The application of sludge on agriculturally used soils and the problemof persistent organic pollutants

Abstract

A set of 45 samples of the sludge from wastewater factories in the area of the Czech Republic was completed. The selection of wastewater factories reflected the extent of observed area as well as the occurrence of the industrial wastewater. The contents of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were determined in the samples. Moreover, the contents of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofuranes (PCDD/F) were detected in 16 samples. The set of analytical data summarises the level of sewage sludge contamination by POPs within Czech wastewater factories. The results were compared with the directive of Czech Ministry of Environment, No. 382/2001 Sb. and with the proposed limit values of the EU directive, No. 86/278. Among all the determined substances only the value of the sum of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) content exceeded the threshold value given by the proposed EU directive.

Mobility of ibuprofen, a persistent active drug, in soils irrigated with reclaimed water

“…However, application of wastewater in agriculture may pose potential risks to the environment, as wastewater treatment plants have a limited capacity to remove organic chemicals (Bueno et al 2012). Moreover, the application of sludge or fertilisers on agricultural soils represents another source of organic contamination in soils (Vácha et al 2005(Vácha et al , 2006.…”

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxines and dibenzofurans in agricultural soils of the Czech Republic

“…The load of the environment including agricultural soils with PCDDs/Fs has been observed since the second half of the nineties in the Czech Republic (Kalač 1995, Vácha et al 2001. The information about PCDDs/Fs in agricultural soils of the Czech Republic obtained in Central Institute for Supervising and Testing in Agriculture, Agency of Nature and Landscape Protection or some universities is available at present (Holoubek et al 2003, Petruš et al 2003.…”

Recommended maximum contents of persistent organic pollutants in sewage sludge for application on agricultural soils

“…The samples of soil and plants were taken after the harvest, the yield was measured and the contents of POPs in soil and plant samples were analysed. The list of POPs substances was presented in Vácha et al (2005a). The identical analytical methods were used for POPs determination in digested plant samples.…”

“…The comparison of the Czech and EU legislation, including the proposal (Working Document on Sludge) is presented in Table 1. This paper is the continuation of the work by Vácha et al (2005a) and brings new information resulting from the project that was terminated in 2004.…”

“…In his previous article, Vácha et al (2005a) documented that some foreign institutes deal with long-term research of persistent organic pollutants in sludge (Markard 1988, Witte 1988, Starke et al 1991, Webber and Singh 2001. The contents of individual substances from POPs group were determined in the soil after sludge application and the transfer of some substances from soil into plants was observed.…”