Gefördert im Rahmen des Projekts DEALBundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung. Grant Number: 031A242-A,B; Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. Grant Number: 031A242-A,

Abagale, Felix Kofi

Amoah, Philip

Asirifi, Isaac

Kätzl, Korbinian

Marschner, Bernd

Saba, Courage Kosi Setsoafia

Werner, Steffen

Journal of Environmental Quality

The benefit of biochar as a soil fertility enhancer is well known and has been broadly investigated. Equally, many tropical and subtropical countries use wastewater for irrigation in urban agriculture. To assess the related health risks, we determined pathogen and heavy metal fate associated with biochar application and wastewater irrigation in the urban agriculture of northern Ghana. Rice (Oryza L.) husk biochar (20 t ha−1), N–P–K 15–15–15 fertilizer (212.5 kg ha−1), and their combinations were evaluated in a field‐based experiment. Untreated wastewater and tap water served as irrigation water. Red amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) was used as a test crop and was grown in wet (WS) and dry (DS) cropping seasons. Irrigation water, soil, and vegetables were analyzed for heavy metals, Escherichia coli, fecal coliform, helminth eggs, and Salmonella spp. Unlike the pathogens, analyzed heavy metals from irrigation water and soil were below the FAO/WHO permissible standard for agricultural activities. Wastewater irrigation caused E. coli concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 0.6 (WS) and from 0.7 to 0.8 (DS) log10 colony forming units per gram fresh weight (CFU gFW−1) on vegetables and from 1.7 to 2.1 (WS) and from 0.6 to 1.0 (DS) log10CFU per gram dry weight (gDW−1) in soil. Average log10CFU gFW−1 rates of 6.19 and 3.44 fecal coliform were found on vegetables, whereas in soil, 4.26 and 4.58 log10CFU gDW−1 were observed in WS and DS, respectively. Helminth egg populations were high in wastewater and were transferred to the crops and soil. Biochar did not affect bacteria contamination. Pathogen contamination on vegetables and in soil were directly linked to the irrigation water, with minimal or no difference observed from biochar application.Core Ideas:

Soil and vegetable contamination were linked to irrigation water source.
Rice husk–derived biochar did not affect bacteria contamination on vegetables.
Wastewater and biochar application did not affect heavy metal contamination in soil.
Helminth eggs and bacteria pathogens in soil were not significantly affected by biochar.Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100006456Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/50110000234

Kaetzl, Korbinian

Saba, Courage K. S.

Abagale, Felix K.

GEO-LEOe-docs

Pathogen and heavy metal contamination in urban agroecosystems of northern Ghana: Influence of biochar application and wastewater irrigation

DSpace an der Universität Kassel

The benefit of biochar as a soil fertility enhancer is well known and has been broadly investigated. Equally, many tropical and subtropical countries use wastewater for irrigation in urban agriculture. To assess the related health risks, we determined pathogen and heavy metal fate associated with biochar application and wastewater irrigation in the urban agriculture of northern Ghana. Rice (Oryza L.) husk biochar (20 t ha-1), N–P–K 15–15–15 fertilizer (212.5 kg ha-1), and their combinations were evaluated in a field-based experiment. Untreated wastewater and tap water served as irrigation water. Red amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.) was used as a test crop and was grown in wet (WS) and dry (DS) cropping seasons. Irrigation water, soil, and vegetables were analyzed for heavy metals, Escherichia coli, fecal coliform, helminth eggs, and Salmonella spp. Unlike the pathogens, analyzed heavy metals from irrigation water and soil were below the FAO/WHO permissible standard for agricultural activities. Wastewater irrigation caused E. coli concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 0.6 (WS) and from 0.7 to 0.8 (DS) log10 colony forming units per gram fresh weight (CFU gFW-1) on vegetables and from 1.7 to 2.1 (WS) and from 0.6 to 1.0 (DS) log10CFU per gram dry weight (gDW-1) in soil. Average log10CFU gFW-1 rates of 6.19 and 3.44 fecal coliform were found on vegetables, whereas in soil, 4.26 and 4.58 log10CFU gDW-1 were observed in WS and DS, respectively. Helminth egg populations were high in wastewater and were transferred to the crops and soil. Biochar did not affect bacteria contamination. Pathogen contamination on vegetables and in soil were directly linked to the irrigation water, with minimal or no difference observed from biochar application

Asirifi, I.

Kaetzl, K.

Werner, S.

Saba, C. K. S.

Abagale, F. K.

Marschner, B.

CGSpace

Pathogen and heavy metal contamination in urban agroecosystems of northern Ghana: influence of biochar application and wastewater irrigation

Pathogen and heavy metal contamination in urban agroecosystems of northern Ghana: Influence of biochar application and wastewater irrigation

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DSpace an der Universität Kassel

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