Abstract
Organic matter from sewage sludge can exert significant influence on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soils. Organic matter in general contributes greatly to soil’s productive capacity. Organic matter incorporated into the soil surface can affect its structure, as denoted by porosity, aggregation, and bulk density, as well as causing an impact as expressed in terms of content and transmission of water, air and heat, and of soil strength. Nutrients are mineralized during organic matter decomposition; C, N, and cation exchange capacity increase following organic matter additions. Other soil chemical properties such as pH, electrical conductivity, and redox potential are changed. The soil biosystem can be altered by addition of new energy sources for organisms, reflected by changes in micro- and macro-biological populations, which in turn influence synthesis and decomposition of microbially-produced soil humic substances, nutrient availability, interactions with soil inorganic components, and other exchanges with soil physical and biochemical properties.
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Clapp, C.E., Stark, S.A., Clay, D.E., Larson, W.E. (1986). Sewage sludge organic matter and soil properties. In: Chen, Y., Avnimelech, Y. (eds) The Role of Organic Matter in Modern Agriculture. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 25. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-4426-8_10
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