Die Bodenkultur - Journal for Land Management, Food and Environment

F. SOLAR, B. SCHWAIGHOFER and H. W. MÜLLER:

Basalt/sludge compost - material and structure characteristic

Summary

A Basalt/sludge compost two years old was investigated in the region of a purification plant in Styria. After the end of the decay proeesses chemical, mineralogical and morphological analyses were done. The results of the soil chemical investigation correlate very well with the field studies showing clearly formed horizons by intensive processes of weathering and humification. Few alterations in mineralogy and micromorphology could be observed, stronger transformations occurred only in the contact between the organic matter (from sludge) and the basaltic material, e. g. neoformations of gypsum and amorphie ion-hydroxides. Key-words: Sludge compost, processes of decay, mineral weathering, soil micromorphology.