Monday, 7 November 2005 - 11:30 AM
35-5

Long-Term Impacts of Biosolids Rangeland Surface Application on Trace Metal Mobility and Fate.

James Ippolito and Kenneth Barbarick. Colorado State University, CO St. Univ.-Soil & Crop Sci., C127 Plant Science Bldg., Fort Collins, CO 80523-1170

The application of biosolids to lands in EPA Region 8 is the major method of biosolids disposal, with 80% of the material being land applied. This application method can greatly benefit municipalities by recycling plant nutrients in an environmentally sound manner. Our long-term rangeland study, now in its fourteenth year, has provided valuable information on the effects of a single or repeated biosolids application to overgrazed semiarid rangelands. Little information is known, however, on the transport and fate of biosolids-borne trace metals within long-term biosolids-amended rangeland soils. Biosolids were surface applied in 1991 to 15m x 15m plots at rates of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 21, and 30 Mg biosolids ha-1 in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. In 2002, the plots were split in half and reapplication took place on one-half of each plot at rates identical to the 1991 application. Soil from the 0-8, 8-15, and 15-30-cm depths were obtained from each half-plot. A sequential trace metal extraction procedure was utilized to measure labile through resistant fractions. In addition, scanning electron microscopy in conjunction with energy dispersive spectroscopy was utilized to identify solid phase metal associations. Results will be presented.

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