha"1 Of
of total metals applied ———
Cd 60 44 11 49 9 10 3 2 2 105
120 49 2 45 7 4 3 1 0 99
180 51 10 55 13 5 2 0 0 111
Cr 60 19 1 23 3 6 3 4 2 52
120 27 0 27 6 3 2 2 1 59
180 25 5 31 14 2 1 1 0 59
Cu 60 43 10 49 7 10 3 6 3 108
120 54 1 52 9 6 3 3 1 115
180 51 9 62 20 5 2 1 0 119
Ni 60 45 13 49 13 1 5 0 0 95
120 48 3 42 13 0 0 0 0 90
180 48 4 56 7 10 5 0 0 114
Pb 60 40 11 44 8 8 6 7 5 99
120 48 1 43 7 3 2 3 2 97
180 47 14 47 15 6 5 2 0 102
Zn 60 37 9 42 10 9 2 5 3 93
120 46 2 44 8 3 3 1 1 94
180 43 8 49 13 5 3 1 0 98
f Standard deviation of the treatment mean.

groundwater contamination. It should be noted that
these results are valid for the soil type used in this study
and for other soils with similar composition, structure,
and management history. The results may not be the
same for soils with different composition and structure
and that exist under different climatic conditions.
Percent recovery of biosolids-applied Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb,
and Zn was close to 100% for all biosolids loadings
(Table 3). Chromium was the exception to this trend.
Biosolids-applied Cr exhibited the same distribution in
the soil profile as the other heavy metals (Fig. 3), but
percent recoveries ranged from 52 to 59%. Low recov-
ery of Cr was probably due to incomplete extraction by
1M HNO3. During an earlier study, soils from a different
location at the 1-9 site were extracted for 16 h with hot
4 M HNO3 (Sloan et al, 1997). The amounts of Cr
extracted from those soil samples with hot 4 M HNO3
(data not shown) were four to nine times greater than
the amounts extracted with 1 M HNO3 from soils in the
present study. A comparison of DTPA vs. 1 M HNO3
extractable Cr also provides evidence of the chemical
resistance of soil Cr. For the soils used in the present
study, concentrations of DTPA-extractable Cd, Cu, Ni,
Pb, and Zn (data not shown) were 69, 37, 37, 30, and
46% of 1 M HNO3 values, respectively. In contrast,
DTPA-extractable Cr was <1% of 1 M HNO3 values.
Kelling et al. (1977) also found that DTPA was able to
extract Cd, Cu, Ni, and Zn, but not Cr from a biosolids-
treated soil.
amounts in the 0.30 to 0.45 m layer. Biosolids applica-
tions had little or no effect on heavy metal concentra-
tions below 0.45 m. Approximately 100% of biosolids-
applied Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were recovered from
the upper 0 to 0.45 m of soil. The 1 M HNO3 extractant
used in this study was unable to extract 100% of bio-
solid-applied Cr.
The results of this study suggest that biosolids-applied
organic matter decomposes slowly when applied to a
well-drained silt loam soil in a temperate climate. Con-
sequently, rapid release of biosolids-derived heavy met-
als followed by leaching and plant uptake is unlikely to
occur. Complete recovery of biosolids-applied heavy
metals is possible when plot size is large enough to
prevent cross-mixing of treated soils during tillage oper-
ations and when sediment losses due to erosion are
minimal. The long-term immobility of biosolids-applied
heavy metals in this soil suggests that the risk of ground-
water contamination is minimal in a well-drained, silt
loam agricultural soil.

CONCLUSIONS
Soils were sampled with depth 16 yr after three annual
biosolids applications. Soil OC concentrations in the
soil surface were linearly correlated to biosolids loadings
and were not significantly different from the levels mea-
sured 1 yr after the final biosolids application. Biosolids-
applied Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn were concentrated
primarily in the upper 0.30 m of soil with smaller
 SLOAN ET AL.: RECOVERY OF BIOSOLIDS-APPLIED HEAVY METALS 1317

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