EFFECT OF USING SEWAGE EFFLUENTS ON SOIL AND SOME OIL CROPS CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract

Land application of sewage sludge and sewage water are vilely used for fertilization and irrigation of different crops, representing a valuable means of waste disposal. The increased volume of sewage produced in large population centers has, created problems of enormous magnitude. However, the feasibility of using such materials as a soil amendment or as a fertilizer and irrigation water is now in question.

Recent years, research is focused on the use of wastewater sludge as a fertilizer as it contains considerable amounts of N and P. It may also contain high concentrations of potentially toxic elements, particularly the heavy metals. Wastewater sludge fertilization is found to be effective particularly in soils poor in nutrients. Performances with sludge have been found to be comparable to those recorded with chemical fertilizers.

Government regulations are becoming more stringent with regard to the addition of such materials to soils used for the production of food crops. Therefore, the success or failure of sludge utilization in agriculture depends not only on sludge properties and loading rates but also on the different characteristics of soils to which sludge is applied and plants grown thereon. Sewage sludge utilization in agricultural land must be regulated to minimize the heavy metals contamination in soils and plants. Guidelines have been adopted in many countries to fulfill such objectives.

The gab between oil crops production and oil consumption in Egypt is becoming wider and wider and hence facing such gab by the government is a must. However the safe Introductimt