长江三角洲地区城市污泥对蚯蚓的急性毒性效应

应用滤纸法和自然土壤法测定了长江三角洲地区城市污泥及其与青紫泥混合后对蚯蚓的急性致死效应及慢性毒性效应。结果表明:滤纸法测定的污泥对蚯蚓的毒性症状出现快且严重,不同污泥对蚯蚓的毒性大小差别较大,致死中浓度(LC50)相对应的污泥与水比值(Rsw-LC50)范围在0.0010～0.0242之间。在供试的城市污泥中,上海贮泥池污泥对蚯蚓的毒性最大,上海脱水污泥5对蚯蚓的毒性最小。自然土壤法测定的污泥与土壤作用后对蚯蚓的毒性结果为:所有处理蚯蚓死亡率均为0,各污泥处理对蚯蚓体重增长率的影响差别不大,个别污泥处理蚯蚓体重增长率比对照处理低,即对蚯蚓的体重有负增长影响。与滤纸法各处理相比,中毒症状较轻微,仅极个别中毒症状较明显。与污泥的水浸液相比,污泥与土壤作用后对蚯蚓的毒性大大降低。     

两种厌氧反应器培养颗粒污泥的对比试验

以养猪场废水作为试验用水，对在IC和UASB反应器内培养厌氧颗粒污泥的过程进行了对比试验，并对培养出的颗粒污泥的特性进行了对比分析。结果表明：经过54d培养，通过不同孔径的筛网进行测试，发现IC反应器内形成的颗粒污泥的直径多数在1～4 mm之间，其中2～3 mm的污泥质量占污泥总质量的比例最大，为28.5％，并且有大于5 mm的颗粒污泥产生；而UASB内形成的颗粒污泥直径多数在1～3 mm之间，其中1～2 mm的污泥质量占污泥总质量的比例最大，为38.7％，且没有发现大于5 mm的颗粒污泥。     

用傅里叶数与优化法分析污泥过热蒸汽干燥有效扩散系数

为进一步研究污泥薄层在过热蒸汽干燥中湿分扩散机理与有效扩散系数,根据干燥法测定有效扩散系数计算时往往忽略物料湿含量变化对有效扩散系影响,该文采用傅里叶数法和优化法分别计算2、4、6和10 mm厚度污泥薄层,在120~280℃过热蒸汽温度下的有效扩散系数,分析有效扩散系数与过热蒸汽温度、薄层厚度之间的关系。计算分析结果表明:采用傅里叶数法和优化法得出的有效扩散系数数值基本一致,能更为精确反应污泥薄层过热蒸汽干燥有效扩散系数值及变化特性;傅里叶数法和优化法算得4 mm厚度污泥在120~280℃过热蒸汽干燥有效扩散系数分别为2.52×10-10~2.93×10-9 m2/s与2.75×10-10~3.32×10-9 m2/s;2、4、6和10 mm厚度污泥在160℃过热蒸汽干燥时2种方法计算的有效扩散系数分别为3.84×10-10~2.28×10-9 m2/s与4.40×10-10~2.72×10-9 m2/s;有效扩散系数随着过热蒸汽温度、薄层厚度增大而逐渐增大,并成线性关系。通过多元线性回归得到2种方法计算的有效扩散系数与干燥温度、薄层厚度简化的表达式,决定系数分别为0.9982、0.9956。计算结果可为污泥薄层过热蒸汽干燥湿分扩散过程与有效扩散系数的变化分析提供参考。     

Occurrence of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge and their Behaviour in Soils and Plants. Part 1: Behaviour of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge of Different Treatment Plants in Summer and Winter (5 pp)

Background, Aim and Scope   Part 1: Behaviour of Polycyclic Musks in Sewage Sludge of Different Treatment Plants in Summer and Winter Part 2: Investigation of Polycyclic Musks in Soils and Plants -  Preamble. In Part 1 of the study, screening tests were performed to investigate the occurrence of PCMs in sewage sludges. For a preliminary risk assessment, further information is needed about their behaviour in the terrestrial environment. Hence, Part 2 examined the adsorption of PCMs to soil, their dissipation and leaching in soil and their uptake by plants. Background, Aim and Scope   Polycyclic Musks (PCMs) enter the environment via the waste water system. Because of their persistence, they can accumulate in different matrices like sewage sludge or biota. By the use of sewage sludge as a fertilizer, PCMs are transferred to agricultural soils. Therefore, in Part 1 of the study, screening tests were performed to investigate the occurrence of PCMs in sewage sludge. For a preliminary risk assessment, further information is needed about their behaviour in the terrestrial environment. Hence, Part 2 of the study examined the adsorption of PCMs to soil, their dissipation and leaching in soil, and their uptake by plants. Materials and Methods: In the screening study, samples of activated sewage sludge were taken both in summer and in winter at 21 treatment plants. In order to get an overview of the contamination situation, sampling covered different types of treatment plants (in rural, urban, industrial areas). Analytical methods for the determination of HHCB, AHTN, ADBI, ATTN, AHDI and ATII in the sludge samples were developed and applied. Results: The analytical screening of PCMs showed their presence in activated and dried sewage sludge samples. HHCB and AHTN represented about 95% of the PCMs investigated. Their concentrations in the activated sludge samples varied between 2.9 and 10.4 mg/kg dry mass (dm) and 1.1 to 4.2 mg/kg dm, respectively. Although different types of sewage treatment plants were investigated, similar PCM levels were found, showing the widespread input of these compounds into domestic waste water. Discussion: PCM concentrations in activated sludge varied widely. The variation drops substantially when concentrations are related to the varying dry mass. In dehydrated sludge, PCM concentrations were up to 24 mg/kg dm for HHCB and up to 6.9 mg/kg dm for AHTN. These high values are comparable to those obtained in other investigations analysing PCMs. If the degradation of organic mass during anaerobic decomposition is included in the evaluation, the figures obtained are comparable to those for activated sludge. Elimination in sewage sludge was higher in summer than in winter. Therefore, the contamination of the sludges in winter reached higher levels compared to the summer. Conclusions: The results show that PCMs are widespread contaminants in sewage sludge. Recommendations and Perspectives: PCM should be considered in a risk assessment as potential contaminants of sewage sludge destined for agricultural use. Due to the high PCM levels in sewage sludge, further investigations into the degradation and elimination behaviour in sewage sludge have to be carried out, including that involving PCM metabolites such as lactone derivatives.     

Influence of sewage sludge and heavy metals on nematodes in an arable soil

Summary The abundance of nematodes was investigated in agricultural plots treated in three different ways, the first with no treatment, the second with 300 m³ ha^-1 a^-1 raw sewage sludge and the third with 300 m³ ha^-1 a^-1 sewage sludge with the addition of heavy metals. The nematodes were determined down to the genus and were assigned to five feeding groups. Total nematode numbers were highest in the site treated with sewage sludge and heavy metals. The smallest total numbers were found in the control site. The plant-feeding nematode genera showed different patterns of abundance depending on the sludge treatment and heavy metal content. For the mycophagic and bacteriophagic nematodes, numbers increased with the amount of sludge, especially in the sites with a higher heavy metal content. The family Rhabditidae was the most numerous group in the sludge plus heavy metals treatment. In contrast to these findings, the omnivorous nematodes were very rare in the sludgetreated plots and were completely absent in plots treated with sludge plus heavy metals, whereas predatory nematodes were numerous only after the application of sludge alone.     

Vermicomposting of biosolids with cow manure and oat straw

Biosolids, mainly from textile industries and the rest from households, were vermicomposted with Eisenia fetida, cow manure and oat straw for 2 months at three different moisture contents (60%, 70% and 80% dry weight base) in triplicate to reduce pathogens and toxic organic compounds, and to find the best medium for growth of E. fetida. The vermicompost with the best stability and maturity and a weight loss of 18% was obtained with 1,800 g biosolid, no straw and 800 g manure at 70% water content. This vermicompost had the following properties: pH 7.9; organic C content of 163 g kg^–1; an electrolytic conductivity of 11 mS cm^–1; a humic-to-fulvic acid ratio of 0.5 (HA/FA); total N content of 9 g kg^–1; water soluble C (C_w) less than 0.5%; cation exchange capacity of 41 cmol_c kg^–1; a respiration rate of 188 mg CO₂-C kg^–1 compost-C day^–1; a NO₃^–/CO₂ ratio greater than 8; and a NH₄⁺/NO₃^– ratio lower than 0.16. The vermicompost gave a germination index for cress (Lepidium sativum) of 80% after 2 months while the earthworm production increased 1.2-fold and volatile solids decreased five times. In addition, the vermicompost contained less than 3 CFU g^–1Salmonella spp., no fecal coliforms and Shigella spp. and no eggs of helminths. Concentration of sodium was 152 mg kg^–1 dry compost, while concentrations of chromium, copper, zinc and lead were below the limits established by the USEPA.     

Effect of differently post-treated dewatered sewage sludge on β-glucosidase activity,microbial biomass carbon,basal respiration and carbohydrates contents of soils from limestone quarries

This work has evaluated the effects of thermally dried (TDS) or composted (CDS) dewatered sewage sludge on β-glucosidase activity, total (TCH) and extractable (ECH) carbohydrate content, microbial biomass carbon and basal respiration of soils from limestone quarries under laboratory conditions. Two doses (low and high) of the dewatered sludge (DS) or of the respective TDS or CDS were applied to a clayey and a sandy soil, both coming from working quarries. The soil mixtures and the controls (soils with no added sludge) were incubated for 9 months at 25°C and 30% of field capacity. The addition of sludge increased all the studied soil parameters, and the increase depended on the amount of sludge. Except in the case of TCH and ECH, the enhancing effect decreased with time, but at the end of incubation, parameters of the treated soils were higher than those of the control. The rank order of the initial stimulating effect was soil–TDS ≥ soil–DS ≥ soil–CDS, and probably, this order depended on the proportion of stable organic matter, which was the lowest in the TDS. Values of metabolic quotient (qCO₂) were higher at the lower dose, and they did not change during incubation in the CDS-treated soils. Both TCH and ECH were the parameters with the greatest significant sludge and dose effects. Basal respiration, microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase activity were the best measured parameters in distinguishing the long-term effects of the three sludge types over the soils.     

Long-term impact of fertilization on activity and composition of bacterial communities and metabolic guilds in agricultural soil

To explore long-term impact of organic and inorganic fertilizers on microbial communities, we targeted both the total bacterial community and the autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in soil from six treatments at an experimental field site established in 1956: cattle manure, sewage sludge, Ca(NO₃)₂, (NH₄)₂SO₄, unfertilized and unfertilized without crops. All plots, except the bare fallows, were cropped with maize. Effects on activity were assessed by measuring the basal respiration and substrate induced respiration (SIR) rates, and the potential activity of the AOB. To determine the bacterial community composition, 16S rRNA genes were used to fingerprint total soil communities by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and AOB communities by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The fertilization regimes had clear effects on both activity and composition of the soil communities. Basal respiration and r, which was kinetically derived as the exponentially growing fraction of the SIR-response, correlated well with the soil organic C content (r=0.93 and 0.66, respectively). Soil pH ranged from 3.97 to 6.26 in the treatments and was found to be an important factor influencing all microbial activities. pH correlated negatively with the ratio between basal respiration and SIR (r=0.90), indicating a decreased efficiency of heterotrophic microorganisms to convert organic carbon into microbial biomass in the most acid soils with pH 3.97 and 4.68 ((NH₄)₂SO₄ and sewage sludge fertilized plots, respectively). The lowest SIR and ammonia oxidation rates were also found in these treatments. In addition, these treatments exhibited individually different community fingerprints, showing that pH affected the composition of AOB and total bacterial communities. The manure fertilized plots harbored the most diverse AOB community and the pattern was linked to a high potential ammonia oxidation activity. Thus, the AOB community composition appeared to be more strongly linked to the activity than the total bacterial communities were, likely explained by physiological differences in the populations present.     

N2O emissions from different cropping systems and from aerated,nitrifying and denitrifying tanks of a municipal waste water treatment plant

Nitrous oxide emissions, nitrate, water-soluble carbon and biological O₂ demand (BOD₅) were quantified in different cropping systems fertilized with varying amounts of nitrogen (clayey loam, October 1991 to May 1992), in an aerated tank (March 1993 to March 1994), and in the nitrification-denitrification unit (March to July 1994) of a municipal waste water treatment plant. In addition, the N₂O present in the soil body at different depths was determined (February to July 1994). N₂O was emitted by all cropping systems (mean releases 0.13–0.35 mg N₂O m^-2 h^-1), and all the units of the domestic waste water treatment plant (aerated tank 0–6.2 mg N₂O m^-2 h^-1, nitrification tank 0–204,3 mg N₂O m^-2, h^-1, denitrifying unit 0–2.2 mg N₂O m^-2 h^-1). During the N₂O-sampling periods estimated amounts of 0.9, 1.5, 2.4 and 1.4 kg N₂O–N ha^-1, respectively, were released by the cropping systems. The aerated, nitrifying and denitrifying tanks of the municipal waste water treatment plant released mean amounts of 9.1, 71.6 and 1.8 g N₂O–N m^-2, respectively, during the sampling periods.The N₂O emission were significantly positively correlated with nitrate concentrations in the field plots which received no N fertilizer and with the nitrogen content of the aerated sludge tank that received almost exclusively N in the form of NH ₄ ⁺ . Available carbon, in contrast, was significantly negatively correlated with the N₂O emitted in the soil fertilized with 80 kg N ha^-1 year. The significant negative correlation between the emitted N₂O and the carbon to nitrate ratio indicates that the lower the carbon to nitrate ratio the higher the amount of N₂O released. Increasing N₂O emissions seem to occur at electron donorto-acceptor ratios (C_H2_O or BOD₅-to-nitrate ratios) below 50 in the cropping systems and below 1200–1400 in the waste water treatment plant. The trapped N₂O in the soil body down to a depth of 90 cm demonstrates that agricultural production systems seem to contain a considerable pool of N₂O which may be reduced to N₂ on its way to the atmosphere, which may be transported to other environments or which may be released at sometime in the future.Dedicated to Professor J.C.G. Ottow on the occasion of his 60th birthday