Impacts of zeolite, alum and polyaluminium chloride amendments mixed with agricultural wastes on soil column leachate, and CO2 and CH4 emissions.

Abstract

This study aimed to quantify leaching losses of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and carbon (C), as well as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions from stored slurry and from packed soil columns surface applied with unamended and chemically amended dairy and pig slurries and dairy soiled water (DSW). The amendments to the wastewaters, which were applied individually and together, were: poly-aluminum chloride (PAC) and zeolite for pig and dairy slurry, and liquid aluminium sulphate (alum) and zeolite for DSW. The columns were irrigated twice weekly and the leachate collected weekly for nineteen weeks after slurry application. Application of pig slurry resulted in the highest total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) fluxes (22 and 12 kg ha-1), whereas corresponding fluxes from dairy slurries and DSW were not significantly (p