Abstract
Preserving sewage sludge’s N is important for its agronomic use and this could possibly be achieved by treating sludge with certain clay minerals. Nine clay minerals and additionally Ca(OH)2 were added to dewatered sewage sludge at 0–30 % rates (wet weight basis) (treatments). After 70 days of equilibration, all mixtures were analyzed for certain properties and the mineral-sludge mixtures which showed the highest microbial load reduction were further assayed, along with the limed and untreated sludge. From all minerals’ treatments, the fecal indicators of sludge treated with 30% of two bentonites, attapulgite, saponite–attapulgite, and zeolite decreased considerably compared to the control. These treatments were performed also well regarding sludge’s retention capacity of available inorganic N, with the attapulgite and zeolite treatments containing the significantly highest amounts of NO3–N and NH4–N, respectively. For the water-soluble inorganic N, similar results were obtained for the zeolite treatment, whereas the treatments with the two bentonites had the significantly highest NO3–N content. Also, considerable amounts of water-soluble P were obtained in all cases of the treated sludge with minerals. Limed sludge had the lowest content of the water-soluble inorganic N and P. As far as the micronutrients are concerned, only Zn and B were detectable in the water-soluble fraction of all five minerals’ treatments. The heavy metals, which regulate sludge’s agronomic use, were far below the respective permissible limits and lower than the untreated sludge, except for Ni and Cr in the attapulgite and saponite–attapulgite treatments. In conclusion, certain clay minerals, i.e., bentonite, attapulgite, mixed clay of saponite and attapulgite, and zeolite, seem promising materials for the stabilization of sewage sludge in the perspective of using them as a fertilizer. In addition, they seem to have higher fertilizing value than limed sludge. However, environmental (in respect of Ni and Cr) and agricultural (in respect of Zn and B) impacts must be considered.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arthourson V (2008) Proper sanitization of sewage sludge: a critical issue for a sustainable society. Appl Environ Microbiol 74:5267–5275
Awasthi MK, Wang Q, Awasthi SK, Li R, Zhao J, Ren X, Wang M, Chen H, Zhang Z (2018) Feasibility of medical stone amendment for sewage sludge co-composting and production of nutrient-rich compost. J Environ Manag 216:49–61
Boettinger JL, Ming DW (2002) Zeolites. In: Dixon JB, Schulze DG (eds) Soil mineralogy with environmental applications, SSSA Book Series 7. SSSA, Madison, pp 585–610
Bourioug M, Krouna M, Abouabdillah A, Harraq A, Bouabid R, Aleya L (2018) Sewage sludge used as organic manure in Moroccan sunflower culture: Effects on certain soil properties, growth and yield components. Sci Total Environ 627:681–688
Bożym M, Siemiątkowski G (2018) Characterization of composted sewage sludge during the maturation process: a pilot scale study. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:34332–34,342
Brady NC, Weil RR (2008) The nature and properties of soils, 14th edn. Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River
Bremner JM (1996) Nitrogen - total. In: Sparks DL (ed) Methods of soil analysis - Part 3 - Chemical methods, SSSA Book Series 5. SSSA, ASA, Madison, pp 1085–1121
Camargo FP, Tonell PS, Dos Santos ACA, Duarte ICS (2016) Removal of toxic metals from sewage sludge. Water Air Soil Pollut 227:433
Carrington EG (2001) Evaluation of sludge treatments for pathogen reduction – Final report. European Commission. Report No 5026/1, September, 2001.
Council Directive (1986) On the protection of the environment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture 86/278/EEC, 12 June, 1986
De Gioannis G, Muntoni A (2007) Dynamic transformations of nitrogen during mechanical-biological pre-treatment of municipal solid waste. Waste Manag 27:1479–1485
European Commission (2000) Working document on sludge. 3rd draft. ENV.E.3/LM, 27 April, 2000
Filippidis A, Tziritis E, Kantiranis N, Tzamos E, Gamaletsos P, Papastergios G, Filippidis S (2016) Application of hellenic natural zeolite in Thessaloniki industrial area wastewater treatment. Desalin Water Treat 57:19702–19,712
Fytili D, Zabaniotou A (2008) Utilization of sewage sludge in EU application of old. Renew Sust Energ Rev 12:116–140
Galan E (1996) Properties and applications of palygorskite-sapiolite clays. Clay Miner 31:443–453
Guo M, Song W, Kazda R (2012) Fertilizer value of lime-stabilized biosolids as a soil amendment. Agron J 104:1679–1686
Inglezakis VJ, Zorpas AA, Karagiannidis A, Samaras P, Voukkali I, Sklari S (2014) European union legislation on sewage sludge management. Fresenius Environ Bull 23:635–639
ISO 11466 (1995) Soil quality - Extraction of trace elements soluble in aqua regia
ISO 4831 (2006) Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of coliforms - most probable number technique. third ed
ISO 6579 (2002) Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - horizontal method for the detection of Salmonella spp. fourth ed
ISO 7251 (2005) Microbiology of food and animal feeding stuffs - horizontal method for the detection and enumeration of presumptive Escherichia coli - most probable number technique. third ed
Kelessidis A, Stasinakis A (2012) Comparative study of the methods used for treatment and final disposal of sewage sludge in European countries. Waste Manag 32:1186–1195
Keren R (1996) Boron. In: Sparks DL (ed) Methods of soil analysis - Part 3 - chemical methods, SSSA Book Series 5. SSSA, ASA, Madison, pp 603–626
Kosobucki P, Kruk M, Buszewski B (2008) Immobilization of selected heavy metals in sewage sludge by natural zeolites. Bioresour Technol 99:5972–5976
Kuo S (1996) Phosphorus. In: Sparks DL (ed) Methods of soil analysis - Part 3 - chemical methods, SSSA Book Series 5. SSSA, ASA, Madison, pp 869–919
Li M, Tang Y, Lu XY, Zhang Z, Cao Y (2018) Phosphorus speciation in sewage sludge and the sludge-derived biochar by a combination of experimental methods and theoretical simulation. Water Res 141:90–99
Liu H, Luo GQ, Hu HY, Zhang Q, Yang JK, Yao H (2012) Emission characteristics of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing odorous compounds during different sewage sludge chemical conditioning processes. J Hazard Mater 235-236:298–306
MD 80568/4225/91 (1991). Greek legislation for the agronomic use of sewage sludge (in greek)
Mills HA, Benton-Jones J Jr (1996) Plant analysis handbook II. Micro-Macro Publishing, Georgia, Athens.
Ming DW, Dixon JB (1987) Quantitative determination of clinoptilolite in soils by a cation-exchange capacity method. Clay Clay Miner 35:463–468
Mininni G, Blanch AR, Lucena F, Berselli S (2015) EU policy on sewage sludge utilization and perspectives on new approaches of sludge management. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22:7361–7374
Mulvaney RL (1996) Nitrogen - Inorganic forms. In: Sparks DL (ed) Methods of soil analysis - Part 3 - Chemical methods, SSSA Book Series, vol 5. SSSA, ASA, Madison, pp 1123–1184
Murtaza G, Haynes RJ, Naidu R (2011) Natural attenuation of Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd in three biosolids-amended soils of contrasting pH measured using rhizon pore water samplers. Water Air Soil Pollut 221:351–363
Pascual I, Aviles M, Aguirreolea J, Sanchez-Diaz M (2008) Effect of sanitized and non-sanitized sewage sludge on soil microbial community and the physiology of pepper plants. Plant Soil 310:41–53
Reid-Soukup DA, Ulery AL (2002) Smectites. In: Dixon JB, Schulze DG (eds) Soil mineralogy with environmental applications, SSSA Book Series 7. SSSA, Madison, pp 467–499
Samaras V, Tsadilas CD, Stamatiadis S (2008) Effects of repeated application of municipal sewage sludge on soil fertility, cotton yield, and nitrate leaching. Agron J 100:477–483
Shaheen SM, Shams MS, Ibrahim SM, Elbehiry FA, Antoniadis V, Hooda PS (2014) Stabilization of sewage sludge by using various by-products: effects on soil properties, biomass production, and bioavailability of copper and zinc. Water Air Soil Pollut 225:2014
Sharma B, Sarkar A, Singh P, Sigh RP (2017) Agricultural utilization of biosolids: a review on potential effects on soil and plant grown. Waste Manag 64:117–132
Singer A (2002) Palygorskite and sepiolite. In: Dixon JB, Schulze DG (eds) Soil mineralogy with environmental applications, SSSA Book Series 7. SSSA, Madison, pp 555–583
Singh RP, Agrawal M (2008) Potential benefits and risks of land application of sewage sludge. Waste Manag 28:347–358
Singh RP, Singh P, Ibrahim MH, Hashim R (2011) Land application of sewage sludge: physicochemical and microbial response. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 241:41–61
Sprynskyy M, Kosobucki P, Kowalkowski T, Buszewski B (2007) Influence of clinoptilolite rock on chemical speciation of selected heavy metals in sewage sludge. J Hazard Mater 149:310–316
Stylianou MA, Inglezakis VJ, Moustakas KG, Loizidou MD (2008) Improvement of the quality of sewage sludge compost by adding natural clinoptilolite. Desalination 224:240–249
Thomas GW (1982) Exchangeable cations. In: Page AL et al (eds) Methods of soil analysis - Part 2 - chemical and microbiological properties, Agronomy 9, 2nd edn. ASA, SSSA, Madison, pp 159–165
U.S. EPA (1994) A Plain English guide to the EPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule. EPA/832/R-93/003, September, 1994
Villaseñor J, Rodríguez L, Fernández FJ (2011) Composting domestic sewage sludge with natural zeolites in a rotary drum reactor. Bioresour Technol 102:1447–1454
Wong JWC, Li SWY, Wong MH (1995) Coal fly ash as a composting material for sewage sludge: effects on microbial activities. Environ Technol 16:527–537
Zorpas A, Constantinides T, Vlyssides A, Haralambous I, Loizidou M (2000) Heavy metal uptake by natural zeolite and metals partitioning in sewage sludge compost. Bioresour Technol 72:113–119
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Ta Yeong Wu
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Samara, E., Matsi, T., Zdragas, A. et al. Use of clay minerals for sewage sludge stabilization and a preliminary assessment of the treated sludge’s fertilization capacity . Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 35387–35398 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05132-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-05132-y