Effect of land disposal of stillage (residue of alcohol distillary) on the leaching of soil nutrients. I. Nitrate and ammonium

Abstract

A Typic Paleudult soil was incubated with increasing volumes of stillage (equivalents to 50, 100, 150, 200 and 400 m³/ha), with and without addition of N and P, and was leached, in leaching columns, with volumes of water equivalents to, 1, 2 and 3 volumes of soil pores. For each percolated volume of water, with the increasing levels of stillage applied, the leached nitrate decreased while the leached ammonium increased. For the soil treated with 400 m³/ha of stillage, with addition of NP, and leached with three volumes of soil pores of water, the leaching of nitrate was reduced about 30 ppm and the leaching of ammonium increased about 4 ppm. Thus, the application of stillage to the mil had a favorable effect on the decrease of losses of nitrate from the soil.