Changes in the nature of sewage sludge organic matter during a twenty-one-month incubation
Date
2004
Authors
Smernik, R.
Oliver, I.
McLaughlin, M.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Journal of Environmental Quality, 2004; 33(5):1924-1929
Statement of Responsibility
Ronald J. Smernik, Ian W. Oliver and Mike J. McLaughlin
Conference Name
Abstract
Six sewage sludges from five sewage treatment plants in Australia were incubated for up to 21 months. Carbon losses at the end of the 21-mo incubation varied substantially. The remaining organic matter was isolated by treatment with hydrofluoric acid (HF) and characterized using a range of solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques. By every measure (signal distribution in cross polarization [CP] and Bloch decay [BD] spectra, carbon NMR observability determined by spin counting, and the appearance of proton spin relaxation editing subspectra), the chemical composition of the residual organic matter appeared to be little different from that of the original sludges, even for those sludges that experienced the greatest carbon losses. Importantly, these NMR properties distinguish sewage sludge organic matter from soil organic matter. Thus, it should be possible to follow the decomposition of sewage sludge organic matter applied to soils in the field using solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Copyright © 2004 ASA, CSSA, SSSA