Effects of direct land application of calcitic lime and lime- and cement kiln dust-sanitized biosolids on the chemical and spectroscopic characteristics of soil lipids

To determine the extent to which applications of calcitic lime and sanitize d biosolids affect the quality of soil organic matter (SOM), lipids extract ed from an unamended soil (CON) and from soils amended with calcitic lime ( CAL), and lime (LSB)- and cement kiln dust (CDB)-sanitized biosolids were c haracterized by chemical analysis and Pyrolysis-Gas chromatography (Py-GC), From diethyl ether (DEE) and CHCl3 soluble lipids, and from weight ratios of the extracts, the organic matter in the soil amended with CDB-treated bi osolids seemed to be more biodegraded and biochemically inert than the orga nic matter in soils that received LSB-treated biosolids and calcitic lime a nd that in the control soil. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography of extracts of the control soil and the soil t reated with lime (CAL) showed the presence of n-alkanes (n-C-13 to n-C-33), alkenes (C-16:1 to C-30:1), n-fatty acids (n-C-16 to n-C-32), and the unsa turated C-18:1 and C-18:2 fatty acids. The application of LSB and CDB bioso lids increased the relative abundance of unsaturated aliphatics, In general , the presence of relatively high concentrations of unsaturated aliphatics in the DEE extracts was an indicator of high biological activity. Thus, in terms of decreasing biological activity, the three treatments could be rank ed in the following order: LSB>CDB>CAL, The application of CDB-treated bios olids was more drastic than any of the other treatments and led to excessiv e removal by leaching and/or degradation of many lipid components and a red uction in molecular diversity. Continuous applications of sanitized biosoli ds are likely to bring about significant changes in the quality of the lipi d fraction of SOM.