Effectiveness of Biochar and Zeolite Soil Amendments in Reducing Pollution of Municipal Wastewater from Nitrogen and Coliforms

Hamid Reza Asghari, Günther Bochmann and Zahra Taghizadeh Tabari
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Hamid Reza Asghari: Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood 3619995161, Iran
Günther Bochmann: Institute for Environmental Biotechnology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna|Boku, 1180 Wien, Austria
Zahra Taghizadeh Tabari: Department of Agronomy and Plant Breeding, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood 3619995161, Iran

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-13

Abstract: A greenhouse experiment with soil cores and wastewater application was carried out to investigate the effects of biochar and zeolite on the mobility of nitrogen and coliform bacteria during the leaching of columns repacked by a silty loam soil. Triticum aestivum plants were grown in cores with and without biochar and zeolite irrigated with municipal wastewater for 4 months in the greenhouse. Cores were then flushed with 800 mLof distillate water and, finally, the leachate was collected. Application of biochar or zeolite significantly ( p ≤ 0.05) reduced nitrate and ammonium loss in soil after leaching process, compared to their non-treated counterparts. In addition, interactions of biochar and zeolite significantly decreased nitrate and ammonium content in leachate. Biochar had higher removal effects of coliform bacteria in leachate than zeolite. Lower nitrate and ammonium content in leachate was related to the increased retention of soil amendments. Application of 5% w / w of biochar also reduced the volume of leachate by 11% compare to control, but using 5% w / w and 10% w / w of zeolite increased the volume of leachate compared with non-treated columns by 21% and 48%, respectively. Taken together, these data highlight the need to consider the potential benefits of biochar and zeolite as soil amendment to reduce nitrogen mobility and remove coliform bacteria in the leaching process of municipal wastewater in agricultural systems.

Keywords: waste-water contamination; biochar; zeolite; nitrate; ammonium; coliforms; soil amendments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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