Title: Scope of soil organic carbon sequestration through agro-based industrial wastewater use in different soil types dominated in eastern India

Authors: Madhumita Das; O.P. Verma; D. Patri; R. Sethi

Addresses: ICAR – Indian Institute of Water Management, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751-023, Odisha, India ' ICAR – Indian Institute of Water Management, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751-023, Odisha, India ' Department of Botany, Utkal University, Vanivihar, Bhubaneswar, India ' ICAR – Indian Institute of Water Management, Chandrasekharpur, Bhubaneswar 751-023, Odisha, India

Abstract: Wastewater management is a growing concern for the clean environment. The impact of the agro-based brewery, paper mill, and distillery wastewaters on soil organic carbon (SOC) and its fractions was investigated. Three major soil types of Eastern India were incubated at 100 and 60% of field capacity moisture at room temperature (28-39°C) for a period of 12, 25, 42 and 59 days under laboratory condition. Application of wastewaters improved SOC, registered relatively higher response (4 to 6.67 folds) under low SOC (1.9-2.5 gm/kg) than high SOC (>5.0 gm/kg) soil (one to three folds), enhanced the (mean) degree of humification in a range of 3 to 218 folds in different soils. The microbial biomass carbon was also improved without showing any consistent trend with wastewater treatments or soil types. The study reveals that the agro-based industrial wastewaters could be effectively managed for sustaining SOC and its fractions in different soil types.

Keywords: carbon sequestration; wastewater use; soil type; soil organic carbon; SOC; degree of humification; microbial biomass carbon.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2017.086582

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2017 Vol.20 No.2, pp.155 - 170

Received: 15 Dec 2016
Accepted: 02 Feb 2017
Published online: 12 Sep 2017 *

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