Relationship between Mineral Soil Surface Area and the Biological Degradation of Biosolids Added to Soil

Dongqi Wen, Wenjuan Zhai, Demetrios Moschandreas, Guanglong Tian and Kenneth E. Noll
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Dongqi Wen: Civil, Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3201 S Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Wenjuan Zhai: Civil, Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3201 S Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Demetrios Moschandreas: Civil, Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3201 S Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616, USA
Guanglong Tian: Environmental Monitoring and Research Division, Monitoring and Research Department, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, 6001 W. Pershing Road, Cicero, IL 60804, USA
Kenneth E. Noll: Civil, Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3201 S Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60616, USA

Agriculture, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Geochemical and biological processes that operate in the soil matrix and on the soil surface are important to the degradation of biosolids in soil. Due to the large surface area of soils it is assumed that the microbial ecology is associated with mineral soil surface area. The total mineral surface areas were determined for soils from eight different fields selected from a long term study (1972–2006) of annual biosolids application to 41 fields in central Illinois varying in size from 3.6 to 66 ha. The surface areas for the soils varied from 1 to 9 m 2 /g of soil. The biological degradation rates for the eight soils were determined using a biological degradation rate model (DRM) and varied from 0.02 to 0.20/year −1 . Regression analysis revealed that the degradation rate was positively associated with mineral soil surface area (1 m 2 /g produces 0.018 year −1 increase in the degradation rate). The annual soil sequestration rate was calculated to increase from 1% to 6% when the soil total surface area increased from 1 to 9 m 2 /g of soil. Therefore, land application of biosolids is an effective way to enhance carbon sequestration in soils and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Keywords: soil carbon; carbon sequestration; biosolids; biological degradation; mineral soil surface area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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