Chemical characteristics of leachate from pulp and paper mill residuals used to reclaim a sandy soil

Primary sludge, secondary sludge, and wood ash from a pulp and paper mill were combined with sand to create a synthetic topsoil (C:N ratio of 18:1) to restore an abandoned gravel pit. Synthetic topsoil was applied to field microcosms at rates equivalent to 0, 2170, 4341, or 6511 kg N/ha; each was seeded with grass. Fifteen chemical constituents in leachate were measured during two field seasons. Cadmium, Ni and Zn were mobilized rapidly by soil disturbance. Chloride and SO4-S eluted rapidly from the sludge along with Na. Nitrate leached with Ca late in each field season when sludge N-mineralization and nitrification exceeded plant uptake and microbial immobilization. Ammonium elution was negligible. Dissolved organic carbon (DOG) was mobilized by decomposition of organic matter in the sludge, as were Mg and K. Copper eluted with DOG, probably as an organic ligand. Lead and ortho-P were below our detection limits. We concluded that a synthetic topsoil with a 30:1 C:N ratio applied at a rate of 2100-4300 kg N/ha should provide adequate plant nutrition while minimizing water quality hazards.