Factors of Soil Formation

Tree vegetation and waste amendments to improve the physical condition of copper mine soils.

Exploring the multiple land degradation pathways across the planet

When sewage sludge is incorrectly applied, it may adversely impact agro-system productivity Thus, this study addresses the reaction of Cucumis sativus L (cucumber) to different amendment rates (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 g kg−1) of sewage sludge in a greenhouse pot experiment, in which the plant growth, heavy metal uptake and biomass were evaluated A randomized complete block design with six treatments and six replications was used as the experimental design The soil electrical conductivity, organic matter and Cr, Fe, Zn and Ni concentrations increased, but the soil pH decreased in response to the sewage sludge applications As approved by the Council of European Communities, all of the heavy metal concentrations in the sewage sludge were less than the permitted limit for applying sewage sludge to land Generally, applications of sewage sludge of up to 40 g kg−1 resulted in a considerable increase in all of the morphometric parameters and biomass of cucumbers in contrast to plants grown on the control soil Nevertheless, the cucumber shoot height; root length; number of leaves, internodes and fruits; leaf area; absolute growth rate and biomass decreased in response to 50 g kg−1 of sewage sludge All of the heavy metal concentrations (except the Cu, Zn and Ni in the roots, Mn in the fruits and Pb in the stems) in different cucumber tissues increased with increasing sewage sludge application rates However, all of the heavy metal concentrations (except the Cr and Fe in the roots, Fe in the leaves and Cu in the fruits) were within the normal range and did not reach phytotoxic levels A characteristic of these cucumbers was that all of the heavy metals had a bioaccumulation factor <10 All of the heavy metals (except Cd, Cu and Zn) had translocation factors that were <10 As a result, the sewage sludge used in this study could be considered for use as a fertilizer in cucumber production systems in Saudi Arabia and can also serve as a substitute method of sewage sludge disposal

The effects of different sewage sludge amendment rates on the heavy metal bioaccumulation, growth and biomass of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.)

Remote Sensing Of The Environment An Earth Resource Perspec Five, 2 nd Edition

Authors aim to carry out a bibliographic review as an initial approach to state of the art related to the quality of urban soils, as well as its possible link with human health. This concern arises from the need to highlight the consequences that soil could face, derived from the growth and aging of the population, as well as its predicted preference for urban settlement. Urban development may pose a challenge to the health of urban soils, due to degradative processes that it entails, such as land take, sealing, contamination or compaction. A healthy soil is the one which maintains the capacity to support ecosystem services, so it can provide numerous benefits to human health and well-being (carbon sequestration, protection against flooding, retention and immobilization of pollutants and a growth media for vegetation and food production). This article addresses threats facing urban soils, the strategies put forward by the European Union to deal with them, as well as the issues that require further attention. Greening cities could be a consensual solution, so authors analyze whether soils of cities are ready for that challenge and what resources need to maintain soil ecosystem functions. This review proposes to use made by waste Technosols for a sustainable green city. Although the use of Technosols as a type of soil is very recent, the interest of the scientific community in this field continues to grow.

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Urban areas, human health and technosols for the green deal.

Restoration of degraded soils with organic wastes could be a feasible practice to minimize erosion in the Mediterranean area, but with the risk of soil and groundwater pollution. Currently the use of sewage sludge to improve the nutrient contents of a soil is a common practice. The soil to which a great amount of fertilizers is usually applied, may favour the solubilization of inorganic compounds. In order to study the mobility of some of these elements through the soil, we designed an experiment aimed to reproduce the behaviour of different compounds and heavy metals in the soil as a part of the non-saturated zone. A controlled experiment in a greenhouse using soil columns was used. A mineral residue from a limestone quarry in Alicante (south-east of Spain) was amended with 30 and 90 t of sludge ha−1. Nitrate, ammonium, cadmium, and nickel were analysed in leachates collected at the bottom of the columns. We found high concentrations of nitrates and ammonium in leachates, which imply an important environmental risk. No important displacements of Cd and Ni were found.

Environmental evaluation of sewage sludge application to reclaim limestone quarries wastes as soil amendments

This article analyzed the survival of Escherichia coli, total coliforms, and Salmonella spp. in a soil amended with urban sewage sludge due to its potential use in soil rehabilitation and to the risk of microbial pollution. The survival of E. coli, total coliforms, and Salmonella spp. was determined in a soil amended with different doses of four different urban sewage sludge based on equivalent nitrogen fertilization of 0, 85, 170, and 340 kg N/ha. After the topsoil/sludge mixtures were made, they were wet to 18% moisture and analyzed for 2 months to determine the presence of bacteria, and then again after 1 year. The results indicate that the presence of microorganisms was strongly conditioned by the type of biosolid and the dose applied. Soil moisture diminished as the experiment progressed and seemed to play a role in controlling the presence of the bacteria. The initial concentrations of bacteria depend on the sewage sludge treatment. The evolution of E. coli had a similar trend as total coliforms, and Salmonella spp. was absent after 8 weeks although a positive presence was detected in some soils after a year. As a conclusion, long periods of time reduce the risk from the presence of pathogens in soils, and the persistence may be closely related to the treatment of sewage sludge and the initial amount of microorganisms in the sewage sludge.

Environmental consequences from the use of sewage sludge in soil restoration related to microbiological pollution

Soil vulnerability is the capacity of one or more of the ecological functions of the soil system to be harmed. It is a complex concept which requires the identification of multiple environmental factors and land management at different temporal and space scales. The employment of geospatial information with good update capabilities could be a satisfac‐ tory tool to assess potential soil vulnerability changes in large areas. This chapter pres‐ ents the application of two land degradation case studies which is simple, synoptic, and suitable for continuous monitoring model based on the fuzzy logic. The model combines topography and vegetation status information to assess soil vulnerability to land deg‐ radation. Topographic parameters were obtained from digital elevation models (DEM), and vegetation status information was derived from the computation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) satellite images. This spectral index provides rele‐ vance and is updated for each scene, evidences about the biomass and soil productivity, and vegetation density cover or vegetation stress (e.g., forest fires, droughts). Modeled output maps are suitable for temporal change analysis, which allows the identification of the effect of land management practices, soil and vegetation regeneration, or climate effects.

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A Model for Evaluating Soil Vulnerability to Erosion Using Remote Sensing Data and A Fuzzy Logic System

Sierra de Callosa have an area of 8 km2 and a maximum altitude of 566 masl. Geologically, it is found to be primarily comprised of carbonated rocks. Mine spoils coming from limestone quarries extraction are often used in the working reclamation process. These materials could be actually employed profitably once conveniently amended with organic matter. A study on the temporary evolution of nutrients and several physical–chemical parameters in a mineral waste amended with municipal solid waste (MSW) compost has been carried out. The effect of incorporating such waste to mine spoils in an arid gravel quarry has been studied, quantifying the temporal evolution of nutrients and several physical–chemical parameters in the mixture. Three plots have been prepared with mine spoils proceeding from a limestone quarry located in the south of the province of Alicante (municipality of Redovan). These plots have been amended with 3 kg/m2 of MSW compost. Texture, pH, electrical conductivity, oxidizable organic matter, N-Kjeldahl, available P, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn were analysed. The results reflected the contribution of nutrients to the substrate after the MSW addition. The variability of the information indicated the heterogeneity of the MSW composition, as well as the difficulty of obtaining a homogeneous MSW mixture–mineral waste.

Ignacio Gómez-Lucas

Papers

Urban areas, human health and technosols for the green deal.

Environmental evaluation of sewage sludge application to reclaim limestone quarries wastes as soil amendments

Environmental consequences from the use of sewage sludge in soil restoration related to microbiological pollution

A Model for Evaluating Soil Vulnerability to Erosion Using Remote Sensing Data and A Fuzzy Logic System

Geological and environmental implications in the reclamation of limestone quarries in Sierra de Callosa (Alicante, Spain)