Identification of the Chemical Forms of Heavy Metals in Municipal Sewage Sludge as a Critical Element of Ecological Risk Assessment in Terms of Its Agricultural or Natural Use
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15467782 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Malwina Tytła (0000-0003-3059-4471, Institute of Environmental Engineering, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 13 |
| Pages | 4640-4640 |
| Publication date | 2020-06-28 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph17134640 |
| PMID | 32605165 |
| OpenAlex | W3037926353 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 28 |
The present study aimed to demonstrate that identification of the chemical forms of heavy metals in sewage sludge produced in municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) is a critical element of ecological risk assessment, especially in terms of its agricultural or natural use. The concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Hg) were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical spectrometry (ICP-OES) and cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS). The chemical forms of heavy metals were analyzed in accordance with the sequential extraction method proposed by the Community Bureau of Reference (BCR). Sludge samples were collected at the five municipal WWTPs located in the largest industrial area in the country, i.e., the Upper Silesian Industrial Region (southern Poland, central Europe). The ecological risk was assessed by calculating the Potential Ecological Risk Factor (ER), Risk Index (RI), Risk Assessment Code (RAC), Individual Contamination Factor (ICF), Global Risk Index (GRI) as well as the author's indices, i.e., Individual Ecological Risk (IER) and Global Ecological Risk (GER). To demonstrate the differences between the level of ecological risk posed by the different heavy metals, sludge samples were collected at two specific points of the processing line. Considering the chemical forms of heavy metals, the highest ecological risk was posed by Zn, Cd and Ni, while in the case of their total concentrations, by Cd and Hg. The obtained results confirm that quantitative determination of the total content of heavy metals in sewage sludge is not a sufficient criterion in assessment of the ecological risk that these elements pose to the natural environment and living organisms. Moreover, multivariate statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between the concentrations of heavy metals, which indicates that they plausibly originate from the same source of pollution
Agriculture · Atomic absorption spectroscopy · Biology · Contamination · Heavy metals · Risk assessment · Sewage · Sewage sludge · Sewage treatment · Chemistry · Environmental Science · Heavy metals in environment · Municipal Solid Waste Management · Water Quality and Pollution Assessment · Ecology · Environmental Chemistry · Environmental Engineering
An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control.a sedimentological approach
Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals
Assessment of Heavy Metal Pollution and Potential Ecological Risk in Sewage Sludge from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant Located in the Most Industrialized Region in Poland—Case Study
Disposal Situation of Sewage Sludge from Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs) and Assessment of the Ecological Risk of Heavy Metals for Its Land Use in Shanxi, China
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2022 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |