Summary
This narrative review assesses the potential of sewage sludge application to remediate saline-alkali soils—which affect over 800 million hectares globally—whilst critically evaluating food safety and environmental risks. The authors synthesise evidence on mechanisms of soil improvement, crop productivity gains, and contamination hazards (heavy metals, pathogens, antibiotics, resistance genes), identifying knowledge gaps in sustainable deployment of sewage sludge for degraded soil rehabilitation.
Regional applicability
The review is global in scope. The findings are transferable to United Kingdom contexts where saline-alkali soils are less prevalent but sewage sludge application to agricultural land is a standard practice; however, UK regulatory frameworks (PAS 100, Quality Protocol) already impose strict contaminant limits on biosolids use, suggesting the safety concerns flagged here are already partially addressed in policy. Applicability depends on whether UK sludge-amending systems adequately monitor antimicrobial resistance genes and emerging contaminants.
Key measures
Crop yield; soil physicochemical properties; heavy metal concentration; pathogenic microorganism presence; antibiotic residues; antimicrobial resistance genes; groundwater quality; soil microbial ecology; carbon and nitrogen cycling
Outcomes reported
The review examines mechanisms of sewage sludge utilization in saline-alkali soil improvement, crop yield enhancement, and associated risks from contaminants including heavy metals, pathogens, antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance genes. It synthesises evidence on rhizosphere effects, soil micro-ecology, and carbon-nitrogen cycling in amended saline-alkali soils.
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