Moisture Effects on Nitrogen Availability in Municipal Biosolids from End-of-Life Municipal Lagoons

Nitrogen (N) availability affects plant biomass yield and, hence, phytoextraction of contaminants during phytoremediation of end-of-life municipal lagoons. End-of-life lagoons are characterized by fluctuating moisture conditions, but the effects on biosolid N dynamics have not been adequately characterized. This 130-d laboratory incubation investigated effects of three moisture levels (30, 60, and 90% water-filled pore space [WFPS]) on N mineralization (N) in biosolids from a primary (PB) and a secondary (SB) municipal lagoon cell. Results showed a net increase in N with time at 60% WFPS and a net decrease at 90% WFPS in PB, while N at 30% WFPS did not change significantly. Moisture level and incubation time had no significant effect on N in SB. Nitrogen mineralization rate in PB followed three-half-order kinetics. Potentially mineralizable N (N) in PB was significantly greater at 60% WFPS (222 mg kg) than at 30% WFPS (30 mg kg), but rate constants did not differ significantly between the moisture levels. Nitrogen mineralization in SB followed first-order kinetics, with N significantly greater at 60% WFPS (68.4 mg kg) and 90% WFPS (94.1 mg kg) than at 30% WFPS (32 mg kg). Low N in SB suggests high-N-demanding plants may eventually have limited effectiveness to remediate biosolids in the secondary cell. While high N in PB would provide sufficient N to support high biomass yield, phytoextraction potential is reduced under dry and near-saturated conditions. These results have important implications on the management of moisture during phytoextraction of contaminants in end-of-life municipal lagoons.