Agricultural application of municipal solid waste compost in the Gaza Strip: in situ measurement of nutrient and heavy metal leaching

Abstract

The vertical displacement of nutrients and heavy metals after application of municipal solid waste (MSW) compost was studied on a field plot in the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian Territory in the Middle East. Resin-filled monitoring boxes were installed under the root zone during the rainy season. Leaching rates between replicates varied considerably, indicating the importance of preferential flowpaths in this sandy soil. Copper was the only heavy metal which eluted in higher quantities from the topsoil due to the addition of MSW compost to the soil. Among the macronutrients an indication of higher leaching rates were only found for potassium, whereas nitrate concentrations in the boxes remained unaffected by compost addition. No imminent risk of groundwater contamination was discernible.