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Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant

Agricultural application is the primary method of recycling sewage sludge. It is an alternative for recycling this residue, providing nutrients and organic matter to crops and soil. However, sewage treatment and management issues may impact its quality. The main objective of the research was to dete...

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Autores principales: Sackey, Lyndon N.A., Koomson, Joana, Kumi, Richard, Hayford, Anthony A., Kayoung, Phebe
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Elsevier 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10558785/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37809887
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19550
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author Sackey, Lyndon N.A.
Koomson, Joana
Kumi, Richard
Hayford, Anthony A.
Kayoung, Phebe
author_facet Sackey, Lyndon N.A.
Koomson, Joana
Kumi, Richard
Hayford, Anthony A.
Kayoung, Phebe
author_sort Sackey, Lyndon N.A.
collection PubMed
description Agricultural application is the primary method of recycling sewage sludge. It is an alternative for recycling this residue, providing nutrients and organic matter to crops and soil. However, sewage treatment and management issues may impact its quality. The main objective of the research was to determine the quality of sewage sludge generated at the Kumasi Wastewater Treatment Plant (KWTP). Understanding the effects of using sludge on soil and plants is critical. To overcome this constraint, the soil microbial biomass was used to quantify the growth of microorganisms. The levels of potentially toxic elements in the sludge using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) are based on US EPA part 503 regulations for the disposal and management of biosolids. This study found that trace metal concentrations in the biosolids were lower than the referenced background standards threshold. Although the microbial biomass, nutrients and bacteria levels were within the accepted values for their possible use as soil fertilizer. The ecological risk index (135.10) indicated that the level of arsenic was high in the sludge. The salinity in the sludge was low, with electrical conductivity (EC) being high (60.80–436.00 μS/cm) and pH decreasing with age (6.73–7.69). The sludge produced at KWTP is of good quality and meets international standards with only a high concentration of As. This can be used for soil amendment when As is reduced in the sludge.
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spelling pubmed-105587852023-10-08 Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant Sackey, Lyndon N.A. Koomson, Joana Kumi, Richard Hayford, Anthony A. Kayoung, Phebe Heliyon Research Article Agricultural application is the primary method of recycling sewage sludge. It is an alternative for recycling this residue, providing nutrients and organic matter to crops and soil. However, sewage treatment and management issues may impact its quality. The main objective of the research was to determine the quality of sewage sludge generated at the Kumasi Wastewater Treatment Plant (KWTP). Understanding the effects of using sludge on soil and plants is critical. To overcome this constraint, the soil microbial biomass was used to quantify the growth of microorganisms. The levels of potentially toxic elements in the sludge using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) are based on US EPA part 503 regulations for the disposal and management of biosolids. This study found that trace metal concentrations in the biosolids were lower than the referenced background standards threshold. Although the microbial biomass, nutrients and bacteria levels were within the accepted values for their possible use as soil fertilizer. The ecological risk index (135.10) indicated that the level of arsenic was high in the sludge. The salinity in the sludge was low, with electrical conductivity (EC) being high (60.80–436.00 μS/cm) and pH decreasing with age (6.73–7.69). The sludge produced at KWTP is of good quality and meets international standards with only a high concentration of As. This can be used for soil amendment when As is reduced in the sludge. Elsevier 2023-08-26 /pmc/articles/PMC10558785/ /pubmed/37809887 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19550 Text en © 2023 The Authors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
spellingShingle Research Article
Sackey, Lyndon N.A.
Koomson, Joana
Kumi, Richard
Hayford, Anthony A.
Kayoung, Phebe
Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title_full Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title_fullStr Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title_short Assessing the quality of sewage sludge: CASE study of the Kumasi wastewater treatment plant
title_sort assessing the quality of sewage sludge: case study of the kumasi wastewater treatment plant
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10558785/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37809887
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19550
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