Modelling nitrate and bromide leaching from sewage sludge

A deterministic model for assessing the risk of groundwater contamination by nitrate from land-based sludge disposal was evaluated. A controlled large-lysimeter experiment was set up to monitor movement of nitrate through soil. Four large lysimeters of 900 mm length were packed with Manawatu fine sandy loam (a Dystric Fluventric Eutrochrept), on top of which 200 mm of municipal sewage sludge was applied. One of the lysimeters was planted with pasture (Lolium perenne and Festuca arundacea), one with a willow tree (Salix sp. ‘Tongoio’), another with a poplar tree (Populus sp. ‘Kawa’), and one was left bare. Bromide was used as a conservative tracer. Movement of bromide and nitrate was analysed in the effluent from the base of the lysimeters.The processes of water and nutrient transport were modelled using a mechanistic scheme based on Richards’ equation for water transport and the convection–dispersion equation (CDE) for nutrient transport. These equations were both linked to a sink term for plant uptake. The model simulated well the transport of water and movement of bromide in the four different lysimeters. The agreement between measured and simulated nitrate leaching was also reasonable considering the simplified model. Uptake of nitrogen by trees reduced the quantity of nitrogen available for leaching. The model could aid development of sustainable management of land-based sewage sludge disposal in terms of nitrate leaching. The next step will be to further develop the model for heavy metal movement, as heavy metals are common co-contaminants of sewage sludge.