ENVIRONMENTAL-EFFECTS OF SLUDGE USE IN A POPLAR PLANTATION - 4 YEARS OF MONITORING REVEALS INSIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL-EFFECTS

Primary clarifier sludge from a bleached kraft fine paper mill was use d as mulch (applied at 212 and 424 Mg/ha dry mass) in a poplar plantat ion located on silty sandy soils. Four years of environmental monitori ng show: major ions increase significantly before decreasing to near b ackground; traces of phenolic compounds are occasionally detected in s hallow soil water under treated plots and surface water in puddles; SA R values remain within accepted range for irrigation water; no effect is observed on on soil metals or ground water 2 m below surface or dee per.