Amelioration of Acidic Soil using Two Modified Industrial By-products: Rice Productivity and Environmental Safety

Abstract

In this study, two modified industrial by-products (modified flue gas desulfurization residue (M FGD) residue and modified white mud (M white mud) were applied to an acidic soil at the rate of 750 kg ha⁻¹. Growth of rice (Oryza sativa L.) significantly increased compared with the untreated control. Increasing soil pH was observed as a common mechanism of action for M FGD and M white mud. Furthermore, the concentrations of organic matter, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), silicon (Si), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) in the treated soil were significantly increased. Compared with the untreated control, the concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in rice grain grown in the treated soil also significantly decreased and were far less than the tolerance limits set by the National Food Standards of China. The quality of rice grain was improved after the application of modified industrial by-products. These results demonstrated that the two modified industrial by-products can be applied to modify acidic soil safely and effectively.

Keywords:

• Acidic soil
• amelioration
• environmental safety
• flue gas desulfurization residue
• white mud

Acknowledgment

We thank the Soil and Fertilizer Institute of the GuangDong Academy of Agricultural Sciences for the valuable support given to our experiments.