Fate and Ecological Risk Assessment of Nutrients and Metals in Sewage Sludge from Ten Wastewater Treatment Plants in Wuxi City, China

The concentrations of nutrients (total nitrogen, total phosphorus and organic matter) and metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, As and Hg) in sewage sludge samples were determined to evaluate the level of contamination. Sewage sludge samples were collected from ten wastewater treatment plants from 2016 to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of environmental contamination and toxicology 2019-02, Vol.102 (2), p.259-267
Main Authors: Li, Ji, Luo, Guobing, Xu, Jing
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Aquatic Pollution
Bioaccumulation
Cadmium
Chromium
Contamination
Copper
Earth and Environmental Science
Ecological risk assessment
Ecotoxicology
Environment
Environmental assessment
Environmental Chemistry
Environmental Health
Fertility
Lead
Legislation
Mercury
Mercury (metal)
Metal concentrations
Metals
Multivariate statistical analysis
Nickel
Nutrients
Organic matter
Organic phosphorus
Phosphorus
Pollution
Pollution index
Pollution sources
Risk assessment
Sewage disposal
Sewage sludge
Sewage treatment
Sludge
Soil Science & Conservation
Statistical analysis
Statistical methods
Toxicity
Treated sewage
Waste Water Technology
Wastewater treatment
Wastewater treatment plants
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water treatment
Zinc
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Summary:The concentrations of nutrients (total nitrogen, total phosphorus and organic matter) and metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Cd, Cr, As and Hg) in sewage sludge samples were determined to evaluate the level of contamination. Sewage sludge samples were collected from ten wastewater treatment plants from 2016 to 2018 in Wuxi city, China. All the studied sewage sludge samples displayed high fertility properties due to their richness. Total concentrations of metals in the sewage sludge samples were within the regulation of the Chinese legislation. The levels of the eight metals temporally varied. Sewage sludge pollution assessment was undertaken using pollution index, geo-accumulation index, potential ecological risk index and aggregative toxicity index. Multivariate statistical analysis indicated that Pb, Cr, As and Hg may have similar transport behavior and derive from anthropogenic sources. Ecological risk assessment revealed that Hg contamination is the major concern for human health, since the treated sewage sludge is used for agricultural purposes.
ISSN:0007-4861
1432-0800
DOI:10.1007/s00128-018-2525-z