Schwermetallbestimmung in Klärwerksschlämmen mittels Röntgenfluoreszenzanalyse

The X-ray fluorescence analysis is an important means for the determination of the heavy metal concentrations in sewage sludges and for the evaluation of their usability in agriculture. Analysis devices from the GDR were used for that. For the investigations there was used as the zero sample a sludge which was not loaded with heavy metals, homogeneous and constantly dried at 105 °C. The drying bed sludge samples were treated with different heavy metal solutions with different concentrations. Preparation of samples, measuring conditions and general spectra are described. The measuring results of tests up to 100 g heavy metal in 1 kg dry substance are critically evaluated. The analysis of a sewer sludge sample takes only about ten minutes. There are determined: Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mo, Cd, Hg and Pb.     

Investigation on the Levels of Heavy Metals,Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons,and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Sewage Sludge Samples and Ecotoxicological Testing

This article reports the levels of heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sewage sludges taken from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Konya (Turkey) as well as their toxicity. The concentrations of heavy metals, including Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn in sludge samples from plant #2 did not exceed the limits described in both Turkish and European Union (EU) regulations. The similar result was observed in samples obtained from plant #1, except for sludge taken in May 2010. The ΣPAHs concentration ranging from 960 to 7680 µg/kg dry matter shows that sewage sludges from plant #1 could be used for agricultural purpose. However, sewage sludges from plant #2 (ΣPAHs: 1077–17 509 µg/kg dry matter) was not suitable for using in agriculture. The concentrations of ΣPCBs in all investigated sludges from plant #1 (7.46–709.36 µg/kg dry matter) and plant #2 (14.12–788.47 µg/kg dry matter) were lower than the limits reported in Turkish and EU regulations. The probable sources of PAHs and PCBs in sludges were also determined. The ecotoxicological tests examined on Vibrio fischeri and Lepidium sativum organisms showed that sludges from plant #1 had no significant toxic effect, while sludges from plant #2 had acute toxic property. Finally, all the results showed that sewage sludges from plant #1 had potential for being used in agriculture.     

Chlorphenole und Nonylphenole in Klärschlämmen. Teil I: Vorkommen in Klärschlämmen westdeutscher Kläranlagen aus den Jahren 1987 bis 1989

Chlorophenols and Nonylphenols in Sewage Sludges. Part I: Occurence in Sewage Sludges of Western German Treatment Plants from 1987 to 1989 Sewage sludges originating from all western German states from 1987 till 1989 have been analyzed for two groups of organic pollutants, which are not specified in the German sewage sludge regulations (Klärschlammverordnung) from 1992: the isomeric 4-nonylphenols and the chlorophenols. The applied analytical methods are presented, as well as the analytical results. In almost all 149 analyzed samples nonylphenols could be found, at an average of 128.2 mg/kg dry matter. In the case of chlorophenols, pentachlorophenol was the most pronounced in respect to amount and to frequency of positive results: i.e. in 85 samples investigated, the mean value was 59.5 μg/kg. Results are reported in percentils. The data correspond to sewage sludges from the past and will be used as a guideline in evaluating all following studies of sludges. Investigations will be continued.     

Laboratory tests as a basis for the control of sewage sludge dumping at sea

Toxicity and bioaccumulation studies were carried out on a number of UK sewage sludges to determine whether laboratory experiments could be used to regulate sludge dumping at sea. Whilst the acute toxicity of sewage sludges to adult marine organisms was generally low, shrimp larvae were found to be up to 500 times more sensitive than adults of the same species. No significant bioaccumulation of mercury or cadmium could be detected following up to 60 days exposure of fish, shrimps and mussels to the most heavily contaminated sludges available, although there was some uptake of lead, zinc and copper.     

Benthic foraminifera distribution in a tourist lagoon in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: a response to anthropogenic impacts

Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, located in the Rio de Janeiro City, receives several types of polluted discharges. The knowledge of the sediment microfauna correlated with heavy metal and organic matter concentrations could supply important data about the conditions of the lagoon. The benthic foraminiferal assemblage presented larger diversity and more abundant samples in the lagoon entrance than in the inner area. The Ammonia tepida - Elphidiumexcavatum foraminiferal assemblage is characterized by dwarf, corroded and weak organisms. Agglutinated species were found only near the entrance. Low abundance values and sterility of five samples in the inner area (north/northeast) can be caused by high levels of heavy metals and organic matter. A. tepida shows negative correlation with increasing heavy metals values. PAHs and coprostanol high indexes, and the absence or low presence of microfauna in samples around the lagoon margin confirm illegal flows from gas stations and domestic sewage.     

Chlorphenole und Nonylphenole in Klärschlämmen. Teil II: Hat die Belastung mit Pentachlorphenol und Nonylphenolen abgenommen?

Chlorophenols and Nonylphenols in Sewage Sludges. Part II: Did Contents of Pentachlorophenol and Nonylphenols Reduce? Sewage sludges were analyzed for pentachlorophenol and isomeric 4-nonylphenols. These environmental pollutants are not regulated by the German sewage sludge regulations (Klärschlammverordnung) but are subsequently controlled by the pentachlorophenol prohibition ordinance and the industry’s voluntary declaration of renouncing the use of alkylphenol ethoxylates. The samples analyzed originated from sewage treatment plants in the state Rheinland-Pfalz from 1994 till 1995. The analytical results are presented graphically by histograms and numerically by quantiles (median, 90%-percentile).The results are compared to those we formerly obtained from all West German states from 1987 till 1989. To verify the statistical significance of median differences, we used the Wilcoxon test suitable for non parametric data distributions. All histograms show non symmetrical frequency distributions. In almost all 101 analyzed samples, pentachlorophenol was found at a median of 19 μg/kg related to dry matter (d.m.) and a 90%-percentile of 86 μg/kg related to d.m. Compared with the past, there seems to be a tendency to lower values which, however, cannot be proved statistically. In almost all sewage sludge samples, nonylphenols could be found at a median of 4.6 mg/kg related to d.m. and a 90%-percentile of 24.8 mg/kg. In contrast to the past, these values are very low; nonylphenols in sewage sludges have significantly reduced. This may be a hint that the industry’s voluntary dec-laration has been taken seriously.     

Ecological impact of urban stormwater runoff studied in experimental flumes: Population loss by drift and availability of refugial space

Urban stormwater runoff discharged through sewer systems into streams causes flush spills of water and pollutants in the receiving water. To make the right decisions in future plannings of the very costly rehabilitation of sewer systems, a solid ecological data base on the critical parameters of sewer overflows is badly needed. Therefore, we designed a laboratory flume which was operated in circular flow mode (to ensure adaptation of the test organisms) and in flow-through mode during the simulation of sewer overflows (to allow a proper evaluation of population loss by drift). Examples on the behaviour during the adaptation phase and the population loss during the exposure to flush spills of water and/or a mixture of sewage and clean water of a benthic invertebrate (Gammarus pulex) demonstrate the potential of the flume to identify critical parameters of sewer overflows at quasireal-world-conditions. We found clear evidence for synergetic effects since the exposure to high flow and sewage caused higher population loss ofGammarus than the sum of population loss at exposure to only high flow or only sewage. Population loss considerably depended on the availability of refugial space: if the interstices of the gravel in the flume were silted, this loss was higher than at open interstices. Only ten minutes of movement of the material forming the flume bottom reduced the population ofGammarus to about 60 or 50% of its initial size. Hence, our data strongly suggest that the characteristics of the receiving stream (refugial space, bed stability) play an important role for the potential ecological impact of a sewer overflow. Changes of stream morphology and/or creation of refugial space plus an appropriate technical solution for overflow treatment may be less costly and more effective than a large-scale technical project. Thus, the stream itself should be a major element in future management decisions.     

Sorption and desorption behavior of residual antidepressants and caffeine in freshwater sediment and sewage sludge

The use of antidepressants is widespread in modern times. Thus, they present a potential risk for ecosystems due to occurrence in domestic sewage containing unaltered metabolites and structures, even after the treatment plants have processed the sewage. The current research investigated the sorption and desorption of antidepressants(citalopram, venlafaxine, fluoxetine, sertraline, and amitriptyline) and caffeine from freshwater sediment and sewage sludge. The samples of freshwater sediment were ...     

Early experiences in monitoring the effects of Hong Kong's new generation of sewage outfalls on the marine environment

The rapid post war development of Hong Kong as a centre of population, industry and commerce far outstripped the provision of sewers, wastewater treatment and disposal facilities. A legacy of marine pollution remains; the Government is now addressing this problem through the implementation of an ambitious sewage strategy. At the core of the strategy lies a major sewerage programme and the construction of new sewage treatment plants and marine disposal outfalls. The authors outline the background to recent sewerage and related infrastructure development in Hong Kong and discuss the scope and role of an outfall performance verification monitoring programme. This monitoring programme also is intended to identify the need for future improvements to the system in order to ensure that statutory Water Quality Objectives can be achieved and maintained. This work is seen as an essential element in the strategy for providing a cost effective treatment and disposal system. The early stages of a programme to measure the effects of major sewage outfalls on coastal waters is described. Initial work in the north-west New Territories of Hong Kong has focused on understanding the dilution and dispersion of sewage plumes. Ongoing and recently completed plume tracking work, which has made use of innovative tools such as radio-isotope tracers, dye fluorescence, ADCP and other water quality sensors multiplexed to three dimensional positional recording systems is reviewed. The subsequent interpretation of these results and their value in assessing outfall performance is considered. The success of this work is discussed and the lessons for future monitoring programmes are identified.     

Drug-resistance transfer in Escherichia coli in New York Bight sediment

Sediment from the sewage sludge dump site area in the New York Bight contains bacteria resistant to antibiotics and heavy metals. The purpose of this study was to determine if antibiotic resistance could be transferred from donor to recipient Escherichia coli strains inoculated into glass vessels containing sediment and seawater obtained near the dump site. Temperature was maintained at 10°C, the mean winter temperature of benthic water at the dump site. Transconjugants (recipients which inherit donor genes for tetracycline resistance) were isolated from the seawater and sediment within one hour after inoculation and were found in all subsequent sediment samples for one month. Donor and recipient E. coli remained viable in the sediment for at least one month. Our results indicate that sewage sludge polluted sediment may serve as an environment conducive to conjugal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes.     

Degradation of coprostanol in an experimental system

Coprostanol has been applied as a chemical sewage indicator in the aquatic environment but there is little evidence of its persistence. This paper describes experiments to measure the decay rate of coprostanol in aquatic systems involving sludges and artificial sediments. Coprostanol in sludges decayed to <15% of initial levels after 30 days whilst in sediments the levels remained essentially unchanged after 54 days. Coprostanol levels in marine sediments from South Africa are also discussed.     

Vergleich ausgewählter Elutionsverfahren zur Beurteilung der Mobilität von Metallen

Comparison of Selected Elution Procedures for the Valuation of the Mobility of Metals from Sediment and Sewage Sludge Several methods of extraction are generally used to evaluate environmental or ecological toxicity and deposition of waste material. In this paper, the application of the German standard methods DIN 38414-S7, DIN 38414-S4, pH_stat method, “Schweizer method” (elution test, Switzerland), and some variants of the pH_stat method on two very different samples are described. A rudimental sediment and a municipal sewage sludge are chosen as sample materials. The metal contents of extract solutions are determined by ICP-OES. The results of the DIN-S4 extractions depend definitely on the mechanic way of movement, i.e. the amount of heavy metals which are mobilized out of the samples differs considerably. In fact, DIN-S7 in combination with DIN-S4 is not sufficient to estimate the mobility of heavy metals. Solid samples should only be evaluated by applying a combination of several methods of extraction. The usefulness of the pH_stat method for an evaluation is discussed.     

Population similarity analysis of indicator bacteria for source prediction of faecal pollution in a coastal lake

Biochemical fingerprinting (BF) databases of 524 enterococci and 571 Escherichia coli isolates and an antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) database comprising of 380 E. coli isolates from four suspected sources (i.e. dogs, chickens, waterfowls, and human sewage) were developed to predict the sources of faecal pollution in a recreational coastal lake. Twenty water samples representing four sampling episodes were collected from five sites and the enterococci and E. coli population from each site were compared with those of the databases. The degree of similarity between bacterial populations was measured as population similarity (Sp) coefficient. Using the BF-database, bacterial populations of waterfowls showed the highest similarity with the water samples followed by a sewage treatment plant (STP). Higher population similarities were found between samples from STP and water samples especially at two sites (T2 and T3) which were located near the sewerage pipes collecting wastewater from the study area. When using the ARA-database, the highest similarity was found between E. coli populations from STP and water samples at sites T2 and T4. Both faecal indicators and as well as methods predicted human faecal pollution, possibly through leakage from submerged sewerage pipes. The results indicated that the Sp-analysis of faecal indicator bacterial populations from suspected sources and water samples can be used as a simple tool to predict the source(s) of faecal pollution in surface waters.     

Natural and anthropogenic heavy metals in estuarine cohesive sediments: geochemistry and bioavailability

The geochemistry, mineralogy, and grain size distribution of several estuarine cohesive sediment samples from potentially human-influenced areas without such an influence were analyzed to determine the natural heavy metal content and evaluate its impact on the Bahía Blanca estuarine environment. The data were compared with different ranges of concentrations for heavy metals in marine sediments established by the NOAA Screening Quick Reference Tables in which values range from background levels to those considered toxic to the marine environment. Our total heavy metal contents were below the established hazardous levels in all the analyzed samples, even though the potentially human-influenced areas (harbors, industry, urban spread) showed the highest total concentration values as well as greater percentages of bioavailable compounds. This would imply a low and not extensive anthropogenic input into the environment. The relatively high proportions in which Cd, Pb, and Cr appear as bioavailable compounds at some sites not influenced by human activity suggest the presence of a natural source for these elements. This could be attributed to the weathering of naturally occurring volcanic minerals, indicating that special care must be taken when monitoring of sediment for anthropogenic activity is carried out within this environment. According to the results obtained, and in order to minimize the environmental impact caused by periodic water injection dredging, relocation of sewage outfalls from vessel mooring areas into open waters is strongly recommended.     

武汉市东湖沉积物重金属与城市污染环境的关系

应用主成份分析原理,按照主成份提取的信息超过原始信息84％的原则,对武汉市东湖的主体湖区(郭郑湖和塘林湖)的0 cm-7 cm的沉积物30个代表性样品12种元素进行分析,确定其沉积物的重金属的污染源的主要类型．结果表明,郭郑湖第一污染源(占56％)为湖区周围的工业燃煤尘埃,其次(占16％)为交通尾气、生活污水和雨水片流,再次 (占12％)为电镀、印刷等行业的工业污水．塘林湖第一污染源(占65％)为湖区周围的生产性煤燃烧的粉尘,其次(17％) 为生活污水、医院污水和周围土壤的淋溶作用,再次(占9％)为废旧电池、报章杂志和农用物资等．采用均方根综合污染指数法评价分析东湖主体湖区的沉积物的污染程度为轻度污染,其中郭郑湖的污染程度高于塘林湖．     

Structure and taxonomic composition of free-living nematode and macrofaunal assemblages in a eutrophic subtropical harbour,Hong Kong

The spatial and seasonal taxonomic composition patterns of macrofauna and nematodes in a eutrophic subtropical harbour, previously suffered from sewage pollution, were studied in relation to a number of sediment parameters. In the polluted, inner-harbour area, levels of organic contents and heavy metals were high, whereas species number, abundance and diversity of nematodes and macrofauna were the lowest in comparison to the cleaner, outer-harbour area. Different taxonomic composition patterns of nematodes and macrofaunal assemblages were found between inner-harbour and outer-harbour area, which was highly correlated with sediment nutrient levels. Different responses of macrofaunal and nematode communities to sewage pollution suggested that macrofauna might be more tolerant than nematodes to eutrophic conditions due to their ability to modify the sediment. The present findings indicated the usefulness of studying both nematode and macrofaunal communities, in order to reveal different aspects of the benthic ecosystems in response to organic enrichment.     

Antimicrobial-resistant coliforms in New York Bight

A preliminary study of sediments and overlying water samples obtained at the approximate centre of the sewage sludge bed in the New York Bight, revealed significant numbers of coliforms resistant to antibiotics and heavy metals. Some of the isolates were shown to transfer antibiotic resistance during conjugation with a recipient strain of Salmonella gallinarum. The selection of bacterial populations resistant to antimicrobials may be significant in the ecology of this impoverished area, and requires further study.     

Untersuchungen zum Schadstoffpotential von Wasserwerksschlämmen

Investigation on the Pollution Potential of Waterworks Sludges Several contaminated sludges from water treatment plants with known or estimated concentrations of trace elements were investigated for their leaching characteristics and long-term stability using standard and advanced test procedures. Potentially hazardous elements in the sludge are zinc, nickel, and arsenic with concentrations of up to 1.2 g/kg dry matter (mass). Preliminary sorption tests with synthetic sludge components like iron hydroxide, manganese oxide, silicate clay minerals, and chitine powder as a model organic component showed that Cu is associated with the organic phase wheras arsenic is predominantly bound to the iron oxide minerals. The recently suggested pH_stat test procedure was used to assess the leaching characteristics of metals at typical pH values. This procedure was compared with the DEV-S4 test, the current standard test in Germany, consisting of a simple lixiviation of the solids with water, without pH control. The pH_stat test yields results which are much better to interprete than those obtained by the DEV-S4 procedure. The iron and manganese sludges are well buffered against changes in pH and redox potential so that low pH values and/or reducing conditions can hardly occur. Thus, in deposited material a sudden leaching of heavy metals is unlikely and due to the presence of iron and manganese oxides the pentavalent arsenic is protected against conversion into the highly mobile trivalent form at neutral to low pH. Co-deposition with reducing organic matter and alkaline stabilisation material or waste (like fly ash) could influence the binding properties and should be strictly avoided.     

Hazardous Heavy Metal Distribution in Dahuofang Catchment,Fushun, Liaoning,an Important Industry City in China: A Case Study

Located in Liaoning Province, one of the traditional heavy industrial areas in China, Dahuofang Reservoir provides drinking water for nearly 30 000 000 citizens, as well as industrial and agricultural water for dozens of several cities and rural areas. The distribution of hazardous heavy metals is described in several types of soil, crops, and in different industrial or mining areas and main sewage irrigation areas. Five possible reasons that may cause the pollution are analyzed and listed. Also we provide some pragmatic suggestions for the remediation of heavy metals in contaminated soils.