Effects of woodland slope on heavy metal migration via surface runoff, interflow, and sediments in sewage sludge application

Abstract

Sewage sludge (SS) application to forest plantation soils as a fertilizer and/or soil amendment is increasingly adopted in plantation forest management. However, the potential risks of SS-derived heavy metals (HMs) remain a concern. Many factors, including woodland slope may affect the risks, but the understanding of this issue is limited. This research evaluated the HMs migration via surface runoff, interflow, and sediments when SS was applied in woodlands of varying slopes. We conducted indoor rainfall simulations and natural rainfall experiments to clarify the effect of slope on the migration of HMs via runoff (including surface and interflow) and sediments. In the simulated rainfall experiment, HMs lost via sediments increased by 9.79–27.28% when the slope increased from 5° to 25°. However, in the natural rainfall experiment, when the slope of forested land increased from 7° to 23°, HMs lost via surface runoff increased by 2.38% to 6.13%. These results indciate that the surface runoff water on a high slope (25°) posed high water quality pollution risks. The migration of HMs via surface runoff water or interflow increased as the steepness of the slope increased. The total migration of Cu, Zn, Pb, Ni, Cr and Cd via sediment greatly exceeded that via surface runoff and interflow. Particles ≤ 0.05 mm contributed the most to the ecological risks posed by sediments. Cd was the main source of potential ecological risks in sediments under both experimental conditions.