Use of Biostimulants Obtained from Sewage Sludge for the Restoration of Soils Polluted by Diuron: Effect on Soil Biochemical Properties

Abstract

The use of biostimulants in the bioremediation of polluted soils in order to eliminate/reduce the toxic effects of pesticides on the soil is currently a very common environmental practice. In this study, we studied the bioremediation effect of three biostimulants obtained from sewage sludge by way of an enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation process in a diuron-contaminated soil for 55 days under laboratory conditions. During this period of time, the enzymatic activities, bacterial community and the evolution of diuron in the soil were analyzed. Compared with the unpolluted soil, the application of diuron decreased the dehydrogenase, β-glucosidase and phosphatase activities by 60%, 40.7%, and 60.6%, respectively. The Gram-positive bacterial population was decreased by 48.5%, while the Gram-negative population was decreased by 57.7% and the fungal population was decreased by 54.3%. The application of the three biostimulants to the soil decreased the diuron concentration. However, this decrease was higher when the biostimulant obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis was applied. This may be due to the fact that this biostimulant contains a higher quality of low molecular weight proteins than the other two biostimulants obtained by fermentation processes.