Abstract
In order to fully understand the morphological characteristics and pollution status of heavy metals in the dewatered sludge of Huainan Municipal sewage treatment plant, the physical and chemical properties were analyzed, and the content and occurrence forms of heavy metals (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni) in the sludge were studied using the geological accumulation method (Igeo), risk assessment coding method (RAC), and potential ecological risk index method to evaluate the ecological risk. The results showed that the municipal sludge in Huainan was rich in nutrients, with good prospects for agricultural utilization. There were differences in the morphological distributions of different heavy metals. The Igeo values for Ni, As, Cr, and Pb were below 0. The results of RAC indicated that the risk level of Cr in sludge was a low risk, and those of other heavy metals were moderate risks. The potential ecological risk of Cd had the highest potential ecological risk, and the other six metals were of low ecological risk. This conclusion can provide basic data and a theoretical reference for the comprehensive utilization of sludge in sewage treatment plants.
Highlights
With the rapid development of economy and the advancement of urbanization, the discharge of urban domestic sewage is increasing, the sewage treatment capacity increases [1]
Four representative and well operated urban sewage treatment plants in Huainan were selected for investigation and sampling, the nutrient characteristics and heavy metal pollution status of municipal dewatered sludge in Huainan were analyzed, and the occurrence characteristics of heavy metals in sludge were measured using the Tessier sequential extraction method
The contamination degree and risk of heavy metals were evaluated with the aid of the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and the risk assessment code (RAC) and potential ecological risk index (RI) were used to evaluate the potential harm of seven heavy metals in sludge to the ecological environment in Huainan City, which will provide a scientific basis for the resource disposal of sludge in Huainan City
Summary
With the rapid development of economy and the advancement of urbanization, the discharge of urban domestic sewage is increasing, the sewage treatment capacity increases [1]. The heavy metals in sludge will exist in the environment for a long time and accumulate continuously after entering the soil, resulting in certain potential ecological and health risks [10,11,12,13]. Continuous extraction is an important method to study the occurrence state of heavy metals, which is of great significance to the assessment of soil environmental risk. Four representative and well operated urban sewage treatment plants in Huainan were selected for investigation and sampling, the nutrient characteristics and heavy metal pollution status of municipal dewatered sludge in Huainan were analyzed, and the occurrence characteristics of heavy metals in sludge were measured using the Tessier sequential extraction method. The contamination degree and risk of heavy metals were evaluated with the aid of the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), and the risk assessment code (RAC) and potential ecological risk index (RI) were used to evaluate the potential harm of seven heavy metals in sludge to the ecological environment in Huainan City, which will provide a scientific basis for the resource disposal of sludge in Huainan City
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