A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Sustainable Impact of Sewage Sludge Application on Soil Organic Matter and Nutrient Content

Enzo Antonio Lecciolle Paganini, Rafael Barroca Silva, Ludmila Ribeiro Roder, Iraê Amaral Guerrini, Gian Franco Capra, Eleonora Grilli and Antonio Ganga ()
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Enzo Antonio Lecciolle Paganini: Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Viale Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Rafael Barroca Silva: Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Viale Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Ludmila Ribeiro Roder: Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Viale Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Iraê Amaral Guerrini: Department of Forest, Soil and Environmental Sciences, College of Agricultural Sciences, São Paulo State University-UNESP, Botucatu 18610-034, SP, Brazil
Gian Franco Capra: Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Viale Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Eleonora Grilli: Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Antonio Ganga: Department of Architecture, Design and Urban Planning, University of Sassari, Viale Piandanna 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 22, 1-16

Abstract: The increasing scarcity of natural resources makes the linear production model unsustainable, highlighting the need for more sustainable practices under the umbrella of circular economic principles. Sewage sludge emerges as a promising solution to provide soil organic matter (SOM) and nutrients. This meta-analysis evaluated the impacts of three levels of sludge application (low, medium, and high) on organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) contents, considering different areas and experimental conditions worldwide. The analysis included 37 studies and 355 comparisons, after screening 7625 records, following the 2020 PRISMA protocol. The effects of sludge concentrations, continents, and types of experiment (field or greenhouse) were evaluated. Sewage sludge application significantly increased OM, N, Cu, and Zn levels, mainly at medium and high rates. The largest effects were observed in greenhouses, suggesting variation by location and environment. Moderators explained a part of the variation in the results, but the residual heterogeneity test revealed that there is still unexplained variability.

Keywords: sewage sludge; byproduct; organic matter; nitrogen; phosphorus; copper; zinc; PRISMA protocol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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