%0 Journal Article %T Nutrient Availability and Changes on Chemical Attributes of a Paleudult Soil Amended with Liquid Sewage Sludge and Cropped with Surinam Grass %A Luiz Carlos Ceolato %A Ronaldo Severiano Berton %A Aline Ren¨¦e Coscione %J Applied and Environmental Soil Science %D 2011 %I Hindawi Publishing Corporation %R 10.1155/2011/239607 %X The liquid sewage sludge (LSS) was applied on a field experiment during four years at successive applications to evaluate the changes in soil attributes and on Surinam grass (Brachiaria decumbens) uptake of nutrients. A randomized blocks experimental design, with two treatments (with and without LSS) and three repetitions, was used. Land application of LSS did not alter soil organic matter and exchangeable K until 40£¿cm depth. However, it increased soil pH, base saturation, labile P, and available Zn and did not change the concentrations of available B (hot water) and Cu, Fe, and Mn (DTPA) at 0¨C20£¿cm and 20¨C40£¿cm depths and LSS was a source of N, K, P, Ca, Mg, and Zn for the grass, but decreased leaf Mn concentration. 1. Introduction In the initial steps of water pollution control process there is a great concern about the liquid phase treatment of sewage originated from districts and cities, in order to protect water resources and public health [1]. The treatment of this wastewater generates a solid residue known as biosolid or sewage sludge (SS), which consists mainly of a mass of fungi, bacteria, and protozoa that are responsible for the sewage organic matter degradation. Due to its intrinsic high organic matter content, followed by a variable concentration of other nutrients, heavy metals, human pathogens, and some organic chemicals that may or not be partially degraded during the process, there is a general concern on its environmentally sound disposal. Among the available destination options, the most used still are the SS disposal in sanitary landfills, ponds, or lagoons, and the application to agricultural lands. As in fact 76% of Brazilian cities do not have adequate sanitary landfills for solid residues disposal, which are usually discarded at open field, the disposal in agricultural lands appears to be an economical and environmentally viable way for this purpose. Nevertheless, the SS use in agriculture may be restricted by the presence of heavy metals, pathogens, and persistent organic compounds, depending on the SS original composition [2, 3]. In general, SS treated soil presents improved soil physical attributes, such as greater aggregate stability [4, 5] and lower soil density, providing better root and shoots development with significant plant biomass increase [6]. Furthermore, the presence of plant macro and micronutrients in SS, mainly N, P, S Ca, Mg, and Zn, may supply, total or in part, the plant¡¯s demand for these elements [7]. Approximately one third of N [8] and up to 64% of P [9] content in SS would be available to plants in the %U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2011/239607/