Analysis of Heavy Metal Contaminants and Mobility in Sewage sludge-soil Mixtures for Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Agata Janaszek; Robert Kowalik

doi:10.3390/w15223992

journal article Open Access Nov 16, 2023

Analysis of Heavy Metal Contaminants and Mobility in Sewage sludge-soil Mixtures for Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Agata Janaszek Robert Kowalik

Water Vol. 15 No. 22 pp. 3992 · MDPI AG

View at Publisher Save 10.3390/w15223992

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the potential utilization of sewage sludge in agriculture, focusing on the assessment of heavy metal contaminants and their mobility in sewage sludge-soil mixtures. The innovative approach of investigating heavy metal fractions in these mixtures sheds light on their environmental implications. In this study, sludge and soil samples from three different soil categories were collected, and the mobility of heavy metals was investigated using sequential BCR analysis. A thorough assessment of the risk of environmental contamination associated with the agricultural use of sludge was also carried out. This study included the calculation of various risk indicators, such as the Geoaccumulation Index of heavy metals in soil (Igeo), the risk assessment code (RAC), and the author’s element mobility ratio (EMR), which included a comparison of the overall metal concentrations in sludge, soil, and mixtures. This study demonstrates that the key to using sludge is to know the form of mobility of the metals present in the sludge and how they behave once they are introduced into the soil.

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References

Details

Published: Nov 16, 2023
Vol/Issue: 15(22)
Pages: 3992
License: View

Authors

A

Agata Janaszek

Faculty of Environmental, Geomatic and Energy Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland

R

Robert Kowalik

Faculty of Environmental, Geomatic and Energy Engineering, Kielce University of Technology, 25-314 Kielce, Poland

Funding

program of the Minister of Science and Higher Education Award: 025/RID/2018/19

Cite This Article

Agata Janaszek, Robert Kowalik (2023). Analysis of Heavy Metal Contaminants and Mobility in Sewage sludge-soil Mixtures for Sustainable Agricultural Practices. Water, 15(22), 3992. https://doi.org/10.3390/w15223992

Analysis of Heavy Metal Contaminants and Mobility in Sewage sludge-soil Mixtures for Sustainable Agricultural Practices

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