Abstract
The aim of this study was to test P-enriched filter materials from a wastewater treatment experiment regarding their fertilizing efficiency in pot experiments with silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) seedlings. Tested materials included hydrated calcium-rich oil shale ash and well-mineralised peat. A mixture of peat and hydrated ash demonstrated the best results: seedlings grown on that mixture had the highest P concentration and an optimal N:P:K ratio in leaves. Hydrated ash has a low concentration of heavy metals and almost the same composition as common lime fertilizers. The hydrated ash sediment and its combination with well-mineralised peat enriched with phosphorus in wastewater treatment filters are promising materials for forest soil fertilization.
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Financial supports wer provided by the research and development project No. EU23687 of Enterprise Estonia, and Target Funding Projects No. SF0180127s08 and SF0180069s08 of the Ministry of Education and Science of Estonia. The staff of Tapa Vesi Ltd., PhD students and scientists from the University of Tartu and other partners are thanked.
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Guest editor: Chris B. Joyce / Wetland services and management
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Kõiv, M., Ostonen, I., Vohla, C. et al. Reuse potential of phosphorus-rich filter materials from subsurface flow wastewater treatment filters for forest soil amendment. Hydrobiologia 692, 145–156 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0944-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-011-0944-5