Evaluation of Chemical Elements of Soil Irrigated with Industrial and Urban Wastewater

Abstract

In Iran, water scarcity is one of the major constraints on agricultural activities. The reuse of industrial and urban wastewater in agriculture can be a sustainable solution to water scarcity. This study is a comparative research work to evaluate the effect of irrigation with industrial (a sugar factory) and urban wastewater on soil chemical elements. It was carried out in a randomized complete block design with five treatments (well water, T1; treated urban wastewater, T2; 33% water + 66% treated wastewater, T3; industrial wastewater, T4; and combined water and wastewater at 1:7 ratio; T5) in three replication. The samples were taken from the soil depth of 0-40 cm in the agricultural land of Bori-Abad in Torbat-Heydarieh, Iran. The studied parameters included nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus contents, acidity, and salinity. The results revealed an increase in N, acidity, and K in soils irrigated with urban wastewater compared to that irrigated with industrial wastewater. However, soil P and salinity were lower in urban wastewater-irrigated soil. It can be concluded that wastewater can increase some elements of soil, contributing to its restoration.