Impact of selected waste applications on soil compaction

Abstract

In the years 2014–2017, a field experiment was carried out, in which two types of waste were applied to soil. One of them was mineral waste – carboniferous rock from a hard coal mine, and the other – organic waste – post-fermentation sludge from agricultural biogas-producing plant. The experiment was an example of an action, in which soil management was associated with their drainage effects on the soil. The waste was applied to the light soil of low utility value, included in the V bonitation class (in polish soil quality classification) and the 6th complex of agricultural suitability (weak rye). According to the WRB classification, it was Haplic Podzol (PZha) developed from the post-glacial sand. The aim of the study was to analyze changes in soil compaction caused by a single introduction of waste. During the four-year study (2014–2017), the durability of these changes was also observed. It was found that the best effects of reducing the soil compaction were obtained as a result of the combined application of two wastes: carboniferous rock and post-fermentation sludge. Introduction of waste into the soil was also permanent, as differences resulting from the soil management continued in the fourth year of the experiment.