Abstract
The use of lignocellulosic residues, originating from sawdust, in composting sewage sludge for organic fertilizer production, is a practice of growing interest. However, few studies have explored the effect of the proportion of sawdust and sewage sludge raw materials on composting performance in the humification process. This study assessed the addition of sawdust in the sewage sludge composting process, regarding carbon content, presence of heavy metals, and humification of the organic compost. The experimental design employed was a randomized complete block design with five treatments featuring different proportions of organic residues to achieve C/N ratios between 30–1 (T1: 100% sewage sludge and 0% sawdust, T2: 86% sewage sludge and 14.0% sawdust, T3: 67% sewage sludge and 33% sawdust, T4: 55% sewage sludge and 45% sawdust, and T5: 46.5% sewage sludge and 53.5% sawdust) and five replications, totaling 25 experimental units. The addition of lignocellulosic residue in sewage sludge composting increased the levels of TOC and the C/N ratio, reduced the levels of pH, P, N, Na, Ba, and Cr, and did not interfere with the levels of K, Ca, Mg, S, CEC, labile carbon, and metals Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb. The increase in the proportion of sawdust residue favored the degradation of aliphatic groups, increasing the presence of aromatic structures and reducing humification at the end of composting. The use of sawdust as a lignocellulosic residue in sewage sludge composting is a viable and efficient alternative to produce high-quality organomineral fertilizers.
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This study was supported by the Research Support Foundation of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Brazil (CAPES), and the National Council for Scientific Development (CNPq).
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Silvana Ferreira Bicalho; Maria Nilfa Almeida Neta and Rodinei Facco Pegoraro: Methodology, Data curation, Formal analysis, Visualization, Writing—original draft. Silvana Ferreira Bicalho; Maria Nilfa Almeida Neta; Leticia Oliveira França; Marcio Neves Rodrigues; Lucas Barbosa Viana, Aline Martins Ferreira Barroso: Material preparation, Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervision, Writing—original draft. Silvana Ferreira Bicalho; Rodinei Facco Pegoraro, Robério Rodrigues Silva, Regynaldo Arruda Sampaio and Leandro Soares Santos: Conceptualization, Investigation, Supervision, Resources. Validation, Writing—review & editing. Silvana Ferreira Bicalho and Rodinei Facco Pegoraro: Investigation, Supervision, Review, Editing.
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Bicalho, S.F., Pegoraro, R.F., Almeida Neta, M.N. et al. Biochemical changes, metal content, and spectroscopic analysis in sewage sludge composted with lignocellulosic residue using FTIR-MIR and FTIR-NIR. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33652-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33652-9