Ecological risk characterisation and modelling for the use of water treatment residuals as soil conditioners

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Water treatment residuals (WTRs) are generated in vast quantities all over the world as a by-product of drinking water clarification using aluminium and/or iron salts. In the interests of minimising waste, increasing recycling and developing a more circular economy, plus saving large sums of money spent on the current disposal route of landfill, there is a move to utilise these WTRs in environmental applications. They have been identified as having potential uses as soil amendments, but there are uncertainties that must be addressed before this application option can be widely adopted. This project will address the uncertainties surrounding the effects or impacts on earthworm abundance, diversity and survival from WTR application to land. It will also examine the influence on soil porewater chemistry (i.e. assessing leaching of elements from WTRs) and on soil microbial function (i.e. soil respiration rate) of WTR application. Together with project CASE partner 4R, the project will use a combination of full scale field trials, semi-field scale mesocosms and laboratory experiments to address these uncertainties.