The Effect of Bottom ash in Reducing Cadmium Phytoavailability in Cadmium-contaminated Soil

BACKGROUND: Since bottom ash (BA) contains considerable amounts of CaO and MgO, it could be a useful amendment to increase soil pH and to immobilize cadmium (Cd). This study was conducted to evaluate effect of BA application in reducing Cd phytoavailability.METHODS AND RESULTS: Bottom ash was applied at the rate of 0, 20, 40, and 80 Mg/ha to Cd contaminated soil, and then lettuce was cultivated under field condition. soil pH and net negative charge increased slightly with increasing BA application; however, there was no statistical difference among the rates. Water soluble, exchangeable+acidic, reducible, and oxidizable fraction of Cd decreased with increasing bottom ash application rate, whereas residual fraction of Cd increased with increasing bottom ash application rate. Lettuce yield increased with rate of bottom ash up to 40 kg/ha. Visual evidences of cadmium toxicity and growth inhibition were not found during lettuce cultivation.CONCLUSION: Bottom ash was effective to reduce phytoextractability of Cd and to increase lettuce yield. Conclusively, BA could be a good soil amendment to reduce Cd phytoavailability in contaminated arable soil.