Effects of scrubber by-product-stabilized dairy lagoon sludge on growth and physiological responses of sunflower ( Helianthus annuus L.)

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) 2006-06, Vol.64 (1), p.152-160
• Main Authors: Thomas, Carla N., Bauerle, William L., Chastain, John P., Owino, Tom O., Moore, Kathy P., Klaine, Stephen J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air Pollution - prevention & control; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbon Dioxide - metabolism; cattle manure; Chlorophyll - metabolism; Conservation of Natural Resources; Construction Materials; Dairying; Dry lime scrubber; dry matter accumulation; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; Fertilizers; Flowers - drug effects; Flowers - growth & development; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas exchange; General aspects; Helianthus; Helianthus - drug effects; Helianthus - growth & development; Helianthus - metabolism; Helianthus annuus; Industrial Waste; industrial wastes; leaf area; Nitrogen - pharmacology; Photosynthesis; plant growth; Plant Leaves - drug effects; Plant Leaves - growth & development; Plant Leaves - metabolism; plant physiology; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - growth & development; roots; sandy loam soils; Scrubber by-product; scrubber byproducts; seed productivity; seedling emergence; Seedlings - drug effects; Seedlings - growth & development; Seedlings - metabolism; seeds; Sewage; shoots; Sludge; soil amendments; Sunflower; waste lagoons
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.10.039

Brick manufacturing industries are challenged to comply with clean air mandates. Dry air scrubbers have been used to remove acid gases from the exhaust air from brick manufacturing plants. The use of dry air scrubbers results in the production of large quantities of an alkaline powder by-product. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of using dairy lagoon sludge stabilized with the scrubber by-product as a soil amendment. Lagoon sludge was stabilized with scrubber by-product at an application rate of 20 g l −1. The sludge-scrubber by-product mixture was applied to a sandy loam soil to provide amendments ranging between 28 and 168 kg of plant available nitrogen (PAN)/ha for the growth of Helianthus annuus (sunflower). Use of the sludge-scrubber by-product mixture as a nitrogen fertilizer did not adversely affect sunflower seedling emergence; however, significantly higher ( p < 0.05) plant volume indices, leaf area, dry shoot and root masses, and seed yields were obtained for mature plants grown in sludge-treated soil relative to the control or fertilizer treatment. The sludge amendment did not severely impact gas exchange or chlorophyll a fluorescence of the plants and nutrient content of the sunflower tissues was generally within a sufficient range. The increased growth and yield of sunflower plants indicated the potential of the sludge-scrubber by-product mixture as a soil amendment in agricultural crop production.