Abstract
Purpose
Revegetation of bauxite residue disposal areas is an effective disposal strategy for large-scale in-situ disposal and reduction of environmental risk. The application of organic amendments is an effective method of increasing the organic carbon content of residue. Humification of bauxite residue by different types of organic amendments in the synergistic effect of Ca-containing solid waste was investigated.
Methods
100-day incubation experiments using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) fluorescence, Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology for the analysis of bauxite residue treated with different organic amendments. The organic amendments treatments applied included corn straw (BGS), nitrohumic acid (BGH), and poultry manure (BGM), and the pretreated residue (desulphurization gypsum mixed with bauxite residue) was the BG.
Results
The composition and parameters of humic substances of bauxite residues with different treatments was ranked as BG < BGM < BGS < BGH. BGS treatment has the highest humification rate. For carbon cycle-related enzymes, enzyme activities of corn straw treatment were higher, indicating that straw addition was more intense on carbon turnover. Combined with microbial activity, the manure had sufficient nutrients, which was conducive to microbial growth and reproduction. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and two-factor correlation network showed that microorganisms influence humification characteristics by secreting carbon cycle-related enzymes.
Conclusions
The nitrohumic acid treatment had a higher humification degree but limited microbial activity, whilst corn straw treatment had a wide potential for humification and enzyme activity. Desulfurization gypsum and corn straw have novel application prospects on ecological rehabilitation at disposal areas.
Highlights
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The effects of different organic amendments in bauxite residue from two dimensions of humification and microbial activity were evaluated.
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Organic amendments significantly changed the humification characteristics of the residues in both solid and liquid phases.
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Corn straw addition was more intense on enzymes related to carbon cycle and has a wide humification potential in bauxite residue.
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Desulfurization gypsum and corn straw have novel application prospects on ecological rehabilitation at disposal areas.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Key project of National Natural Science Foundation of China (42030711), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42077379), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Central South University (No. 2021zzts0117), and Postgraduate Scientific Research Innovation Project of Hunan Province (No. CX20210199).
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Guo, Y., Zhang, X., Qin, X. et al. Organic amendments enhanced the humification degree in soil formation of bauxite residue. Plant Soil 497, 61–77 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05773-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05773-y