Abattoir Wastewater Irrigation Increases the Availability of Nutrients and Influences on Plant Growth and Development

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of abattoir wastewater irrigation on plant growth and development. The soils used in this study were collected from Primo Smallgoods Abattoir (Port Wakefield, South Australia) at different sites such as currently irrigated (CI), currently not irrigated (CNI) and soil outside the irrigation area as control (CTRL). A completely randomised block design was employed for the plant growth experiment, where four crops (Pennisetum purpureum, Medicago sativa, Sinapis alba and Helianthus annuus) were grown separately on three different soils (CI, CNI and CTRL) in plastic pots. Two types of water (tap water and wastewater) and two loadings were applied throughout the planting period based on the field capacity (FC 100 and 150 %). The overall dry matter yield was compared between the soils and treatments. Under wastewater irrigation, among the four species grown in the CI soil, P. purpureum (171 g) and H. annuus (151 g) showed high biomass yields, followed by S. alba (115 g) and M. sativa (31 g). The plants grown under tap water showed about 70 % lower yields compared to the abattoir wastewater irrigation (AWW). Similar trends in the biomass yields were observed for CNI and CTRL soils under the two water treatments, with the biomass yields in the following order CI > CNI > CTRL soils. The results confirm the beneficial effects of AWW at the greenhouse level. However, a proper cropping pattern and wastewater irrigation management plan is essential to utilise the nutrients available in the wastewater-irrigated land treatment sites. The increase in fertility is evident from the effects of wastewater on biomass growth and also the abundance of nutrients accumulated in plants. A mass balance calculation on the applied, residual and the plant-accumulated nutrients over a few cropping periods will help us in understanding the nutrient cycling processes involved in the abattoir-irrigated land treatment sites, which will serve as an effective tool for the environmental management.

Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture: A Review about Its Limitations and Benefits

“…Depending on the nutrients, wastewater may be a potential source of macro-(N, P and K) and micronutrients (Ca, Mg, B, Mg, Fe, Mn or Zn) [38][39][40]. Indeed, wastewater reuse has been proven to improve crop yield [37,[41][42][43][44] and result in the reduced use of fertilizers in agriculture [45][46][47][48]. Therefore, eutrophication conditions in water bodies would be reduced, as would the expenses for agrochemicals used by farmers [3,49].…”

Risk-Yuck Factor Nexus in Reclaimed Wastewater for Irrigation: Comparing Farmers’ Attitudes and Public Perception

“…As half of the global water bodies are seriously contaminated, wastewater treatment and reuse promote environmental security by alleviating the pollution of freshwater resources, and providing water supply for irrigation [22]. Additional advantages of wastewater reuse could include: (1) a reliable source of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium), and the provision of organic matter to be used in maintaining soil fertility (fertigation) and productivity [23,24]; (2) a sustainable water supply source using less energy and costs than other options (e.g., importing water, and desalinated water) [25]; (3) a source able to avoid the resulting impacts of new water supply equipment (e.g., dams) [26]; and (4) a reduction of pollutants discharged to river systems and the environment [27,28]. Conversely, lack of widespread public support and technical implementation are some of the main barriers to be addressed by reclaimed wastewater promoters.…”

Bacterial Purification of Sewage Wastewater Effluents and its Influence on Germination Indices of Vigna radiata and Hordeum vulgare

“…Typically, treated wastewater effluents contain various levels of macronutrients such nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in addition to the micronutrients (Ca, Mg, B, Mg, Fe, Mn or Zn) that are required for plant growth [34]. Comparable results were proven to improve crop yield as a result of the application of wastewater for irrigation [35][36].…”