POSSIBILITIES AND EFFECTS OF THE APPLICATION OF SLUDGE OBTAINED FROM THE TREATMENT OF WASTE-WATER OF BREWERY ARTOIS IN LOUVAIN .2. APPLICATION IN HORTICULTURE

The purpose of the experiment was to investigate to what extent Viano and lime, as commonly used in horticulture, could be replaced by the sludge mixture generated by the treatment of wastewater from the malthouse and the brewery of Brewery Artois in Louvain. This was investigated for a culture of lettuce and celery in a heated greenhouse. The sludge mixture was a clear source of Ca, K and Fe and it may replace Viano as well as lime, providing that equivalent amounts are calculated taking into account the organic and inorganic composition of the sludge mixture. The release of nutrients occurred faster for Viano than for the sludge mixture. No deficiency or toxicity symptoms were observed. Uptake of minerals by the plant and distribution through the plant were not disturbed by the sludge application.