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Emerging Organic Contaminants in Sludges pp 113–136Cite as

Biodegradation of Emerging Organic Contaminants by Composting

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Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 24))

Abstract

Sewage sludge is a rich source of organic matter and nutrients, which can be utilized for soil improvement and plant growth. The utilization of sewage sludge for plant growth and conversion of sludge into renewable resource is often restricted by the presence of hazardous organic matter (HOM) including di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and antibiotics. HOM enters the sewerage system through various domestic and industrial sources; they are mostly hydrophobic in nature and recalcitrant to microorganisms. HOM has the tendency to accumulate in the sludge during biological wastewater treatment processes and, subsequently, raise the difficulty of further sludge treatment and/or disposal. The application of sewage sludge containing HOM can create risk to ecosystems. The stability and biodegradation of DEHP and antibiotics during composting are discussed in this chapter. Finally, the recent advances in the bioremoval of these HOM are briefly summarized.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Calicut, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673601, India

    Mathava Kumar

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  1. Mathava Kumar
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Correspondence to Mathava Kumar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Chemical Engineering Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, N/A, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain

    Teresa Vicent

  2. , Grupo de biocatalisis Aplicada y biodegr, IQAC-CSIC, C/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Glòria Caminal

  3. Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Ethel Eljarrat

  4. , Department of Environmental Chemistry, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, Barcelona, 08034, Spain

    Damià Barceló

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Kumar, M. (2012). Biodegradation of Emerging Organic Contaminants by Composting. In: Vicent, T., Caminal, G., Eljarrat, E., Barceló, D. (eds) Emerging Organic Contaminants in Sludges. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 24. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2012_153

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