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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Chemical properties of two soils irrigated with thermo-mechanical pulp mill effluent

Hailong Wang A B , G. N. Magesan A , Mark O. Kimberley A , Gerty J. H. P. Gielen A and Stephen H. Pearce A
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A Ensis, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, New Zealand.

B Corresponding author. Email: hailong.wang@ensisjv.com

Australian Journal of Soil Research 43(8) 929-934 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR05052
Submitted: 27 April 2005  Accepted: 2 September 2005   Published: 8 December 2005

Abstract

The effect of land application of thermo-mechanical pulp (TMP) mill effluent on soil chemical properties was examined using barrel lysimeters. Twelve lysimeters, 500 mm in diameter and 800 mm high, containing either a volcanic soil (Udivitrand) or a pallic soil (Haplustalfs), were collected from 2 plantation forest sites. A TMP mill effluent containing high concentrations of total organic C (1136 mg/L) was irrigated at 30 mm/week over a period of 16 months. Soil sample analysis indicated that build up of soil organic C was negligible despite large additions of organic C (equivalent to 19 t/ha) through irrigation with TMP mill effluent. Mass balance calculation implied that microbial degradation or mineralisation of the organic compounds might be the main mechanism involved in the high renovation rates. Irrigation with TMP mill effluent significantly increased soil pH, concentrations of soil total S, available P, and exchangeable K and Na, but it had no significant effect on concentrations of soil total N, and exchangeable Ca and Mg. The results from this study indicate that TMP mill effluent irrigated at a loading rate not greater than 30 mm/week would cause little detrimental effect on the quality of soils at these 2 plantation forest sites.

Additional keywords: land application, plantation forest, pulp mill effluent, soil chemistry.


Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the project sponsors: New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, CHH Consumer Brands Ltd, CHH Tasman Ltd, Norske Skog Tasman Ltd, Pan Pacific Forest Industries (NZ) Ltd, and Winstone Pulp International Ltd. We also thank M. Davis, P. Beets, A. Lowe and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments, M. Judd, K. Eason, D. Gainsford, P. Gunn, S. Ridoutt, and B. Nanayakkara for analysis of soil, effluent, and leachate samples.


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