Release of arsenic and other trace elements from poultry litter: Insights from a field experiment on the Delmarva Peninsula, Delaware

A poultry litter application was conducted to examine field scale release and transport of trace elements from poultry litter into the subsurface. Field monitoring before and after litter application demonstrated increases in major ion, nutrient, and trace element concentrations in soil water after application, but concentrations of trace elements were all below regulatory standards. Using laboratory stepwise extractions of litter, calculated leaching rates of trace elements are fastest for As, followed by Cu and Zn. Comparison of the projected (from laboratory extractions) to actual (measured in the field) trace element concentrations in litter show that laboratory-derived rates generally over-predict leaching, but the long-term projections of Cu and Zn concentrations remaining in litter are within 20% of the field measurement. Arsenic leaching from litter was under-predicted by the laboratory leaching model by over 100%, suggesting that other processes (perhaps biological) occurring in the field allowed for additional As to be leached/removed. Mass balance coupled with conservative tracer calculations reveal that the vadose sediment was the main sink for the trace elements, with lesser uptake of Cu and Zn (not As) by orchard grass. Overall, results of this study showed that the fate and transport of trace elements from poultry litter are controlled by their leaching rate from litter, adsorption, uptake in vegetation and dilution. An additional process affecting As is biotransformation.