| ABSTRACT Biosolids have been produced by various stabilization processes of sewage sludge, but little attention has been given to the effects of such treatments on their effectiveness to supply nitrogen for plant growth. Here, we investigated these effects by cultivating Lolium perenne (ryegrass) in two Australian soils, a sandy Spodosol and a clayey Oxisol. Biosolids stabilized by either aerobic digestion, composting, CaO-liming, 250 oC heat-drying or solar irradiation of domestic sewage sludge were applied to soils at 10 increasing rates (0.25-8.0 dry Mg ha-1), and chemically fertilized soils were used as reference. Results showed that the stabilization processes affected biosolids-N agronomic rates and effectiveness to yield plant biomass, which was a... |
