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Magnetic resonance analysis of carbon content in paper mill sludge–soil mixtures used in remediation practices
Bonoli, A.; Bortolotti, V.; Dall'Ara, A.; Macini, P. & Vannini, M.
Abstract
One of the most promising recycling procedures
of some industrial organic wastes, as paper mill
sludge (PMS), is soil amendment. In this field of application,
PMS and natural soil are mixed together according to
specific regulations to avoid potential environmental risks
that can arise after land restoration, and hence, the mixture
must be scrupulously characterized and evaluated, also by
means of different analytical techniques. Proton nuclear
magnetic resonance (1H NMR) is a powerful, noninvasive
and nondestructive technique to investigate natural and
artificial porous media, and it is a promising tool to characterize
amended soils as well, also in the light of the
experimental difficulties that these materials generally
entail. In this work, NMR micro- and macro-porosity were
related to total organic carbon (TOC) content, and information
on the behavior of organic matter (OM) contained
inside the mineral matrix was obtained. In particular, a high
presence of TOC shows that micropores are forbidden to
the saturating water, giving evidence of OM interactions
with soil microstructure. This kind of analysis has clear
implications in the characterization of amended soil biological
processes, such as biodegradation.
Keywords
Natural soils; Paper mill sludge; Proton nuclear magnetic resonance; Total organic carbon
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