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Evaluation of the Heavy Metals Content in Sewage Sludge from Selected Rural and Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants in Poland in Terms of Its Suitability for Agricultural Use

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  • Dorota Olejnik

    (Institute of Environmental Engineering and Building Services, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environmental Engineering, Lodz University of Technology, Al. Politechniki 6, 93-590 Lodz, Poland)

Abstract

The amount of sewage sludge produced in Poland is increasing every year. Once stabilised and hygienised, sewage sludge is a valuable product, rich in biogenic elements such as nitrogen and phosphorus, which are essential for plant growth. However, in addition to the compounds that are beneficial to the soil, this sludge can also contain harmful substances such as heavy metals. The aim of this assessment is to analyse the content of seven heavy metals in sewage sludge from urban and rural wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located in Poland. This analysis allows for the suitability of sludge from the studied wastewater treatment plants for natural management to be assessed. The concentration ranges of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Hg in sludge samples from rural wastewater treatment plants were 0.6–9.5, 9.3–524, 4.8–90.0, 8.8–275.2, 575–1732, 7.5–170.0, and 0–3.8 mg/kg dry matter, respectively. In sludge samples from urban wastewater treatment plants, the concentration ranges of Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Hg were 1.07–16.7, 32–195, 1.3–128.9, 21.2–322.4, 20–5351.1, 12.7–2759.8, and 0.1–1.55 mg/kg dry matter, respectively. Only one of the analysed wastewater treatment plants (Skarżysko-Kamienna) exceeded the limit values.

Suggested Citation

  • Dorota Olejnik, 2024. "Evaluation of the Heavy Metals Content in Sewage Sludge from Selected Rural and Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants in Poland in Terms of Its Suitability for Agricultural Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:12:p:5198-:d:1417530
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Baoling Duan & Qiang Feng, 2022. "Risk Assessment and Potential Analysis of the Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge in Central Shanxi Province," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Anna Turek & Kinga Wieczorek & Wojciech M. Wolf, 2019. "Digestion Procedure and Determination of Heavy Metals in Sewage Sludge—An Analytical Problem," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, March.
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