Ecotoxicological assessment of natural soil amended with sewage sludge: the impacts on soil edaphic organisms and microbial community

Sewage sludge usage as agricultural soil amendment is a well-known practice employed worldwide. However, certain components may pose risks to the soil ecosystem. For a better verification of the potential adverse effects on the soil biota, biological assays have become an indispensable tool for an accurate understanding of the residue’s behavior on soil, as well as its potential toxicity. Accordingly, to properly assess the effects of natural tropical soil (Oxisoil) amended with sewage sludge, we conducted toxicological tests with edaphic organisms ( Enchytraeus crypticus and Folsomia candida ) and microbial biomass (through respirometric assessment). Results indicate that E. crypticus and F. candida present similar reproduction sensitivity behavior to sewage sludge. For the microbiological analysis, the results suggest that microbial activity was stimulated by sludge application. For further evaluation of respiration of the microbial community and CO 2 stabilization values behavior, Ford-Walford modeling was applied and presented limit values for sludge application in soil for 1.5 g kg −1 and 15.0 g kg −1 of, approximately, 55 mg and 88 mg, respectively. CO 2 releases were faster and reached stability within 18 weeks for the soil with higher sludge content (15.0 g kg −1 of dry soil). In contrast, CO 2 releases were slower for the soil with lower sludge content (1.5 g kg −1 of dry soil), and until the experiment’s final period (21 weeks) respiration behavior did not reach stability. This study indicates that the stabilized sewage sludge, at the considered recommended application rate, presents a low toxicity risk for the studied bioindicators, being suitable for agricultural use.