Variability of zinc, copper and lead contents in sludge of the municipal stormwater treatment plant

Abstract

Several years of observations enabled us to assess the extent and variability of heavy metal contamination (Zn, Cu and Pb) of the sludge of the municipal stormwater treatment plant (the town of Puławy, Poland). In terms of size (high capacity) and innovation, it is the only facility of this kind in the country. It collects rainwater run-offs from two catchments (separate inlets) with a total area of about 500 ha. The concentration of the analysed metals is characterised by a large spatial and temporal diversity. The reason for this may be differences in the manner and intensity of use of drained surfaces and different hydraulic conditions (of sedimentation) prevailing in the particular treatment devices. The highest pollution was found in sediments in the grit chamber and in the part of the settler from the side of the interceptor supplying sewage, i.e. from the main traffic route of the town (heavy traffic and developed technical infrastructure). The best-quality sludge was retained in the pond for treated wastewater. In the pool of analysed components, the largest share is Zn, which amounts to about 85%. The content of heavy metals limits the possibility of the natural use of sludge from the municipal stormwater treatment plant. In chemical terms, they should be seen as a potentially dangerous waste and undergo remediation.

Heavy Metals in Sediments of Urban Streams: Contamination and Health Risk Assessment of Influencing Factors

“…The last of these locations, Orłowska tank situated close to the Oliwski Stream estuary, was characterized by extremely high Cu concentration reaching 1114 mg/kg d.w. (at the IN site). The Cu concentration at Orłowska IN was clearly higher than those reported in literature-in the range from 16 times more (sediments in open reservoir in Kielce, Poland [49] to 166 times more than sediments in retention pond in Puławy, Poland [17]. In the study conducted by Nowell et al [48] not only the mean HM concentrations for USA bottom sediments but also the highest values were reported.…”

“…This predominantly concerns suspended matter of smaller diameter that is dragged along streams. It is characteristic of the run-off that suspended matter it carries comprises elevated concentration of HMs and that the ratios between the concentrations of individual metals differ in the wide range [16,17]. Zinc, lead, copper, cadmium, nickel and chromium are typically observed in urban catchments sediments [2,5,18].…”

Planktonic Invertebrates in the Assessment of Long-Term Change in Water Quality of the Sorbulak Wastewater Disposal System (Kazakhstan)

“…In the long-term aspect, the toxic pollution of Sorbulak varied significantly, which is generally typical for such water bodies [58]. Therefore, the content of Pb, Cd, Zn, Ni, and Co in water in 1985 did not exceed the maximum permissible level [26].…”

Sewage Sludge as a Soil Amendment for Growing Biomass Plant Arundo donax L.

“…However, the application of SS to the soil also entails certain risks that must be considered. Depending on the type of wastewater (municipal, industrial, combined), it may contain biological pollutants, high concentrations of some PTEs, especially Zn [9,10] and organic pollutants [11]. In addition to the soil contamination, many of them can be uptaken by plant roots and distributed in different plant organs, with the potential risk to contaminate the food chain.…”