Heavy metals in an Oxisol treated with sewage sludge and in sugarcane plants

Abstract

The concern about the presence of heavy metals in plants growing in soils treated with sewage sludge can be a restricting factor for the use of this waste in agriculture. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the possibility of heavy metal accumulation in an acid soil after two successive sewage sludge applications and the availability, using chemical extractants for a typic hapludox, of these metals to sugarcane plants. The experiment was managed during two years, 1996/1997 and 1997/1998, and had 5 treatments in a randomized block design: lime + mineral fertilization, control and sewage sludge applied at three levels, 33, 66 and 99 mg ha-1 in the first year and 37, 74 and 110 mg ha¹ in the second year. After two sewage sludge applications in the two year period an increase of the level of Cu, Cr, Ni and Zn in the topsoil (00.2 m layer) was observed. Levels of Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb in plant leaves were bellow detection limits. In sugarcane juice the levels of Cd, Cr and Ni were bellow 0.02 mg kg-1. Levels of Cu and Zn in leaves were not different from the usually reported values for plants cultivated in soils without sludge application. The chemical extractants used (0.1 mol L-1 HCl and Mehlich-3) removed more Cu, Ni and Zn from the soil than DTPA-TEA and all of them were effective only to preview Zn concentration in stalks and juice of ratton sugarcane.