Exclusive: Treatment of Emerging Contaminants

Occurrence characteristics, treatment status and prevention and control strategies of new pollutants in urban sludge in China

  • LI Jiang ,
  • ZOU Xiaoshuang ,
  • WANG Bin ,
  • HOU Li'an
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  • 1. Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China;
    2. Guizhou Karst Environmental Ecosystems Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Education, Guiyang 550025, China;
    3. College of Civil Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China;
    4. Detachment 23, Unit 96901 People's Liberation Army of China, Beijing 100094, China

Received date: 2024-01-02

  Revised date: 2024-04-29

  Online published: 2024-07-08

Abstract

Sludge is an important "sink" of emerging pollutants and the ecological risk caused by emerging pollutants is the key to the resource utilization and safe disposal of sludge. This paper deals with the occurrence characteristics of emerging pollutants in urban sludge in China, summarizes the removal characteristics of emerging pollutants by sludge treatment and disposal, puts forward the shortcomings in the current situation to treat emerging pollutants in sludge, further condenses the key scientific problems still existing in the treatment of emerging pollutants in sludge, and thus puts forward the prevention and control strategies. From the perspective of the existence level of various emerging pollutants in sludge, the detection rate of antibiotics is high, with a concentration of up to μg/g dw; concentrations of perfluorocarbons and endocrine disrupting agents are in the level of ng/g dw; the existence level of microplastics is generally high, with an abundance range of 1600.00~5640.00 /kg dw. Sludge anaerobic digestion and aerobic composting treatment technologies can effectively control and reduce the existence of emerging pollutants in sludge. The removal effects of different emerging pollutants are affected by the physical and chemical properties, bioavailability and other conditions of the pollutants themselves. Further research can be conducted on the removal paths and degradation mechanisms of a variety of emerging pollutants coexisting systems. The strategy of optimizing composting conditions and introducing specific microbial strains can be combined to improve the degradation efficiency of emerging pollutants, so as to obtain safer compost products. Land use is the final destination of sludge compost products. It is urgent to carry out ecological risk assessment of various emerging pollutants in the process of sludge land use and establish corresponding limit control standards, so as to provide a scientific basis for the safe use of sludge land.

Cite this article

LI Jiang , ZOU Xiaoshuang , WANG Bin , HOU Li'an . Occurrence characteristics, treatment status and prevention and control strategies of new pollutants in urban sludge in China[J]. Science & Technology Review, 2024 , 42(11) : 18 -28 . DOI: 10.3981/j.issn.1000-7857.2024.01.00016

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