Organic contaminants of emerging concern in Norwegian digestates from biogas production

Ali, Aasim; Nesse, Astrid Solvåg; Eich‐Greatorex, Susanne; Sogn, Trine A.; Aanrud, Stine G.; Aasen, John A.B.; Lyche, Jan Ludvig; Kallenborn, Roland

doi:10.1039/c9em00175a

Cited by 21 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…For the quantification of targeted analytes in this study, a previously optimized analytical method was adopted with some modifications (Ali et al 2019 ). The selection of the compounds (see Online Resource, Table S1 ) was based on their high rates of production and prescription in addition to their frequent detection in contaminated environmental samples in Norway.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-scale on-site treatment of fecal matter: comparison of treatments for resource recovery and sanitization

Kelova

Ali

Eich‐Greatorex

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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On-site small-scale sanitation is common in rural areas and areas without infrastructure, but the treatment of the collected fecal matter can be inefficient and is seldom directed to resource recovery. The aim of this study was to compare low-technology solutions such as composting and lactic acid fermentation (LAF) followed by vermicomposting in terms of treatment efficiency, potential human and environmental risks, and stabilization of the material for reuse in agriculture. A specific and novel focus of the study was the fate of native pharmaceutical compounds in the fecal matter. Composting, with and without the addition of biochar, was monitored by temperature and CO2 production and compared with LAF. All treatments were run at three different ambient temperatures (7, 20, and 38°C) and followed by vermicomposting at room temperature. Materials resulting from composting and LAF were analyzed for fecal indicators, physicochemical characteristics, and residues of ten commonly used pharmaceuticals and compared to the initial substrate. Vermicomposting was used as secondary treatment and assessed by enumeration of Escherichia coli, worm density, and physicochemical characteristics. Composting at 38°C induced the highest microbial activity and resulted in better stability of the treated material, higher N content, lower numbers of fecal indicators, and less pharmaceutical compounds as compared to LAF. Even though analysis of pH after LAF suggested incomplete fermentation, E. coli cell numbers were significantly lower in all LAF treatments compared to composting at 7°C, and some of the anionic pharmaceutical compounds were detected in lower concentrations. The addition of approximately 5 vol % biochar to the composting did not yield significant differences in measured parameters. Vermicomposting further stabilized the material, and the treatments previously composted at 7°C and 20°C had the highest worm density. These results suggest that in small-scale decentralized sanitary facilities, the ambient temperatures can significantly influence the treatment and the options for safe reuse of the material.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Small-scale on-site treatment of fecal matter: comparison of treatments for resource recovery and sanitization

Kelova

Ali

Eich‐Greatorex

et al. 2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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“…Operating parameters of the biogas plants A–N can be found in Table S10. Station codes equal those of Ali et al ( 2019 ). Subscripts S and L denote solid and liquid digestates, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Samples were quantified in duplicate for each digestate batch to account for method uncertainty and for the heterogeneity of the material. The same samples were previously analysed for pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) by Ali et al ( 2019 ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Unfortunately, in addition to the valuable nutrients, digestates have been shown to contain residues of legacy and emerging organic pollutants which are not fully degraded during the digestion process (Ali et al 2019 ; Lindberg et al 2005 ; Spielmeyer et al 2014 ; Suominen et al 2014 ; Widyasari-Metha et al 2016 ). These anthropogenic contaminants may ultimately enter the agricultural production system if the digestates are spread on agricultural land (Chen et al 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Confirming the presence of selected antibiotics and steroids in Norwegian biogas digestate

Nesse

Aanrud

Lyche

et al. 2022

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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Farms utilizing sewage sludge and manure in their agronomic plant production are recognized as potential hotspots for environmental release of antibiotics and the resulting promotion of antibiotic resistance. As part of the circular economy, the use of biogas digestates for soil fertilizing is steadily increasing, but their potential contribution to the spreading of pharmaceutical residues is largely unknown. Digestates can be produced from a variety of biowaste resources, including sewage sludge, manure, food waste, and fish ensilage. We developed a method for the detection of 17 antibiotics and 2 steroid hormones and applied the method to detect pharmaceutical residues in digestates from most municipal biogas plants in Norway, covering a variety of feedstocks. The detection frequency and measured levels were overall low for most compounds, except a few incidents which cause concern. Specifically, relatively high levels of amoxicillin, penicillin G, ciprofloxacin, and prednisolone were detected in different digestates. Further, ipronidazole was detected in four digestates, although no commercial pharmaceutical products containing ipronidazole are currently registered in Norway. A simplified risk assessment showed a high risk for soil microorganisms and indicates the tendency for antibiotic-resistant bacteria for penicillin G and amoxicillin. For prednisolone and ipronidazole; however, no toxicity data is available for reliable risk assessments. Graphical abstract

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“…It is also worth mentioning that different contaminants, such as microplastics, pharmaceuticals, surfactants and heavy metals, are emerging in wastewater, due to lifestyle changes in human society. These contaminants accumulate in the sewage sludge during wastewater treatment, and some of them may not be degraded during sludge stabilization (in anaerobic digestion, for instance) [38,39]. Therefore, a correct final disposal of the sludge should take this into consideration.…”

Section: Sewage Sludge Management In Scandinaviamentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-Management of Sewage Sludge and Other Organic Wastes: A Scandinavian Case Study

et al. 2021

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Wastewater and sewage sludge contain organic matter that can be valorized through conversion into energy and/or green chemicals. Moreover, resource recovery from these wastes has become the new focus of wastewater management, to develop more sustainable processes in a circular economy approach. The aim of this review was to analyze current sewage sludge management systems in Scandinavia with respect to resource recovery, in combination with other organic wastes. As anaerobic digestion (AD) was found to be the common sludge treatment approach in Scandinavia, different available organic municipal and industrial wastes were identified and compared, to evaluate the potential for expanding the resource recovery by anaerobic co-digestion. Additionally, a full-scale case study of co-digestion, as strategy for optimization of the anaerobic digestion treatment, was presented for each country, together with advanced biorefinery approaches to wastewater treatment and resource recovery.

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Organic contaminants of emerging concern in Norwegian digestates from biogas production

Abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze a variety of environmental organic contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) and their metabolites in representative digestate samples from Norwegian biogas production plants.

Cited by 21 publications

References 74 publications

Small-scale on-site treatment of fecal matter: comparison of treatments for resource recovery and sanitization

Small-scale on-site treatment of fecal matter: comparison of treatments for resource recovery and sanitization

Confirming the presence of selected antibiotics and steroids in Norwegian biogas digestate

Co-Management of Sewage Sludge and Other Organic Wastes: A Scandinavian Case Study

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