Selecting and optimizing of the heavy metal inactivator in sewage sludge composting

In sewage sludge composting, adding ash from stove （FA20） inactivated active Cu effectively and the results were significantly better than control. For Zn, Mn, Pb and Cd, satisfying results was,achieved by adding ash from stove and phosphorite powder （FA20, PR10）, phosphorite powder and lime （PR15, CL10）, ash from stove and phosphorite powder （FA10, PR10）, and ash from stove and peat （FA20, PT 10）. Based on their effects of inactivating available forms of heavy metals, ash from stove, phosphorite powder and peat were supposed to be effective inactivators with optimum percentages of 20%, 15% and 10% （FA20, PR15, PT10）.

Evolution of Heavy Metal Speciation During a Large-scale Sewage Sludge Composting

The evolution of metal species during sludge composting in aerobic reactor has been widely investigated,but little is known in large scale.In this study,the transformations of heavy metals speciation(Zn,Cu,Pb and Cd)in the process of sludge composting were studied in a bunker.Physico-chemical parameters,such as pH,moisture content(MC),organic matter(OM),humic acids(HA)and fulvic acids(FA)contents,were determined to evaluate their impacts on the redistribution of Zn,Cu,Pb and Cd in sludge compost.During the composting process,the contents of Cu,Pb,Zn and Cd in oxidizable and residual forms increased,whereas the contents of the exchangeable Cu,Pb,Zn and Cd decreased,with a slight increase in the total heavy metal contents.The contents of Cu,Zn and Cd in carbonate form and the reducible Cu,Zn and Pb falled;however,the content of Pb in carbonate formed and the reducible Cd increased.The results indicated that heavy metals(Zn,Cu,Pb and Cd)in sewage sludge could be passivated during composting process.The heavy metals speciation in the compost correlated with the physico-chemical parameters.In addition,linear regression analysis indicated that the content of mobile Pb could predict the total content of Pb.The contents of the residue fraction for Pb,Zn and Cd were decreased,but those for Ni and Cr were increased;the Cu residue fraction was almost constant.The contents of the total mobile fractions(including fractions 1-4)for Zn and Pb were significantly increased,but the increase of those for Cu and Ni were not so remarkable.There were significant degrees of correlation between heavy metal fractions and changes of some selected parameters(for example,pH,composting temperature and OM content).Only the content of the total mobile fractions for Cu could be predictable from its total content.For the prediction of the total mobile fractions of Zn,Ni,Cd and Cr,the R2 value was significantly increased by the inclusion of other variables such as pH,temperature and OM content.

Total concentrations and different fractions of heavy metals in sewage sludge from Guangzhou, China

Dewatered municipal sludge samples were collected from five municipal wastewater treatment plants （WWTPs） and one industrial WWTP in Guangzhou, China. A number of agricultural parameters and total metal concentrations in the sludge were determined. Metal speciation was also studied. The results showed that sewage sludge had high organic carbon, and was rich in such nutrients as N and P. The concentrations of Mn, Zn, and Cu were the highest, followed by Ni, Pb, and Cr, Cd had the lowest concentration. In addition, the concentrations of the aforementioned heavy metals in the sludge samples were higher than those recorded in the background data for crop soils. With the exception of Cu and Cd from site S1, and Ni from sites S1, $2, and $5, all other metal concentrations conformed to permissible levels prescribed by the national application standard of acid soil in China （GB 18918--2002）. The results of the BCR sequential extraction showed that the concentrations of Mn and Zn were predominant in acid-soluble/exchangeable and reducible fractions. Cu was principally distributed in oxidizable and residual fractions, whereas Cr was present in oxidizable and residual fractions, Pb was found in the state of residual fractions, and the distribution of Ni and Cd did not show significant characteristics.

Effect of different surfactants on removal efficiency of heavy metals in sewage sludge treated by a novel method combining bio-acidification with Fenton oxidation

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of different surfactants on the removal efficiency of heavy metals in sewage sludge treated by a method combining bio-acidification with Fenton oxidation. Four surfactants were adopted such as anionic surfactant(sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate, SDBS), nonionic surfactants(tween-20 and tween-60) and cationic surfactant(hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride, HTAC), respectively. The indigenous sulfur-oxidizing bacteria in bio-acidification phase were enriched and cultured from fresh activated sludge obtained from a wastewater treatment plant. It is shown that different surfactants exhibited distinct effect on the removal efficiency of heavy metals from sewage sludge. The nonionic surfactants,especially tween-60, promotes the solubilization of heavy metals, while the anionic and cationic surfactants hinder the removal of heavy metals. Copper is efficiently leached. The removal efficiency of cadium is relatively lower than that of Cu due to the demand for rigorous p H value. Lead is leached with a low efficiency as the formation of low soluble Pb SO4 precipitates.

Simulated Leaching Research on the Effects of Sewage Sludge on Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Aeolian Sandy Soil

[ Objective] The study aims at discussing the feasibility of urban sewage sludge applied to desertification forestland. [ Method] Through the simulated leaching test, the effects of sewage sludge application on the content of nutrients and heavy metals in aeolian sandy soil were ana- lyzed. [ Result] After the simulated leaching with sewage sludge, the contents of total nitrogen （TN）, total phosphorus （TP）, available nitrogen （AN） and available phosphorus （AP） in each layer of aeolian sandy soil increased significantly, and the increase in 0 -20 cm soil was more signifi- cant than that in 20 -40 and 40 -60 cm soil. Meanwhile, the content of each heavy metal in 0 -20 cm soil rose significantly, while the increase was small in 40 -60 cm soil. In addition, after the application of sewage sludge, the Nemrew Index of aeolian sandy soil was 0.67, lower than the na- tional soil quality standard of forestland （0.70）, and the short-time application of sewage sludge to sandy soil did not cause serious pollution. How- ever, if sewage sludge has been applied to aeolian sandy soil for a long term, the potential hazard of heavy metals （especially Cd） caused by loneterm accumulation should be paid more attention to.

Accumulation and bioavailability of heavy metals in a soil-wheat/maize system with long-term sewage sludge amendments

A long-term field experiment was carried out with a wheat-maize rotation system to investigate the accumulation and bioavailability of heavy metals in a calcareous soil at different rates of sewage sludge amendment. There are significant linear correlations between the contents of Hg, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd in soil and sewage sludge amendment rates. By increasing 1 ton of applied sludge per hectare per year in soil, the contents of Hg, Zn, Cu, Pb, and Cd in soil increased by 6.20, 619, 92.9, 49.2, and 0.500 μg kg–1, respectively. For Hg, sewage sludge could be safely applied to the soil for 18 years at an application rate of 7.5 t ha–1 before content exceeded the soil environmental quality standards in China(1 mg kg–1). The safe application period for Zn is 51 years and is even longer for other heavy metals(112 years for Cu, 224 years for Cd, and 902 years for Pb) at an application rate of 7.5 t ha–1 sewage sludge. The contents of Zn and Ni in wheat grains and Zn, Cu, and Cr in maize grains increased linearly with increasing sewage sludge amendment rates. The contents of Zn, Cr, and Ni in wheat straws and Zn, Cu, and As in maize straws were positively correlated with sewage sludge amendment rates, while the content of Cu in wheat straws and Cr in maize straws showed the opposite trend. The bioconcentration factors of the heavy metals in wheat and maize grains were found to be in the order of Zn>Cu>Cd>Hg>Cr=Ni>Pb>As. Furthermore, the bioconcentration factors of heavy metals in wheat were greater than those in maize, indicating that wheat is more sensitive than maize as an indicator plant. These results will be helpful in developing the critical loads for sewage sludge amendment in calcareous soils.

Effect of substrate concentration on the bioleaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge

The effect of elemental sulfur concentration on bioleaching of Cu, Zn and Pb and loss of fertilizer value from sewage sludge was investigated in flasks by batch experiments. The results showed that the ultimate pH of sludges with 3—5 g/L of sulfur added was about 1.3 and the production of SO 2- 4 had good correlation with the elemental sulfur concentration. The sensitivity of removal efficiency of metals to sulfur concentration was: Pb>Cu>Zn. The sulfur concentration except for 3—5 g/L had significant effect on the solubilization of Cu, Pb and Zn. The highest solubilization efficiency for sludge with 3 g/L of sulfur was 87.86% for Cu, 32.72% for Pb and 92.14% for Zn, which could make the treated sludge easily meet the metal limitations for land application. The sulfur concentration of 3 g/L was enough for the solubilization of all three heavy metals. The influence of sulfur concentration on solubilization of total nitrogen and potassium from sludge was negligible, but that on solublization of total phosphorus was of great importance. The loss of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium of sludge with 3 g/L of sulfur by bioleaching was 38.2%, 52.1% and 42.8% respectively, and the sludge still remained satisfactory fertilizer value after bioleaching.

Pollution hazards of heavy metals in sewage sludge from four wastewater treatment plants in Nanchang, China

The pollution hazards of heavy metals were investigated in sewage sludge collected from four wastewater treatment plantsin Nanchang City,China,including Honggutan(HGT),Chaoyang(CY),Qingshanhu(QSH)and Xianghu(XH).Contamination/riskcharacteristics of heavy metals(Cu,Pb,Zn,Cd,Cr and Ni)were evaluated based on their leachable content,total content andchemical speciation.The sewage sludge from QSH contained higher total contents of heavy metals(except Pb)than those from HGT,XH and CY.The total contents of Cd and Ni were mostly beyond standard.Cu,Cr and Pb were predominantly present in potentialeffect and stable fractions.Zn and Ni showed higher bioavailability.Cd presented roughly uniform distribution into four fractions.The leaching contents of heavy metals almost exceeded the threshold values,especially for Zn and Ni.The potential ecological riskindexes of heavy metals in sewage sludge were4263.34?7480.26,indicating very high risks.Cd contamination is the major concern.

Distribution and transformation behaviors of heavy metals during liquefaction process of sewage sludge in ethanol-water mixed solvents

Liquefaction of sewage sludge(SS)in ethanol-water cosolvents is a promising process for the preparation of bio-oil/biochar products.Effect of the combined use of ethanol and water on the distribution/transformation behaviors of heavy metals(HMs)contained in raw SS is a key issue on the safety and cleanness of above liquefaction process,which is explored in this study.The results show that pure ethanol facilitates the migration of HMs into biochar products.Pure water yields lower percentages of HMs in mobile/bioavailable speciation.Compared with sole solvent treatment,ethanol-water cosolvent causes a random/average effect on the distribution/transformation behaviors of HMs.After liquefaction of SS in pure water,the contamination degree of HMs is mitigated from high level(25.8(contamination factor))in raw SS to considerable grade(13.4)in biochar and the ecological risk is mitigated from moderate risk(164.5(risk index))to low risk(78.8).Liquefaction of SS in pure ethanol makes no difference to the pollution characteristics of HMs.The combined use of ethanol and water presents similar immobilization effects on HMs to pure water treatment.The contamination factor and risk index of HMs in biochars obtained in ethanol-water cosolvent treatment are 13.1-14.6(considerable grade)and 79.3-101.0(low risk),respectively.In order to further control the pollution of HMs,it is preferentially suggested to improve the liquefaction process of SS in ethanol-water mixed solvents by introducing conventional lignocellulosic/algal biomass,also known as co-liquefaction treatment.

Effects of Municipal Sewage Sludge on Fixation of Cr,Ni,Cu,and Zn during Co-processing of Heavy Metal-containing Waste in Cement Kilns

Cement raw meal with MSS and different heavy metals was blended to examine the fixation ratios, chemical species, and cement crystalline phases in clinkers. The results showed that blending MSS could decrease the fixation ratio of Cr, Ni, Cu, and Zn in the produced clinker by 5% to 25%. And Cr, Cu, and Zn were mainly incorporated into clinkers as metal silicates, Ni was mainly solubilized in Mg O to form magnesium nickel oxides, and the transition phases were mainly metal aluminum oxides as indicated by X-ray diffraction. The reduction of fixation ratios was likely attributed to the presence of impure elements, such as sodium and phosphorus in MSS. In addition, high concentrations（eg, 1.7 wt%） of chlorine in MSS led to metal chloride formation that could vaporize Cu, Cr, Ni, and Zn. To summarize, introducing MSS would decrease the fixation ratios of heavy metals due to the presence of impure elements, such as sodium and phosphorus and chlorine.

Comparison of Bioleaching of Heavy Metals from Sewage Sludge of Different Solid Concentrations Using Two Inocula

Two 10%(v/v) different inocula, iron-oxidizing bacteria and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, were used to investigate the bioleaching of heavy metals from sewage sludge with 10-40 g/L sludge concentration in the batch experiment. The results demonstrated that most of bioleaching rates of Zn and Cu achieved above 80% and 60%, respectively, after 12 d in the sludge with different concentrations and inocula. The lower the solid concentration, the higher the removal rate of heavy metals and the quicker the removal speed in sludge. The system with iron-oxidizing bacteria had faster startup speed and was influenced by solid concentration lightly, while in the system with sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, the removal efficiency was affected by concentration seriously.

Effects of Sewage Sludge Application on the Heavy Metal Content of Crested Wheatgrass （Agropyron cristatum （L.）） Gaertn

This paper presents the data from two-year experiments concerning with doses of sewage sludge （0, 7, 14 and 21 ton.ha^-1） and inorganic nitrogen doses （0, 50, 100 and 150 kg.ha^-1） from the Municipality of Van, which is located at an altitude of 1,725 m of eastern Anatolia in Turkey. A study was conducted to assess two different N sources on sandy-silty-clay soils grown to crested wheatgrass Agropyron cristatum （L.） Gaertn, grass pasture which had been amended with sewage sludge for two years. Plant tissue and DTPA （diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid） extractable soil nutrient were evaluated; twelve elements were analyzed in the plant tissue and six elements in the soil extract in different soil depths. The research demonstrated that the applications produced increase contents of N, P, Mg, Mn, Zn and Pb in the plant. There was a significant （P 〈 0.01） accumulation of DTPA extractable concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb in the top soil horizon. Also, sewage sludge resulted in 51 folded increase in extractable P in 0-20 cm soil horizon. However, DTPA concentrations of in soil showed that Fe exhibited a significant positive correlation with the concentrations of exchangeable fractions of Mn, Cu, Zn and Pb with the correlation. Positive correlations were also observed between Cu-Mn, Mn-Zn, Mn-Pb, Cu-Zn, Cu-Pb and Zn-Pb concentrations. In the same way, plant uptake of the Mn, Zn and Pb was highly correlated with concentrations of Cu, Zn and Pb in the soil. It was concluded that sewage sludge is a valuable source of nutrient and also provides an opportunity to increase soil organic matter.

Characteristics of heavy metal accumulation on fly ash-and sewage sludge-amended calcific soil

Land disposal of fly ash(FA)and sewage sludge(SS)is a major problem due largely to their potentially harmful constituents.In this paper,a potting experiment was performed to evaluate the effects on the plant growth and to discuss in particular the potential hazard to soils and plants according to the characteristics of heavy metal accumulation and migration when FA and SS are used as the amendments of calcific soil in a limestone mining area. The results showed that the application of FA-SS mixture is capable of accelerating the growth of plants and improving the biomass production at either 1:1 or 1:2 FA-SS mixture:soil(w/w).The highest yields were obtained at 1:1(w/w)mixing ratio.When compared with the Element Background Values of Soils in China,the analysis on heavy metals indicated that the contents of Pb,Cr,Hg,Cd,As,Ni,Cu and Zn in the amended soils came up to the second-class environmental quality standards,only Hg and Cd showed significant accumulation.At the same time, though the metal concentrations in roots were higher than those for the control,the concentrations except Cu,Zn in shoots were lower.And all the heavy metal contents in the plants were substantially lower than the toxicity limits. The results indicated that the combined use of FA and SS at a rational rate of application should pose no danger to both soil and food chain based on the characteristics of the FS and SS,heavy metals and calcific soil.

Effect of Alkali Treatment on Heavy Metals Adsorption Capacity of Sewage Sludge

Sewage sludge is the promising raw material for biosorbent preparation. In this work, we evaluated the heavy metals adsorption characteristics of alkali treated sewage sludge (ATSS) by equilibrium studies. The adsorption isotherms were fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich models. Comparing with untreated sewage sludge, the total adsorption capacity (qm) of ATSS (prepared with 0.125 mol/L NaOH) for Cd, Pb, Ni, increased by 0.51, 0.70 and 0.32 mmol/g, respectively. When the NaOH concentration for ATSS preparation increased from 0.125 mol/L to 0.25 mol/L, the qm of ATSS for Pb decreased from 1.05 mmol/g to 0.84 mmol/g. However, when the NaOH concentration increased from 0.25 mol/L to 7.5 mol/L, it showed increasing trend. According to the IR spectra data, the adsorption effect of biosorbent for heavy metals was mainly due to the complexation of -N-H groups and -COOH groups.

Effect of Heavy Metals on the Growth of Bacteria Isolated from Sewage Sludge Compost Tea

The amount of urban sewage sludge is increasing daily. For this reason, it is necessary to have an environmentally friendly use for this residue. Land applications in olive grove soil, poor quality soil, as a compost or a compost tea could be considered as one of the best options, because it has a high content of organic matter. However, the presence of heavy metals in some sewage sludge could be an environmental problem. In this sense, the aim of this work is to check the tolerance of the culturable microbiota present in sewage sludge compost tea to four heavy metals, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn. Among microbiota isolated, eight strains showed high resistance to Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd, and one microbe (Rhodococcus sp.) showed a special tolerance to every heavy metal. The strains were divided into six genrera: Rhodococcus, Virgibacillus, Leifsoni, Achromobacter, Cupriavidus and Oceanobacillus sp. Finally, Rhodococcus sp. strain 3 was able to remove different amounts of heavy metals from the culture media with intracellular and surface accumulation of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd. The application of this bacterial strain in bioremediation processes is discussed.

Changes of Cu, Zn, and Cd speciation in sewage sludge during composting

The potential toxicity risks from heavy metals depend on their chemical speciation. The four stages of the Tessier sequential extraction method were employed to investigate changes in heavy metal speciation （Cu, Zn, and Cd） of sewage sludge during forced aeration composting, and then to identify whether the composting process would reduce or enhance their toxicities. Throughout the composting process, the exchangeable, carbonate-bound, Fe-Mn oxide-bound, and organic matter-bound fractions of Cu were converted to the residual Cu fraction. The organic matter-bound Cu fraction greatly contributed to this transformation. Residual Zn fraction was transformed to the Fe-Mn oxide-bound and organic matter-bound fractions after composting. The residual Zn fraction was a major contributor to the organic matter-bound Zn fraction. The availability of Cu and Zn was reduced by composting such that the risk of heavy metal toxicity decreased with prolonged treatment times. Additionally, attention should be paid to the increased availability of Cd in sewage sludge after composting treatment.

Plants grown on sewage sludge in South China and its relevance to sludge stabilization and metal removal

The production of sewage sludge in China has been increasing sharply in order to treat 40% of the municipal sewage in 2005 as planned by central government. The main sludge disposal method is landfill owing to heavy metal contamination, but it presents an attractive potential for agricultural land application. Experiments were carried out to study the simultaneous metal removal and sludge stabilization by plants. The sludge samples were collected from Datansha Wastewater Treatment Plant of Guangzhou, it contained excessive Cu and Zn compared with the Chinese National Standard for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge. Plants growing on sludge beds were investigated to follow their growth and metal uptake. 30 sludge plants were identified during 1 year's observation. A Zn high accumulating and high growth rate plant (Alocasia macrorrhiza) was selected and grown on sludge beds in plots. The water, organic matter, heavy metals and nutrients contents, the E. coli number and the cress seed germination index were monitored for the sludge samples collected monthly. The plant growth parameters and its heavy metals contents were also determined. The sewage sludge treated by plants could be stabilized at about 5 months, the E. coli number was significantly decreased and the cress seed germination index attained 100%. Crop on sludge could ameliorate the sludge drying. The experiments are continuing to find out the appropriate plant combination for simultaneous sludge stabilization and metal removal for an acceptable period. Comparisons between the proposed processes and other methods for treating produced sludge such as composting, chemical and bacterial leaching were discussed.

Extractable Fractions of Metals in Sewage Sludges from Five Typical Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants of China

Metal content and bioavailability are often the limiting factors for application of sewage sludge in agricultural fields. Sewage sludge samples were collected from five typical urban wastewater treatment plants in China to investigate their contents and distribution of various chemical fractions of Cu, Zn, Ni, Cr, Pb and Mo by using the BCR （Community Bureau of Reference） sequential extraction procedure. The sludges contained considerable amounts of organic matter （31.8%- 48.0%）, total N （16.3-26.4 g kg^-1） and total P （15.1-23.9 g kg^-1）, indicating high potential agricultural benefits of their practical applications. However, total Zn and Ni contents in the sludge exceeded the values permitted in China＇s control standards for pollutants in sludges from agricultural use （GB 4284-1984）. The residual fraction was the predominant fraction for Mo, Ni and Cr, the oxidizable fraction was the primary fraction for Cu and Pb, and the exchangeable and reducible fractions were principal for Zn. The distribution of different chemical fractions among the sludge samples refiected differences in their physicochemical properties, especially pH. The sludge pH was negatively correlated with the percentages of reducible fraction of Cu and exchangeable fraction of Zn. The sludges from these plants might not be suitable for agricultural applications due to their high contents of Zn, Ni and Cr, as well as high potential of mobility and bioavailability of Zn.

Sewage sludge ditch for recovering heavy metals can improve crop yield and soil environmental quality

The treatment and disposal of municipal sewage sludge(MSS)is an urgent problem to be resolved in many countries.Safely using the nutrients within MSS to increase crop yield and enhance the fertility of poor soil could contribute to achieving sustainable development.An indirect use of MSS in ditches alongside Pennisetum hybridum plants was studied in field plots for 30 months and the contents of heavy metals and macronutrients were monitored in soil,sludge and plant samples.We found that the yield of P.hybridum was significantly increased by 2.39 to 2.80 times and the treated plants had higher N content compared with no sludge.In addition,the organic matter(OM)and N contents in the planted soil increased significantly compared with the initial soil.The OM content in the planted soil of the MSS treatment was 2.9 to 5.2 times higher than that with no sludge,and N increased by 2.0 to 3.8 times.However,MSS had no significant effect on the N,P and K contents in the soil at the bottom of the MSS ditch,and the content of heavy metals(Cd,Pb,Cu and Zn)were also within the safe range.Moreover,the moisture content and phytotoxicity of MSS after this indirect use were reduced and the heavy metal contents changed little,which is favorable to the further disposal of recovered MSS.Therefore,this indirect use of MSS is beneficial to agricultural production,soil quality and environmental sustainability.