Changes in the total content and bioavailability of heavy metals during sewage sludge composting and anaerobic digestion - Anna Siatecka; Wiktoria Błaszczyk; Karolina Fila (2024)
Composting and anaerobic digestion are typical biological process used for sewage sludge organic matter stabilization. Both processes lead to the loss of labile organic matter and as a result of it to the transformation of metals into more stable fractions, which results in their decreased bioavailability and mobility. Unlike organic contaminants that biodegrade as a result of these processes, metals are persistent and become concentrated due to the loss of water and labile organic matter. However, during composting leaching of soluble heavy metals were also observed. These are research data concerning the systematic comparison of composting and anaerobic digestion of sewage sludges in terms of changes in the total content and forms of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Cr). The primary goal of the research was to understand the fate of heavy metals during composting and anaerobic digestion, with particular emphasis on changes in bioavailability of heavy metals.
Keywords: anaerobic digestion; bioavailability; composting; heavy metals; migration; sewage sludge; Dziedzina nauk rolniczych: Rolnictwo i ogrodnictwo