Impact of textile sludge on the growth of red amaranth (Amaranthus gangeticus)

Purpose In Bangladesh, the sludge of textile effluenttreatment plant has been considered as a potential environmentalthreat due to its huge volume and chemicalcontent. Thus, the present study was carried out to assessthe reuse possibility/potentiality of textile sludge in agriculturalapplications.Method Textile sludge was applied at different loadingratios (0–100 % sludge) with soil for the pot cultivation ofred amaranth (Amaranthus gangeticus); subsequently,chemical analyses were carried out on the harvested plants.Results The results showed that the content of plantnutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K) andiron (Fe) in sludge was significant compared to organicmanure along with a high content of total organic carbon(TOC). The growth parameters (height, number of leaves,leaf area and root length) of red amaranth were affected bythe application of textile sludge. Maximum plant growthwas observed in the 100 % sludge treatment group, maybebecause of the high content of plant nutrients. However, theroot length and number of leaves were not significantlyaffected by the sludge. The plant analyses implied thataddition of textile sludge did not increase the content ofcopper (Cu), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni) andmanganese (Mn), but lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn)and iron (Fe) content crossed the maximum permissiblelimit set by FAO/WHO.Conclusion Textile sludge can improve the nutrient contentsof pot soil and growth of red amaranth, which isrevealed by pot experiments. Therefore, it can be used assoil improver if Pb, Cr, Zn and Fe content can be controlledin the textile sludge.