Automobile scrap shredder residue was applied to the soil of an agricultural
area of approximately 3 ha located in Piracicaba (SP, Brazil) in
2005. The residue addition was performed, based the false supposition
that it may provide Zn and Cu to sugarcane crops, by incorporation into
the soil at a depth of 30 cm. The local environmental agency later verified
that the area was contaminated by heavy metals and boron, and it isolated
the area. Lime (10 t ha−1) was added to the soil for remediation, raising
the soil pH (measured in CaCl2) to 7.5. The studied soil was classified
as amediumtextured Oxisol (Soil Survey Staff, 2010) equivalent to a Latosol
(Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA), 2006).