Abstract
Phytoremediation is a viable strategy to remove trace metal contaminants from sewage sludge but still is poorly investigated. The aim of this study was to quantify the trace metal removal of B. napus, B. juncea, H. annuus, Z. mays grown on pure sewage sludge. Each species was grown on six different sewage sludge for 8 weeks and sludge were analysed for trace metal content and physico-chemical characteristics. Our results confirmed that all the tested sludge supported plant growth. The tested sludge showed a plant vigorousness lower (46% of sludge) or similar/increased (54% of sludge) compared to control treatment. B. juncea and B. napus were the most efficient species in the bioaccumulation, of trace metals. The average percentage of metals removed by the selected species was 0.2% for As, 0.85% for Cd, 0.09% for Cr, 0.36% for Cu, 0.36% for Ni, 4.2% for Se, 1.2% for Zn. In conclusion, our results showed that phytoremediation can be applied to sewage sludge, despite the chosen species have low efficiency in trace element removal. Further studies using hyperaccumulator species are needed which may lead to a higher efficiency of the process opening up new possibilities for the management strategies of this waste.
Highlights
Sewage sludge (SS) is a solid or semi-solid residue of the wastewater treatment process, consisting of sand, organic solids, and bacterial biomass, together with organic and inorganic pollutants [1]
Total organic carbon (TOC), N and P percentages ranged between 28–33%, 4.9–6.2%, and 2.2–2.7%, respectively
The physico-chemical properties of the analysed sludges were in line with the values reported by Cerne et al [37], who found 36% total organic carbon (TOC), 5.7% N and 2.6% P in municipal sludge samples collected in Croatia in several wastewater treatment plant (WWTP)
Summary
Sewage sludge (SS) is a solid or semi-solid residue of the wastewater treatment process, consisting of sand, organic solids, and bacterial biomass, together with organic and inorganic pollutants [1]. SS is highly enriched in organic matter (up to 50–70% dry weight, dw) and is characterized by significant amounts of N and P (around 3% and 2% dw, respectively), and micronutrients for plant growth (e.g., Cu and Zn) [2]. It can contain hazardous contaminants, such as organic pollutants (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, pharmaceuticals) [3], animal pathogens (e.g., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium spp.), plant pathogens (Xanthomonas spp., Agrobacterium spp.) and trace metals [4]. A main obstacle to this disposal strategy can be the presence of high concentrations of hazardous contaminants in some sludge [11]
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