The value, use, and environmental impacts of pulp-mill sludge additions to forest and agricultural lands in Europe

Abstract

The current state of knowledge on the recycling of pulp sludge in the forest and agricultural lands as an alternative to disposal is reviewed. Effects of land application of pulp sludge on chemical and physical properties of soils, on leaching of chemical constituents to groundwater, and on yields of crops are discussed. Regions in Europe where land application of pulp sludge are potentially most beneficial are identified. Information on pulp production, pulping and bleaching methods, and treatments of the effluents, as well as its environmental implications, are also briefly reviewed.Key words: Europe, Mediterranean region, pulp sludge, land application, forest and agricultural sites, environmental impacts.