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Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Livestock farming produces high volumes of animal slurry that can be sanitized using
low-cost treatments by pH adjustment, reducing pathogen contamination, and promoting slurry
valorization as a safe fertilizer. This work aims to evaluate the impact of sandy soil amendment
with dairy slurry treated by pH adjustment on the potential release of nutrients and coliforms
into groundwater. A laboratory soil column leaching experiment was conducted and the surface
application of six treatments was tested: raw dairy slurry, dairy slurry acidified with H2SO4
, dairy
slurry alkalinized with KOH, alkalinized/neutralized dairy slurry, mineral fertilizer, and a control.
The fertilizer application rate was 0.08 g N kg−1 dry soil. Leachates were analyzed for pH, electrical
conductivity, N-NH4
+ and N-NO3
−, macro- and micronutrients, and fecal coliforms. Results showed
that amendment with dairy slurry led to significantly lower nitrate leaching potential than mineral
fertilizer (maximum 16.1 vs. 50.4%). The use of hygienized slurry by alkalinization decreased
the potential leaching of coliforms relative to raw slurry. However, incomplete sanitization by
acidification strongly promoted coliform leaching and the risk of groundwater contamination. It can
be concluded that the use of alkalinized dairy slurry is a safer solution than raw slurry with regard to
the risk of groundwater pollution.
Description
Keywords
dairy slurry pH adjustment leaching potential nitrates coliforms sanitization
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Rodrigues, J.; Fragoso, R.; Brito, L.; Fangueiro, D. Impact of sandy soil amendment with dairy slurry treated through pH adjustment on nutrient and coliform leaching. Agronomy 2023, 13, 1176.
Publisher
MDPI