Resumen de Indicadors de qualitat bioquímica, relacionats amb el cicle del carboni, en la restauració de sòls amb fang de depuradora sotmès a assecatge tèrmic i a compostatge
In our work we studied some aspects of biochemical quality in the rehabilitation process of degraded soils through the application of sewage sludge. As biochemical quality parameters we focused on the carbon cycle, through total (TCH), extractable (ECH) carbohydrate content, ?-glucosidase (GLC), ?-galactosidase (GAL), BAA-hydrolysing (BAA), and urease(UR) enzymatic activities, organic carbon (C) and amino acid nitrogen (AAN) contents. We conducted two experiments of sludge application (in containers and in plots) over soils of different texture. The study was supplemented by a work on the standard quality of natural soils of Catalonia and also with an approach to the analytical methodology used in the determination of two of the studied parameters. In the first part we studied the biochemical characteristics of ten natural soils which were representative of Catalan soils. The results showed the wide range of values of carbon and the high dispersion of biochemical parameters, and also that the ranges of obtained values were similar to those of other soils also belonging to Mediterranean areas. Biochemical parameters showed high positive correlations among them. The TCH content was more correlated with organic C and organic N than the enzyme activities. GLC was the activity showing the highest correlation with the organic carbon content. The four enzymatic activities (GLC, GAL, BAA and UR) were more related to the labile than to the total fraction of carbohydrates. The study confirmed the influence of soil type, vegetation or bedrock on the biochemical characteristics of the forest soils group. With respect to the application of sludge, in the first experiment we studied the effect of three sludge types, dehydrated (D), thermally dried (T) and composted (C), added in two different proportions on the biochemical parameters of two degraded soils (clay and sand) from quarrying. Initially an increased value was detected for all biochemical variables (except the UR activity) in the amended soils, CHE being the most enhanced variable. At the end of the experiment the carbohydrates content and the enzyme activities of the mixtures had increased, compared to the control, in a similar value than C, AAN being the most enhanced parameter. The initial differences in the values of GLC depending on the type of sludge (T> D> C) were a reflection of the lability of organic matter provided by the sludge. The overall results indicate that: i) thermal drying accelerates the initial decomposition process of the organic matter which takes place in the soil, ii) composting provides a less labile but more active organic matter, which results in increased mineralization and eventually a more stable organic matter iii) when the sludge was applied in a clay soil a slowing on the development of organic matter was detected. The second experiment consisted of a trial with two degraded soils. Initial (4 days) and final (295 days) samples were analysed in plots where we applied the same sludges with a single dose. In the case of the application of sludge to a sandy-loam soil, the dynamics of mineralization was intense and the impact on biochemical properties one year after the application was not very important. In contrast, the effects on a loam soil, where the dynamics of organic matter was lower, were more important and primarily consisted of an increase of ready available organic carbon.Organic carbon determination by the combustion method was proved to be effective and it was confirmed the inappropriateness of the oxidation method for sludge-soil mixtures.
