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Tan Y, Cao X, Chen S, Ao X, Li J, Hu K, Liu S, Penttinen P, Yang Y, Yu X, Liu A, Liu C, Zhao K, Zou L. Antibiotic and heavy metal resistance genes in sewage sludge survive during aerobic composting. Sci Total Environ 2023; 866:161386. [PMID: 36608829 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Municipal sewage sludge has been generated in increasing amounts with the acceleration of urbanization and economic development. The nutrient rich sewage sludge can be recycled by composting that has a great potential to produce stabilized organic fertilizer and substrate for plant cultivation. However, little is known about the metals, pathogens and antibiotic resistance transfer risks involved in applying the composted sludge in agriculture. We studied changes in and relationships between heavy metal contents, microbial communities, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), heavy metal resistance genes (HMRGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) in aerobic composting of sewage sludge. The contents of most of the analyzed heavy metals were not lower after composting. The bacterial α-diversity was lower, and the community composition was different after composting. Firmicutes were enriched, and Proteobacteria and potential pathogens in the genera Arcobacter and Acinetobacter were depleted in the composted sludge. The differences in bacteria were possibly due to the high temperature phase during the composting which was likely to affect temperature-sensitive bacteria. The number of detected ARGs, HMRGs and MGEs was lower, and the relative abundances of several resistance genes were lower after composting. However, the abundance of seven ARGs and six HMRGs remained on the same level after composting. Co-occurrence analysis of bacterial taxa and the genes suggested that the ARGs may spread via horizontal gene transfer during composting. In summary, even though aerobic composting is effective for managing sewage sludge and to decrease the relative abundance of potential pathogens, ARGs and HMRGs, it might include a potential risk for the dissemination of ARGs in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulan Tan
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Xuedi Cao
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Shujuan Chen
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Xiaoling Ao
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Jianlong Li
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Kaidi Hu
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Shuliang Liu
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Petri Penttinen
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Yong Yang
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Xiumei Yu
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Aiping Liu
- College of Food Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, Sichuan 625014, China
| | - Chengxi Liu
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Ke Zhao
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Likou Zou
- College of Resource, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China.
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Yu H, Xiao H, Cui Y, Liu Y, Tan W. High nitrogen addition after the application of sewage sludge compost decreased the bioavailability of heavy metals in soil. Environ Res 2022; 215:114351. [PMID: 36116488 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen (N) fertilizer is highly significant in agricultural production, but long-term N addition causes changes in quality indicators, such as soil organic matter (SOM), thus affecting the absorption and accumulation of organic pollutants. Therefore, paying more attention to organic fertilizers in the development of green agriculture is necessary. However, the accumulation of heavy metals (HMs) contained in organic fertilizers (especially sewage sludge compost (SSC)) in the soil can cause environmental contamination, but how this cumulative reaction changes with the long-term N addition remains unclear. Here the SSC impact on the bioavailability of five typical HMs (cadmium-Cd, chromium-Cr, copper-Cu, lead-Pb and arsenic-As) in the soil-plant system before and after SSC application was demonstrated through a field study in soils with different application rates of 0, 100 and 300 kg N ha-1yr-1, respectively. Our results showed that SSC application increased the concentration of most HMs in soil profiles and plant systems (wheat roots and grains), but the accumulation rate of HMs and most bioaccumulation values (BAC-bioaccumulation coefficient and BCF-bioconcentration factor) in plant systems were both lower in high-N addition soil than that in the low-N group. Moreover, speciation distribution results further indicated that SSC application increased the LB (liable available form, including F1-water soluble, F2-ion exchangeable, and F3-bound to carbonates) form of HMs and decreased the PB (potentially available form, including F4-humic acids and F6-fraction bound to organic matter) form of HMs in high-N addition soil, respectively. Those results suggested that HM bioavailability in high-N addition soil was lower than that in low-N addition soil when applied with SSC. Overall, this study found that increasing soil N content can inhibit the bioavailability of HMs when applying SSC, providing suggestions for optimizing the trialability and risk assessment of SSC application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanxia Yu
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China; State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, And State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China
| | - Haoyan Xiao
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Yili Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, And State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China; College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Yanji Liu
- School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350007, China
| | - Wenbing Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, And State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
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Zhao Y, Li W, Chen L, Zhou Y, Meng L, Zhang S. Isolation and application of a thermotolerant nitrifying bacterium Gordonia paraffinivorans N52 in sewage sludge composting for reducing nitrogen loss. Bioresour Technol 2022; 363:127959. [PMID: 36113817 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
A thermotolerant strain with heterotrophic nitrification capability obtained from sludge composting was identified as Gordonia paraffinivorans N52. Strain N52 utilized 51.8% of ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) at 60℃, and the nitrogen balance results indicated that 25.5% of the consumed NH4+-N was changed into nitrification intermediates, 53.0% to intracellular nitrogen, and only 5.2% was lost. The successful detection of enzymes related to nitrification and PCR amplification of functional genes further demonstrated nitrification ability of the isolated strain. Moreover, orthogonal test indicated that conditions for the optimal nitrification performance were C/N 15, 50℃, 150 rpm and pH 8. Compared with the control group, the addition of Gordonia paraffinivorans N52 to sewage sludge composting reduced 27.6% of ammonia emissions, accelerated the conversion from NH4+-N to nitrate nitrogen and decreased the total nitrogen loss. These results suggested that inoculation of Gordonia paraffinivorans N52 effectively controlled ammonia emissions and reduced nitrogen loss in composting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhao
- School of Environmental, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Weiguang Li
- School of Environmental, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
| | - Li Chen
- School of Environmental, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Yujie Zhou
- School of Environmental, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Liqiang Meng
- Institute of Microbiology, Heilongjiang Academy of Science, Harbin 150010, China
| | - Shumei Zhang
- Institute of Microbiology, Heilongjiang Academy of Science, Harbin 150010, China
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Chen L, Li W, Zhao Y, Zhou Y, Zhang S, Meng L. Isolation and application of a mixotrophic sulfide-oxidizing Cohnella thermotolerans LYH-2 strain to sewage sludge composting for hydrogen sulfide odor control. Bioresour Technol 2022; 345:126557. [PMID: 34906701 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the influences of sulfide oxidizing bacteria on H2S odor control in sewage sludge composting, a facultative chemolithotroph strain was isolated and identified as Cohnella thermotolerans LYH-2. Strain LYH-2 decreased the initially added sulfide by 94.6% when glucose and NH4Cl were used as the optimal energy substrates. The biotransformation of sulfide substrates followed first-order reaction kinetics, and the highest degradation rate constant (0.0537 h-1) and bacterial dry weight (0.745 g/L) were obtained at 300 mg/L of initial sulfide. The C. thermotolerans strain was inoculated as the bacterial agent into the sewage sludge and rice husk composting in forced ventilation composting reactors for 25 d; the bacterial inoculation prolonged the thermophilic period by 2 d, decreased 35.4% of H2S odor emission, and accelerated the composting process compared to the control group. The results demonstrated that C. thermotolerans inoculants effectively controlled H2S emission and promoted maturity in sewage sludge composting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Chen
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Weiguang Li
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
| | - Yi Zhao
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Yujie Zhou
- School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Shumei Zhang
- Institute of Microbiology, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150010, PR China
| | - Liqiang Meng
- Institute of Microbiology, Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences, Harbin 150010, PR China
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Ai YJ, Li FP, Gu HH, Chi XJ, Yuan XT, Han DY. Combined effects of green manure returning and addition of sewage sludge compost on plant growth and microorganism communities in gold tailings. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020; 27:31686-31698. [PMID: 32500491 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-09118-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Remediation of gold tailings is often difficult due to their extremely barren nature and highly heavy metal concentrations. Returning green manure and applying sewage sludge compost have the beneficial effects of providing nutrients and improving the soil environment. The effects of green manure plants, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), ryegrass (Lolium perenne Linn.), and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea), returning in situ on nutrients, bioavailability of trace metals, and community structure of microorganism in gold tailings amended with 0%, 5%, and 10% (weight/weight) sewage sludge compost on the top 4 cm of tailings (SSC-5, SSC-10) were investigated in a pot experiment. The results showed that the plant biomass and microbial biomass carbon in tailings significantly increased in the treatments with sewage sludge compost. The available N and available P and the availability of Zn decreased markedly with the returning of alfalfa and ryegrass. Moreover, through high-throughput sequencing, it was found that the returning of alfalfa had positive effects on the bacterial community richness but a negative impact on the fungal community richness. The microbial community diversity was reduced in the treatment without sewage sludge compost amendment and with alfalfa returning. However, the microbial community diversity was enriched in the treatment of alfalfa returning with sewage sludge compost. In each plant species, 9 dominant bacterial phyla and 10 dominant fungi phyla could be detected. Returning alfalfa green manure and applying sewage sludge compost led to a relative increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria and Ascomycota. These results demonstrated that returning alfalfa and applying sewage sludge compost could be effective in the ecological restoration of gold tailings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan-Jun Ai
- College of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China
| | - Fu-Ping Li
- College of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Mining Development and Security Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China
- Hebei Industrial Technology Institute of Mine Ecological Remediation, Tangshan, 063210, China
| | - Hai-Hong Gu
- College of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China.
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Mining Development and Security Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China.
- Hebei Industrial Technology Institute of Mine Ecological Remediation, Tangshan, 063210, China.
| | - Xiao-Jie Chi
- College of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China
| | - Xue-Tao Yuan
- College of Mining Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, 063210, China
| | - Dong-Yun Han
- Hebei Industrial Technology Institute of Mine Ecological Remediation, Tangshan, 063210, China
- College of Chemical Engineering, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, China
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Qi G, Jia Y, Liu W, Wei Y, Du B, Fang W, Guo Y, Guo F, Wu Y, Zou Q, Liu J. Leaching behavior and potential ecological risk of heavy metals in Southwestern China soils applied with sewage sludge compost under acid precipitation based on lysimeter trials. Chemosphere 2020; 249:126212. [PMID: 32088459 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The ecological risk of heavy metals (HM) resulting from the use of sewage sludge compost (SSC) as an amendment to flower garden soil (FGS) and to abandoned phosphate mine soil (APMS) influenced by acid rain were simulated in lysimeter trials and the potential ecological risk index (PERI) was evaluated with minor modifications. The use of SSC indeed increased the mobility and release of HMs in FGS and APMS under conditions of acid rain. The leaching dynamics of HMs was found to be influenced by Fe/Al oxides and organic matter (OM) in the soil. The application of SSC as a fertilizer to barren APMS dramatically decreased the mobility of Cr, Cu and Pb by 51-56% due to their retention by particulate organic matter, while the leaching of As, Cd and Ni was increased as the result of competition with OM for available Fe/Al oxides (As) and proton-metal exchange reactions that occurred in HM-OM complexes (Cd and Ni). The ecological risk of FGS and APMS resulting from HM migration was actually low (PERI = 0.07-0.12), but the increased potential ecological risk resulting from the use of SSC were estimated to be moderate (a 16.0-33.5% increase in PERI for SSC-amended FGS) or high (a 140% increase in PERI for SSC-amended APMS). Ni, Cd and Cu were identified as the three main HMs responsible for increasing the ecological risk in soil which was mainly composed of fine-grained particles, whereas Cd and As were key ecological risks HMs in soil that was mainly composed of coarse-grained particles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangxia Qi
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Yufeng Jia
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wenjie Liu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yonghong Wei
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Bin Du
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Wen Fang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210023, China
| | - Yumei Guo
- Kunming Dianchi Water Treatment Co., Ltd, Kunming, 650228, China
| | - Fang Guo
- Kunming Dianchi Water Treatment Co., Ltd, Kunming, 650228, China
| | - Yihui Wu
- Kunming Dianchi Water Treatment Co., Ltd, Kunming, 650228, China
| | - Qiong Zou
- Yunnan Research Academy of Eco-environmental Sciences, Kunming, 650034, China
| | - Jianguo Liu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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Du J, Zhang Y, Hu B, Qv M, Ma C, Wei M, Zhang H. Insight into the potentiality of big biochar particle as an amendment in aerobic composting of sewage sludge. Bioresour Technol 2019; 288:121469. [PMID: 31129519 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2019.121469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To assess the potential of big biochar as composting amendment, the study was performed on aerobic composting of sewage sludge amended with litchi wood biochar (10% of fresh mixture weight, 20-40 mm) in a 400 L bioreactor system. Physicochemical properties and microbial activities were monitored during the first fermentation process of aerobic compost. Application of big biochar reduced peak temperature and shortened thermophilic phase, but increased the activities of aryl-sulfatase, β-glucosidase, and dehydrogenase, which led to higher removal efficiency of total carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur. Big biochar inhibited degradation of organic matters in composting. Therefore, a comprehensive assessment including physicochemical and microbial properties can help to better understand the effect of big biochar on sewage sludge composting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Du
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yuyan Zhang
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Bin Hu
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mingxiang Qv
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Chuang Ma
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Mingbao Wei
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Hongzhong Zhang
- School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China; Henan Collaborative Innovation Center of Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Restoration, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou, China.
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Fang W, Qi G, Wei Y, Kosson DS, van der Sloot HA, Liu J. Leaching characteristic of toxic trace elements in soils amended by sewage sludge compost: A comparison of field and laboratory investigations. Environ Pollut 2018; 237:244-252. [PMID: 29486458 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2018.02.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 02/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A 3-years field test and laboratory leaching test have been conducted to assess the environmental impact of land application of sewage sludge compost in conjunction with wheat and rice crops. Considering the complexity and variability of field conditions, we compared the result of laboratory test with the field test to understand the accuracy and uncertainty associated with using the laboratory test to evaluate the field scenario. The laboratory test with cycling of compost additions and water percolation was a high time-efficient and feasible method to simulate the annually repeated additions of compost in the field application scenario. The results of laboratory test were congruent to the 3-years field test regarding the leaching characteristics and geochemical speciation of toxic trace elements. Both the laboratory and the field test showed that repeated additions of compost to soils can increase leaching concentrations of toxic trace elements at neutral to alkaline pH. Increased toxic trace elements leaching was caused by the increase of organic matter from compost application and organic matter dissolution at alkaline pH. Uncertainties of the laboratory test mainly included the negligibility of crop growth and the strongly reducing condition formed with continuous percolation procedure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Fang
- Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Guangxia Qi
- School of Food and Chemical Engineering, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Yonghong Wei
- Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China
| | - David S Kosson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Jianguo Liu
- Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China.
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Fang W, Delapp RC, Kosson DS, van der Sloot HA, Liu J. Release of heavy metals during long-term land application of sewage sludge compost: Percolation leaching tests with repeated additions of compost. Chemosphere 2017; 169:271-280. [PMID: 27880926 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.11.086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2016] [Revised: 11/02/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Leaching assessment procedures have been used to determine the leachability of heavy metals as input for evaluating the risk from sewage sludge compost land application. However, relatively little attention has been paid to understanding leaching from soils with repeated application of sewage sludge compost with elevated levels of heavy metals. In this paper, leaching assessment is extended to evaluate the potential leaching of heavy metals during repetitive application of composted sewage sludge to soils. Four cycling of compost additions and percolation leaching were conducted to investigate how leaching behavior of heavy metals changed with repeated additions of compost. Results showed that repetitive additions of compost to soil significantly increased the content of organic matter, which favored the formation of reducing condition due to improved microbial activities and oxygen consumption. Establishment of reducing conditions can enhance the leaching concentrations of As by approximately 1 order of magnitude, especially for the soil rich in organic matter. For Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb, repeated additions of compost will cause accumulation in total contents but not enhancement in leaching concentrations. The infiltration following compost additions will leach out the mobile fraction and the residual fraction might not release in the next cycling of compost addition and infiltration. The cumulative release of Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb accounted for less than 5% of the total contents during four times of compost applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen Fang
- Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Rossane C Delapp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - David S Kosson
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
| | | | - Jianguo Liu
- Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Management and Environment Safety, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, PR China.
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