Back to results

Virginia Tech

Long-term effects of alum sludge application to land

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Previous research relating to alum sludge land application has primarily been restricted to laboratory studies of short-term environmental effects. In general, most research has concluded that the environmental effects of alum sludge constituents can be easily controlled. This study investigated the fate of land-applied alum sludge constituents nearly three years after incorporation into a Slagle soil. An existing field site was used. The site had been used for a pilot study examining the land application of alum sludge from the Harwood's Mill Water Treatment Plant in Newport News, Virginia. Alum sludge and lime were applied to the site in November, 1989. Soil, soilwater, groundwater and pine needle tissue media were sampled during the summer of 1992. It was determined that the alum sludge posed no observable long-term threat to groundwater quality or vegetative productivity. Migration of alum sludge constituents through the soil profile could not be confirmed in this research. However, acid precipitation may have destroyed the alkalinity added to the soil. Thus, long-term management of alum sludge land application to acid soils may require additional increments of alkalinity.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Environmental Planning
Department dc:contributor.department
Environmental Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
1992

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Geertsema, Wesley S.
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Knocke, William R.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Novak, John T.
  • Dillaha, Theo A. III

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
etd-12232009-020505
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/46397

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
related terms
citation

Geertsema, Wesley S.. Long-term effects of alum sludge application to land. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/46397