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Leaching characteristics and phytotoxic effects of sewage sludge biochar

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Abstract

Biochar was prepared via the pyrolysis of sewage sludge at temperatures ranging from 300 to 900 °C and the physical–chemical compositions of the biochars obtained were analyzed. Leaching tests were conducted using the biochars to investigate the release of the constituents and their phytotoxic effects on wheat (Triticum aestivum) seeds in a germination test. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the contributions of the constituents to the germination index (GI). The results showed that the biochars were rich in micronutrient contents and they improved the germination of wheat. The heavy metal contents were higher in the biochars than the sewage sludge and their levels increased with the pyrolysis temperature, but they were within the acceptable limits for land application, thereby suggesting that sewage sludge is suitable for use as a biochar substrate. The different components of the biochar leachates could promote and inhibit the germination of wheat seeds, where the GI was promoted at lower concentrations but inhibited at higher concentrations. Our results suggest that biochar is an effective and environmentally friendly fixative for the immobilization of heavy metals in sewage sludge when applied to land or disposed of in landfill, but its ecotoxicity needs to be assessed to ensure its environmental safety.

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Acknowledgements

The financial supports from the Major Science and Technology Program for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (No. 2017ZX07202005), the National Social Science Fund of China (No. 12&ZD236), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Khamphe Phoungthong, Hua Zhang, Li-Ming Shao & Pin-Jing He

  2. Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, 90112, Thailand

    Khamphe Phoungthong

  3. Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Khamphe Phoungthong

  4. Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Hua Zhang & Li-Ming Shao

  5. Centre for the Technology Research and Training on Household Waste in Small Towns and Rural Area, Ministry of Housing and Urban–Rural Development of PR China (MOHURD), Shanghai, 200092, People’s Republic of China

    Pin-Jing He

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  1. Khamphe Phoungthong
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Correspondence to Pin-Jing He.

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Phoungthong, K., Zhang, H., Shao, LM. et al. Leaching characteristics and phytotoxic effects of sewage sludge biochar. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 20, 2089–2099 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-018-0763-0

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