Land Application of Municipal Landfill Leachate: Fate of Ions and Ammonia Volatilization. Issue 2 (1st March 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Santos, C. A.; Panchoni, L. C.; Bini, D.; Kuwano, B. H.; Carmo, K. B.; Silva, S. M. C. P.; Martines, A. M.; Andrade, G.; Andrade, D. S.; Cardoso, E. J. B. N.; Zangaro, W.; Nogueira, M. A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of Environmental Quality. Volume 42:Issue 2(2013)
• Page Start: 523
• Page End: 531
• Publication Date: 2013-03-01
• Subjects: Agricultural ecology -- Periodicals; Environmental engineering -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Periodicals; 630
• DOI: 10.2134/jeq2012.0170
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0047-2425

Abstract

Abstract : Landfill leachates are pollutants rich in ammoniacal N, Na, and K, but land application potentially offers an alternative for recycling these leachate nutrients. We applied landfill leachate corresponding to 0, 110, 220, 330, and 440 kg ha −1 of total N, divided in three applications (July, August, and October 2008), onto the surface of an acidic (pH 5.5–6.0) clay (79% clay) Ultisol and monitored NH3 volatilization just after applications and microbiological (0–10 cm) and chemical attributes (0–60‐cm soil depth) in August 2008, January 2009, and May 2009. Ammonium (up to 30 mg kg −1 ), NO3 − (up to 160 mg kg −1 ), Na, K (up to 1.1 cmolc kg −1 each), and electrical conductivity (up to 1 dS m −1 ) increased transiently in soil following applications. Despite >90% of the total leachate N being ammoniacal, NO3 − predominated in the first soil sampling, 14 d after the second application, suggesting fast nitrification, but it decreased in the soil profile thereafter. From 5 to 25% of the total applied N volatilized as NH3, with maximum losses within the first 3 d. Applications inhibited (50%) the relative nitrification rate and increased (50%) hot‐water‐soluble carbohydrates in the soil at the highest rate. No effects were observed on soil microbial biomass C (114–205 mg kg −1 ) and activity (5–8 mg CO2 –C kg −1 d −1 ) or on corn grain yields (6349–7233 kg ha −1 ). Controlled land application seems to be a viable alternative for landfill leachate management, but NO3 − leaching, NH3 volatilization, and accumulation of salinizing ions must be monitored in the long term to prevent environmental degradation.