Bioavailability of Sulfur from Waste Obtained during Biogas Desulfurization and the Effect of Sulfur on Soil Acidity and Biological Activity

Abstract

Sulfur deficiency has been recognized as a limiting factor for crop production in many regions of the world. A 120-day incubation experiment was conducted to assess the effect of the applied waste elemental sulfur on sulfur bioavailability in soil. Four doses of sulfur were applied: 10, 20, 30 and 60 mg S kg−1 dry matter (d.m.) of soil. In order to assess the effect of soil pH adjustment on sulfur oxidation, the research was conducted on two sets of soil samples: one set of soil samples had natural pH, and the second one was limed before sulfur application. Application of waste sulfur slightly affected the soil pH, and increased the content of available sulfur in soil proportionally to sulfur dose. A beneficial effect of waste sulfur application on soil dehydrogenase and catalase activity was found. Liming reduced soil acidity, and significantly increased sulfate content and soil enzymatic activity. Waste elemental sulfur may be an alternative source of sulfur, supplementing the deficiencies of this element in soils. The described way of sulfur waste reuse corresponds with the increasingly common approach to create waste-free technologies in all economy.

The Effect of Amending Soil with Waste Elemental Sulfur on the Availability of Selected Macroelements and Heavy Metals

“…Incubation lasting several weeks may allow oxidation of a greater part of the introduced elemental sulfur. A subsequent increase in sulfate content is not so intense [20,25]. That is why that incubation period (60 days) was chosen to determine the effect of sulfur application on soil properties.…”

“…For large farms, especially cereal and vegetable producers, the demand for plant nutrients is significant [13]. As Jamal et al [14] highlighted, to produce 1 Mg of seeds, cereals require from 3 to 4 kg S (variations 1-6), leguminous 8 kg S (variations 5-13), and oilseed crops 12 kg S (variations [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Fertilizing with sulfur in the amount of 20-40 kg ha −1 is currently a standard treatment aimed at optimizing yields on S-deficient soil [15].…”

“…However, the popularity of this method is not followed by the environmental use of the generated waste containing high content of elemental sulfur. There are also few sources describing the broadly understood effects of introducing waste elemental sulfur into the environment and the details of the waste application [18][19][20][21]. One of the important aspects concerning the availability of elements in soils after waste application is discussed in this paper.…”

“…One of the important aspects concerning the availability of elements in soils after waste application is discussed in this paper. Waste sulfur may be a valuable material enriching soils with this element [19,20]. However, the assessment of the suitability of waste material for fertilization requires investigating its effect on soil properties and crop yield quantity and quality-it is expected that the applied material will provide satisfactory quality and quantity of yields, but what is also significant is that it will not lead to negative changes in the soil environment.…”

Migration of Chlorine in Plant–Soil–Leaching System and Its Effects on the Yield and Fruit Quality of Sweet Orange

“…Therefore, citrus production in China has always been based on the use of potassium sulfate (K 2 SO 4 ) as K fertilizer, instead of potassium chloride (KCl). The long-term application of K 2 SO 4 has witnessed the sharp rise in soil sulfate (SO 2− 4 ) (Szynkiewicz et al, 2011), leading to strong acidification of the environment and the leaching of SO 2− 4 resulting in an excess of SO 2− 4 in the soil (Tabak et al, 2020). Consistently, previous research has increased concerns that further input of sulfur could increase the risk of methylmercury (MeHg) production (a bioaccumulative neurotoxicant), which may enhance the dietary MeHg exposure (Lei et al, 2021).…”