Mobility of Heavy Metals in

Soils Ten Years After Sludge

Applications
Susie Lee
Cornell University

Note: Press ‘s kip’ on remote to advance slides.

 Mobility of Trace Metals in Soil Ten Years after Sludge Application
Department of Biological & Environmental Engineering Susie Lee, Brian K. Richards

1. Background III. Data IV. Results & Trends

The increased use of wastewater sludge as fertilizers have
raised a number of environmental and health concerns due to Soil pH analysis *Key on the bottom  pH analysis clearly indicates the
the considerable levels of toxic metals found in these waste Hudson pHi 5 Hudson pHi 7 Arkport pHi 5 Arkport pHi 7 acidification of pHi 5 columns due to
materials. Soil columns that had received a heavy loading of top sludge N & S acidification and (a)
sludge were investigated 10 years later to determine the fate 1
strongly
acidified
strongly
acidified
synthetic acid rainfall. These columns

Sample Zones
of trace metals applied in the soil. 2
are strongly acidified throughout the
3
profile.
A total of 90 undisturbed soil columns were operated in a pHi 7 columns show similar trends
4

greenhouse for 10 years (15 crop cycles) with various sludge N/A
residue N/A

processing, soil type, and soil pH management treatments. initial within each other. Due to such strong
Previous studies indicate that dewatered sludge had notable 0 2 4
pH
6 8 0 2 4
pH
6 8 0 5 10 0 2 4
pH
6 8 acidification, pHi 7 columns were
pH

leaching of some metals, although low on a percentage of limed twice during cropping to
metal loaded. Cumulative sludge loadings were 215 dry T/ maintain acceptable pH levels.
ha, or roughly 30 years’ worth of agronomic loadings. The Copper
following 4 soil columns were selected to measure trace  Both pHi 7 columns have enhanced
Hudson pHi 5 Hudson pHi 7 Arkport pHi 5 Arkport pHi 7
metal movement through the undisturbed subsoil layers in d ge
levels of copper in shallow subsoil (b)
slu
the columns: Rig
h ta
ft er
zone 1, but only in the flow paths.
only here
1
movement
only here
Copper remains at pre-treatment (a) Soil columns were extracted by digging
deeper surrounding soil in Ithaca, NY (1993).

Sample Zones
Sludge Type Soil Type Initial Soil pH throughout the
levels in deeper layers.
2
movement profile
3 (b) Crops were planted on the soil columns
to maintain active rhizospheres and to
Dewatered Hudson Silt Loam 5&7 4
pHi 5 columns suggest deeper
maintain preferential flow paths.
Arkport Sandy Loam
residue
5&7 initial
enhancement of copper throughout
the profiles.
II. Samples
0 60 120 180 0 60 120 180 0 60 120 180 0 60 120 180

+
Cu (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg) Cu (mg/kg)

 At pHi 7, zinc shows little movement In addition…

 Blue-dying of soil highlights the preferential flow paths Zinc
in flow path. (Hudson pHi 5 not shown  Generally, metal total loss is greater
 Nitric acid extraction  ICP analysis (metal concentration) Hudson pHi 7 Arkport pHi 5 Arkport pHi 7

lu dge
due to difficulty with extraction/ICP with in low pH columns.
er s
Arkport Rig
ht aft
samples).
As expected, lead (Pb) had little
10”

1 little if any little if any

mobility throughout the column but it

Sample Zones

2 Possible
deeper
3
movement  Cadmium, at much lower had little consistency in data (graphs
4 N/A
concentrations, was extremely not displayed).
residue N/A
4 samples
per each zone, initial
sensitive to any variations. It is quite a challenge to
topsoil, AND
residue makes 0 200 400 0 40 80 120 160
0 40 80 120 160
 Arkport pHi 7 displays clear demonstrate changes in metal
total of 34 Zn (mg/kg) Zn (mg/kg)
samples per soil
column.
Zn (mg/kg)
deposition in flow path in zone 1. concentrations in non-homogeneous
soil columns.
residue Cadmium

Hudson slu
dge
Hudson pHi 5 Hudson pHi 7 Arkport pHi 5 Arkport pHi 7
V. References
r
fte
Rig
ht
a
Akhtar, M. S., T. S. Steenhuis, B. K. Richards*, and M. B. McBride. 2003. Chloride and lithium
1
transport in large arrays of undisturbed silt loam and sandy loam soil columns. Vadose
Possible Zone Journal 2:715-727.
Sample Zones

2
deeper clear deposition McBride, M.B., Richards, B.K., and Steenhuis, T.S. 2004. Bioavailability and crop uptake of
deposition little movement
3 trace elements in soil columns amended with sewage sludge products. Plant and Soil 262,
4 71-84.
 McBride, M.B., Richards, B.K., Steenhuis, T.S., Russo, J.J., and Sauve, S. 1997. Mobility and
residue
solubility of toxic metals and nutrients in soil fifteen years after sludge application. J. Soil
Zones : initial subsoil too low? Sci. 162, 487-500.
“1 – 4” as shown above; “top” is  Richards, B.K., Steenhuis, T.S., Peverly, J.H., and McBride, M.B. 2000. Effect of sludge-
0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 0 2 4 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0
topsoil; “residue” means soil Cd (mg/kg) Cd (mg/kg) Cd (mg/kg) Cd (mg/kg) processing mode, soil texture and soil pH on metal mobility in undisturbed soil columns
under accelerated loading. J. Environ. Poll. 109, 327-346.
deposited on the lower plastic
waterproof barrier.
blue-dyed (preferential flow path) initial topsoil
*Key
undyed (no flow path) initial subsoil