The Application of the Biolog EcoPlate Approach in Ecotoxicological Evaluation of Dairy Sewage Sludge

An increasing amount of sewage sludge requires reasonable management, whereas its storage might be environmentally hazardous. Due to the organic matter and nutrient presence in sediments, it may be used as organic fertilizer. However, beyond the valuable contests, sewage sludge can also contain toxic or dangerous ingredients like heavy metals. Therefore, there is a need to develop methods for rapid assessment of sediment ecotoxicity that will determine its possible applicability in agriculture. The Biolog® EcoPlate enables the metabolic profile diversity evaluation of microbial populations in environmental samples, which reflects the state of their activity. It is regarded as a modern technology that by means of biological properties allows quick characterization of the ecological status of environmental samples, such as sewage sludge.