United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Municipal Environmental Research -
Laboratory x
Cincinnati OH 45268
Research and Development
EPA-600/S2-83-057 Sept. 1983
&ER& Project Summary
Land Treatment Field Studies
Joan Berkowitz, Sara E. Bysshe, Bruce E. Goodwin, Judith C. Harris,
David B. Land, Gregory Leonardos, and Sandra Johnson
A field study was conducted of land
treatment at six sites receiving
industrial wastes for ultimate disposal.
Each site received one waste--
petroleum wastewater pond bottoms,
oily sludge from a petroleum refinery,
leather tannery sludge, secondary
wastewater treatment plant sludge
from batch organic chemical synthesis,
or inorganic pickling liquor waste. The
study identified the factors that deter-
mine the environmental acceptability of
land treatment for each waste and
outlined what research is needed to
establish guidelines and criteria for land
cultivation of these sludges.
This Project Summary was developed
by EPA's Municipal Environmental
Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH,
to announce key findings of the
research project that is fully
documented in a separate six-volume
report of the same title (see Project
Report ordering information at back).
Introduction
Land treatment is the application and
incorporation of solid or semi-solid waste
into surficial soils. Essentially, this
process is a physical/chemical/biolog-
ical waste treatment method that uses
the natural capacity of the soil system to
degrade, assimilate, and immobilize
certain waste constituents.
This field study examined six land
treatment sites receiving industrial
wastes for ultimate disposal. Each site
received one waste only — petroleum
wastewater pond bottoms, oily sludge
from a petroleum refinery, leather
tannery sludge, secondary wastewater
treatment plant sludge from a synthetic
manufacturing plant, wastewater
treatment sludge from batch organic
chemical synthesis, or inorganic pickling
liquor waste. The object of the study was
to identify the factors that determine the
environmental acceptability of land
treatment for each waste and to identify
what research is needed to establish
guidelines and criteria for land
cultivation. Environmental acceptability
was determined by significant increases
in waste constituents in the treated soils
compared with controls, and by the
potential for environmental contamina-
tion resulting from a combination of
waste, site, and management factors.
These factors include waste character-
istics (percent solids, salt content, etc.),
site characteristics (topography, climate,
etc.), and landfarm management
procedures (soil aeration, frequency of
waste application, etc.). A brief descrip-
tion of these factors and the results of the
field studies at each site are given here.
Results of the field studies are site-
specific and cannot be generalized for
other locations. But they do provide
insight into the factors that should be
considered when planning land treatment
facilities.
Petroleum Wastawater Pond
Bottoms
Field measurements and observations
were made at a land treatment site for
managing waste bottoms from a
petroleum wastewater treatment pond.
The site was sampled twice. Organic and
inorganic analyses were conducted on
the waste and soil/waste mixtures, and
inorganic analyses were performed on
plant samples.
Waste Characteristics
The waste landfarmed at this site is
made up of sludges from wastewater
holding ponds for petroleum refining
wastes (SIC Code 2911). These oily
sludges that collect in the aerated
wastewater holding pond are typically
13% solids, 25% oil, and 62% water as
spread.
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Site Description
The selected site is a 20-acre parcel of
land in the western region of the United
States.
Criteria included isolation of the site
from populated areas, relatively flat
terrain, and a suitable distance from
drinking water (both ground and surface).
The geophysical characteristics of the
site (topography, meteorology, hydrology,
etc.) pose no significant concerns about
possible contamination of the
surrounding environment.
Management Practices
Management methods included
monitoring of the soil, waste, and an
experimental alfalfa crop, and recording
waste application information. Waste is
infrequently applied at the site—once a
year at most. Applications were made in
1973, 1974, 1978, and 1979. No
commercial crops were grown on the site,
but an experimental crop of alfalfa was
grown in 1974 on the 1973-74
application area. The waste generator
applied fertilizers (urea and phosphate)
experimentally to optimize the
carbon/nitrogen ratio for microbial
degradation of wastes.
Results and Conclusions
Significant increases in soil concentra-
tions for several heavy metals,
(chromium, copper, sodium, selenium,
and zinc) were predicted and measured.
Measurements also indicated that
organic wastes were being biodegraded.
Sodium levels in alfalfa plants grown in
the application area were greater than
those in alfalfa plants grown in the control
area. This increase might have been due
to subsurface saline seeps in the area,
however. More controlled studies of plant
uptake of pollutants should be conducted
to provide data for post closure considera-
tions.
Oily Waste from a Petroleum
Refinery
Field measurements and observations
were made at a land treatment site oper-
ated for the disposal of petroleum refinery
waste sludges. The waste consisted
primarily of API separator bottoms and
was land-treated in an area that had long
been used for waste disposal. The site
was sampled once. Organic and
inorganic analyses were conducted on
the waste and soil/waste mixture, and
inorganic analyses were performed on
plant samples.
Waste Characteristics
A number of different oily wastes are
landfarmed at this site, about 90% of
which originate from oil/water API
separator bottom sludges. These sludges,
which are held in settling ponds for 2 to 4
weeks before disposal, are composed of
34% solids, 11% oil, and 55% water as
spread.
Site Description
The 20-acre site is a portion of a man-
made fill in the southern United States
bordered by an estuary, wastewater
lagoon, and heavily industrialized land.
The site was once a wetland, but over the
years it was filled with spoils from
dredging, construction, and earthmoving
activities. The proximity of surface waters
and the low-level topography make
possible the direct contact of water with
the waste.
Management Practices
This site receives large quantities of
waste — on the order of 5.75 million
gal/yr. The plots of land are aerated
monthly, and monitoring occurs
frequently. But monitoring results are not
used as the basis for the rate and quantity
of further waste applications.
Results and Conclusions
Soil analysis indicated that the waste
on the site was not undergoing optimum
degradation because of the heavy
loading. Accumulation of heavy metals
and organic compounds was observed in
the top 12 in. of soil. Further research
should be directed at monitoring the
degradation rate of these wastes by
reducing the loading rate on the site and
by using fertilizer to create a better
nitrogen-to-carbon ratio for degradation.
Leather Tannery Sludges
Field observations and measurements
were made for a land treatment site that
incorporates sludge generated from air
pollution control scrubbers of a leather
tannery operation. Because the waste
contains a high concentration of nitrogen
and has other soil amending qualities, it
has been used on this site for 20 years to
improve the growth of crops, including
wheat, corn, and hay. The site was
sampled once. Organic and inorganic
analyses were conducted on the waste
and soil/waste mixture, and inorganic
analyses were performed on plant
samples.
Waste Characteristics
A variety of leather tannery wastes (SIC
Code 3111) were applied at the site until
1967. Since then, a scrubber sludge from
an air pollution system at the tannery has
been the major waste applied. The latter
contains 6% solids, and 94% water as
delivered. Waste constituents include
nitrogen (8.1% dry weight basis), sodium,
chromium, and organic species.
Site Description
This land treatment site is owned by a
local farmer and leased to the farm
operator. Topography consists of rolling
hills with slopes of 3% to 8%. The
groundwater table is seasonally high (11/2
to 3 ft below grade), and field visits
revealed a shallow, possibly intermittent
pond in one corner. Most soils on the site
are deep, well-drained silt loam, grading
to fine sandy loam in the substratum.
Management Practices
An estimated 200,000 gal. of tannery
sludge are applied annually to each acre,
usually in the spring and fall. Wastes are
initially dewatered in a holding basin
before application, but they may
occasionally be applied directly to open
fields. In addition to waste application,
chemicals are applied to the soil for pH
amendment and fertilizing purposes.
Results and Conclusions
The area of the site sampled had
received only one waste application, and
therefore results may not be represent-
ative. A significant increase (20-fold) of
chromium was observed in the applica-
tion soil, but no significant increase was
identified in the crop samples grown on
the application area. A monitoring
program is recommended to identify the
development of potential problems.
Secondary Wastewater Treat-
ment Plant Sludge from a
Synthetic Manufacturing Plant
Field measurements and observations
were made at a land treatment site for
managing secondary wastewater
treatment sludge from a synthetic
manufacturing plant. The site was
sampled once. Organic and inorganic
analyses were conducted on the waste
and soil/waste mixture, and inorganic
analyses were performed on plant
samples.
Site Description
This 180-acre parcel of land is owned
by the synthetics manufacturing plant
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and is leased to farmers to cultivate
wheat and corn. Though the geophysical
characteristics pose no significant
concerns about contamination of the
surrounding environment, soil texture
deterioration is possible as a result of
combining a high-clay soil with a high-
sodium waste.
Management Practices
The site is managed to minimize salt
buildup and maximize plant yield and
growth. Management methods include
monitoring the soil and waste, and
recording the frequency and location of
waste application. The waste was
incorporated into the soil according to
normal agricultural practice. Thus, the
waste/soil mixture was well aerated and
irrigated, which promotes rapid
degradation of waste organic
constituents.
Results and Conclusions
The site had received waste for only a
short period before sampling, so differ-
ences between control and application
plots were not expected to be significant.
Wheat on the waste application site grew
taller and greener than that on the control
site. This result may be due to the
nitrogen and cellulose in the waste.
Inorganic and organic analyses indicated
no significant differences between the
plots. A possible, but statistically
insignificant, trend was noted toward
accumulation of salt and aliphatic and
aromatic hydrocarbons in the top 6 in. of
soil.
Sludge from Batch Organic
Chemical Synthesis
Field measurements and observations
were made at a land treatment operation
using a sludge generated from organic
chemical manufacture. The sludge is
applied to a turf farm with acidic soil to
reduce the lime addition requirements for
pH adjustment. The site was sampled
once. Organic and inorganic analyses
were conducted on the waste and
soil/waste mixture, and inorganic
analyses were performed on plant
samples.
Waste Characteristics
The wastes at this site consist of
combined wastewater treatment sludges
from clarifier and activated sludge
lagoons of an organic chemical
manufacturer (SIC Code 2865). Sludges
contain about 7% solids and are a
supplementary source of lime and a
beneficial soil amendment.
Site Description
The site is located in an area of prime
agricultural soils, with about 3 ft of silt
loam covering stratified sand and gravel.
Natural soils in this area tend to be acid.
Groundwater, which is 20 to 30 ft below
the ground surface, is pristine.
Topography of the farm is generally flat.
Management Practices
Sludge is applied when open,
harvested field are available from mid-
May to early September or November,
depending on the weather. Little
monitoring or record-keeping is done at
the site. Though 6 million gal. of sludge is
produced annually by the generator,
some is landfilled when the storage
capacity at the plant is full.
Results and Conclusions
Study results show increased levels of
copper in the application area soils and
grass when compared with the controls.
Since waste application rates are not
based on waste composition, and since
little monitoring or record-keeping is
done, further study is recommended to
determine waste migration and organic
degradation at the site.
Pickling Liquor Waste
Field measurements and observations
were made at a land treatment site for
managing an inorganic pickling liquor
waste. The site was sampled twice.
Organic and inorganic analyses were
conducted on the waste and soil/waste
mixture, and inorganic analyses were
performed on plant samples.
Waste Characteristics
Wastes applied to this site consist of
neutralized pickling liquor from a
producer of fabricated metal products
(SIC Code 349). The waste is spread as a
20% solids sludge, with sulfate and iron
as major constituents and a negligible
organics content.
Site Description
This 300-acre site is leased to the
generator and dedicated solely to land
treatment of the pickling liquor waste.
Another portion of the farm is leased to a
city for use as a sanitary landfill. The
immediate vicinity of the farm is rural,
and the owner intends to return the land
to cultivatable condition after land
treatment operations are complete.
Management Practices
Management of this site is highly
informal. Once waste is delivered to the
site by the generator and either applied to
the field or placed in the storage pond, all
additional activities are taken care of by
the site owner. Monitoring of the
soil/waste mixture for pH amendment
requirements is done three times a year
by the State.
Results and Conclusions
Runoff poses a possible contamination
threat to adjacent farms. Also, the
waste/soil mixture at the site is acidic
and could promote the migration of acid-
soluble metals. The land treatment
operation could be improved by
eliminating the surface runoff problems
and instituting more frequent monitoring
and adjustment of the waste/soil pH.
Better record-keeping should a/so begin
and be used to plan continued site
activities and post-closure measures.
The full six-volume reports were sub-
mitted in fulfillment of Contract No. 68-
03-2602 by Arthur D. Little, Inc., under
the sponsorship of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
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Joan B. Berkowitz, Sara E. Bysshe, Bruce E Goodwin, Judith C. Harris, DavidB.
Land, Gregory Leonardos, and Sandra Johnson are with Arthur D. Little, Inc.,
Cambridge, MA 02140.
Robert E. Landreth is the EPA Project Officer (see below).
The complete report consists of six volumes, entitled "Land Treatment Field
Studies:" all six volumes are available as a set: Order No. PB 83 241 265; Cost:
$48.50, or individually as—
"Volume 1. Petroleum Wastewater Pond Bottoms," (Order No. PB 83-241
273; Cost: $1000)
"Volume 2. Oily Waste from a Petroleum Refinery," (Order No. PB 83-241
281; Cost: $10.00)
"Volume 3. Leather Tannery Sludges." (Order No. PB 83-241 299; Cost:
$8.50)
"Volume 4. Secondary Wastewater Treatment Plant Sludge from a Synthetic
Manufacturing Plant." (Order No. PB 83-241 307; Cost: $10.00)
"Volume 5 Wastewater Treatment Sludge from Batch Organic Chemical
Synthesis," (Order No. PB 83-241 315; Cost: $10.00)
"Volume 6. Inorganic Pickling Liquor Waste," (Order No. PB 83-241 323;
Cost. $8.50)
Volumes 1 through 6 are also available as a set: Order No. PB 83-241 265;
Cost: $48.50
The prices quoted are subject to change and the reports are available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at:
Municipal Environmental Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
*US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1983-659-017/7201
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