Presence of fluoroquinolones and sulfonamides in urban sewage sludge and their degradation as a result of composting

Abstract

levels of degradation of these pharmaceuticals resulting from sludge treatment were assessed. The concentrations of the studied pharmaceuticals sufficiently varied both in sewage sludge and in compost and due to this phenomenon the possible danger resulting from the presence of pharmaceuticals in sewage sludge, used for composting, can not be ignored. The concentrations of the studied pharmaceuticals were lower in compost, if compared to the relevant concentrations in sewage sludge. The highest pharmaceutical concentration in sewage sludge -426 µg/kg -was detected in the case of ciprofloxacin. The highest concentrations present in compost were 22 µg/kg of norfloxacin and 20 µg/kg of ciprofloxacin. Results show that before using the sewage sludge for making compost or before using the compost a fertilizer for food plants, they should be carefully tested against the content of commonly used pharmaceuticals.

Influence of biochar and compost on soil properties and tree growth in a tropical urban environment

“…In the humid tropics, the use of organic composts to maintain SOM is widespread (Lasaridi and Stentiford 1998;French et al 2006;Hartley et al 2008), particularly in urban environments where conditions for plant growth are challenging. The benefits of applying organic composted materials to soils are widely acknowledged internationally (Amlinger et al 2007;Lillenberg et al 2010), and it has been found to facilitate increases in organic matter content, biological activity and nutrient supply to plants (Zhang and Selim 2008;Tandy et al 2009). These effects, however, are typically short-lived in the tropics due to high rates of SOM decomposition and frequent compost application used to negate this effect.…”

Treatment options for wastewater effluents from pharmaceutical companies

“…The main sources of contamination include pharmaceutical production plants, WWTPs, hospitals, landfills and even graveyards (Khetan and Collins, 2007;Lillenberg et al, Review Paper 2010). The most investigated route of entry of pharmaceuticals into the environment is that from municipal WWTPs.…”

Trace organic contaminants in biosolids: Impact of conventional wastewater and sludge processing technologies and emerging alternatives

“…The eventual liberation of irreversibly bound TrOCs, e.g. when volatile solids are destroyed or sludge is exposed to soil [40,41], is also of environmental concern [39]. The release of TrOCs upon destruction of volatile solids has been observed during anaerobic digestion (Section 3.2.1) and advanced oxidation treatment of sludge (Section 4).…”

“…Thermal degradation of TrOCs has not been substantiated in literature, although the disappearance of pharmaceuticals during sludge drying (e.g. 180° C) has been attributed to this mechanism [40]. Direct or indirect photolysis degrades TrOCs (e.g.…”

“…>60%) of linear alkyl sulphonate [132,133], nonylphenol [68,[130][131][132], polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [129], and certain pharmaceuticals (e.g. ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin) [40] have been reported depending on composting conditions (Table 1). However, low removal was observed for TrOCs such as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins [69], hormones [128], and other pharmaceuticals (e.g.…”