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Assessment of the feasibility of using CCA (copper, chromium and arsenic)-treated and boric acid-treated sawdust as soil amendments

II. Soil biochemical and biological properties

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Abstract

The effects on soil biochemical and biological properties of a soil amended with Cu-, Cr- and As-(CCA)-treated, or boric-treated, sawdust were investigated using soil adjusted to both pH 5 and pH 7. In one experiment, soil samples were analysed before and after a pot trial conducted to assess the effects of these amendments on plant growth and element uptake (Speir et al., 1992). The other experiment was an incubation study conducted without plants and with soil samples taken for analysis after 0, 4, 8 and 14 weeks at 25°C.

Amendment with 10% treated sawdust (v/v) increased total soil concentrations of Cu, Cr, As and B by 45, 136, 63 and 32 μg g-1, respectively, in the appropriate treatments. At these levels of soil contamination, there were very few negative effects attributable to the CCA- or boric-sawdust amendments on soil respiration, microbial biomass C, enzyme activities, indices of N mineralization and nitrification, numbers of nematodes, total microbial numbers and numbers of selected actinomycetes. Except for a substantial and significant (p<0.05) inhibition of sulphatase activity in the boric treatment, the negative effects that did occur were generally small and usually non-significant.

These results are discussed and, when considered with those of the plant growth study, warrant a cautious acceptability of CCA-treated sawdust as a mulch or garden amendment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DSIR Land Resources, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

    T. W. Speir, D. J. Ross, C. W. Feltham, V. A. Orchard & G. W. Yeates

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  1. T. W. Speir
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  2. D. J. Ross
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  3. C. W. Feltham
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  4. V. A. Orchard
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  5. G. W. Yeates
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Speir, T.W., Ross, D.J., Feltham, C.W. et al. Assessment of the feasibility of using CCA (copper, chromium and arsenic)-treated and boric acid-treated sawdust as soil amendments. Plant Soil 142, 249–258 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010970

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