Ashes from Sewage Sludge and Bottom Sediments as a Source of Bioavailable Phosphorus
Phosphorus is an element necessary for the growth of plants. As phosphate rock gets depleted, it becomes an increasingly scarce resource. Therefore, it seems necessary to implement simple methods of cheap and effective phosphorus recovery from waste. The ashes of municipal sewage sludge and bottom sediments constitute particularly valuable sources of phosphorus. However, these materials usually carry significant amounts of pollutants, including heavy metals. Optimization of ash phosphorus sequential extraction methods from a thermal conversion of sewage sludge and bottom sediments allows to select an effective and simple technology of phosphorus recovery, while maintaining low heavy metal p…
THE POSSIBILITY OF DISPOSING OF SPENT COFFEE GROUND WITH ENERGY RECYCLING
The current policy of waste management requires, above all, a gradual reduction of waste amount and, to a larger extent, forces us to seek new methods of waste disposal. Recycling the energy contained in biomass waste is a more and more universally applied method of thermal converting. Biomass combustion allows saving fossil fuels which fits into sustainable development. This paper checks the possibility of using spent coffee ground (SCG) in energy recycling using a combustion process. This particular biomass type up to now has not been widely examined, which inclines to consider its usage as a potential additive to alternative fuels. In the study, we examined the quality of fuel, which was…
Dynamic of Components Leachate from Experimental Fertilizers in Leaching Test
Organic matter contained in the waste of food industry or occurring in the households, in the absence of contamination with other kind of waste, may be used to create a “fertiliser”, which could be even reused in the organic production of arable crops. Particular attention is drawn to the fertilisers which may be applied in the case of amateur cultivation of pot plants and in the allotment gardens. The paper presents the results of research regarding the dynamics of the release of nutrients from tablets created with the help of encapsulation of the mixture manufactured from solvent extraction waste of coffee (SCG), modified by the ash obtained from low temperature burning of biomass. In thi…
The possibilities of using the aspen poplar seeds (Populus tremula L.) for the purpose of removing monoaromatic hydrocarbons from an aqueous solution
Sorption of oil-related products (including mainly the propellants) is the very basic process that counteracts spreading these types of pollution into environment. Plenty of synthetic substances are used as sorbents for binding organic compounds (including the monoaromatic hydrocarbons) both from the surface and underground waters. The aim of this paper is to present results of the research on the possibilities of using the aspen poplar (Populus tremula L.) seeds as a sorbent of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from an aqueous solution. In order to increase sorption capacity, the seeds biomass was submitted for the process of mercerizing in diversified time and temperature in water and the NaOH so…
ASSESSMENT OF PAHS AND SELECTED PESTICIDES IN SHALLOW GROUNDWATER IN THE HIGHEST PROTECTED AREAS IN THE OPOLE REGION, POLAND
The ground water quality was determined after the analyses of water samples from 18 wells. The wells were in the Groundwater Area with the Highest Protection (Triassic water, Opole region, Poland), rural build up. The water table level was low: 0.5 – 18.0 m below the ground surface level (except for one artesian well). The following parameters were determined: pH, EC, colour, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, dissolved orthophosphate, total phosphorus, dissolved oxygen, BOD, COD-Mn, COD-Cr, humic substances, chloride, sulphate, total hardness, alkalinity, dry residue PAHs (16 compounds), pesticides (6 compounds), however, only selected data were presented in this paper. In all the analysed water …
The possibilities of using low-cost fibrous natural materials as sorbents for removing aliphatic hydrocarbons (C6-C15) from an aqueous solution
Sorption of oil-related products (including mainly the propellants) is the basic process that coun-teracts spreading these types of pollution into the environment. Plenty of synthetic substances (including multi-component petroleum products) must be removed both from the fresh and ground-water. The aim of this study was to compare the possibilities of using natural fibrous materials (also weed or waste materials): broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia L.) seeds, peat and coconut fiber as sorbents of aliphatic hydrocarbons from an aqueous solution. In order to increase sorptive capacity, tested materials were mercerized in hot (80°C) NaOH for sorption properties improvement. The removal of alip…
The Influence of Biomass Ash on the Migration of Heavy Metals in the Flooded Soil Profile - Model Experiment
Soils that have been exposed to fl ood waters can be heavily polluted by inorganic and organic compounds. They are mainly compounds which appear in dissolved or suspended form fl owing together with heavily laden fl oodwater, as well as compounds created as a result of reactions in the soil profi le, mostly due to anaerobic transformation of organic matter. Heavy metals brought with fl ood waters are absorbed by the soil and also washed out from fl ood sediments by precipitation when the fl ood recedes. This paper presents the results of research on the effects of fertilization with ash from incineration or pyrolysis of biomass on the migration process of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, C…
Uses of weeds as an economical alternative to processed wood biomass and fossil fuels
Abstract The use of fossil fuels as a main source of energy is directly linked to global climate change (due to CO2 emission), so there is a necessity to find new, cheap and easily available energy sources for the earth’s inhabitants. Nowadays renewable energy sources are forced also for the mitigation of the effects of climate change as a result of greenhouse gases emission control. Decentralized sources of low-cost renewable fuels that may be used, in particular, in those households where there is no possibility of using gas or heat delivered from other sources should be of special interest. This paper describes the possibility of using untreated plants such as Canadian goldenrod (Solidag…
Pollution of Flooded Arable Soils with Heavy Metals and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Soils that are exposed to floodwaters because of shallow groundwater and periodical wetlands are, to a large extent, exposed to contamination by organic and inorganic compounds. These are mainly compounds that have drifted along with the inflow of heavily laden floodwater and are produced within the soil profile by the anaerobic transformation of organic matter. Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are absorbed by the soil of the floodwaters, and moving in the soil profile, they pose a threat to groundwater. What is more, after a flood, they may be absorbed by the crops. This paper focuses on the effects of Odra River (Poland) floods, heavy metals, and PAHs on so…
Hydrogen peroxide as a biodegradation stimulator in remediation processes of soils heavily contaminated with petrochemicals
Abstract The soil contaminated with petroleum products must be excluded from the crops and treated to reclamation processes. Natural processes of decomposition of hydrocarbon compounds go very slow, so it is necessary to use bioaugumentation or stimulation in order to accelerate the return of the soil to high culture. In this study the effect of hydrogen peroxide on the process of cleaning soil strongly contaminated with pertochemicals was investigated. For this purpose, a pot experiment lasting 60 days was carried. The dynamics of changes in the population of filamentous fungi, yeasts and bacteria were examined and also content of aliphatic hydrocarbons (n-alkanes), monoaromatic and polycy…
Acute Toxicity of Experimental Fertilizers Made of Spent Coffee Grounds
Sustainable agriculture places new demands on agricultural practice and, in particular, plant protection treatments and fertilization. Therefore, an increase in demand for organic fertilizers of good quality is expected. In particular, the organic matter contained in the waste of the food industry or generated in households, in the absence of contamination, can be used for the production of “fertilizer”, which could be used in organic crop production. The paper presents basic characteristics of tested mixtures and the results of testing for acute toxicity of the mixture made from spent coffee grounds (SCG) modified with ash arising from the low-temperature combustion of biomass or magnesium…
HOMEMADE SLOW-ACTION FERTILIZERS, AS AN ECONOMIC SOLUTION FOR ORGANIC FOOD PRODUCTION
Organic plant cultivation, especially those intended for human consumption, poses new requirements for gardening. It is recommended to use organic slow-action fertilizers, which provide doses of nutrients essential for plants for a long time. Particularly valuable fertilizers are those that arise within the household, due to their high quality and the absence of costs associated with their purchase and transport. Organic matter contained in the food industry waste or arising in households, in the absence of contamination by other types of waste, can be used for self-production of organic fertilizer. The paper presents the results of testing organic fertilizers, which you can make yourself, …
The possibilities of using broadleaf cattail seeds (Typha latifolia L.) as super absorbents for removing aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) from an aqueous solution
Sorption of oil-related products (including mainly the propellants) is the very basic process that counteracts spreading these types of pollution into environment. Plenty of synthetic substances (including the monoaromatic hydrocarbons) are both from the surface and underground waters. The aim of this study was to present the research’s results on the possibilities of using the broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia L.) seeds as a sorbent of monoaromatic hydrocarbons from an aqueous solution. In order to increase sorptive capacity, the seeds biomass was submitted for the process of mercerizing in diversified time and temperature in water and the NaOH solution. The removal of benzene, toluene, e…
Assessment of Effectiveness of Organo-Mineral Fertilizer Made of Coffee Spent Grounds and Biomass Ash
Optimization of the biodegradable wastes management is one of the main goals of the activities taken up in the European Union. The aim of the present paper is to define the possibilities of supporting the process of golden rod yield (Solidago canadensis L.) by using different mineral-organic fertilizers, in a form of granulated substances, produced from extracted coffee wastes (CSG) as well as from ash which is the result of woody biomass combustion. Golden rod, as a potential energetic plant, is very easy to grow because it covers the grounds which are not utilized agriculturally or the ones localised in the close neighbourhood of industrial areas. For certain experimental purposes, a fiel…
THE INFLUENCE OF RED WORMS (E. FOETIDA) ON COMPOST’S FERTILIZING PROPERTIES
Composting is becoming a more and more common way of biodegradable waste disposal. Composts should be characterized by high content of nutrients and low amount of pollutants. Vermicompost is a compost produced by overpopulated culture of earthworm Eisenia foetida (Savigny 1826). World scientific literature states that vermicompost has a high fertilizing value which often exceeds such value of conventional composts. The results showed that vermicompost has a much higher fertilizing value than the compost produced by the traditional pile method. However, prism vermicompost created with the participation of a less concentrated population of earthworms has an intermediate value as a fertilizer …
Comparison of the Phytotoxkit microbiotest and chemical variables for toxicity evaluation of sediments
The main objective of the research was to evaluate the suitability of the Phytotoxkit microbiotest as a tool for hazard assessment of sediments. The concentrations of oil derivatives, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were determined in sediment samples collected from the urban canal in Opole (Poland), in order to obtain a general insight of the level of sediment contamination. Phytotoxicity of sediments was estimated on the basis of seed germination and root elongation measurements, combined into an overall germination index (Gl). The results revealed spatial and vertical differentiation in sediment contamination. A good correlation …
Acute toxicity of experimental fertilizers made of blood meal, spent coffee ground and biomass ash
Abstract The study presents the results of research on the acute toxicity of a fertilizer formulas made of spent coffee ground (SCG) with addition of ash from low-temperature combustion of biomass or ash with an admixture of magnesium sulphate and blood meal. The experimental fertilizer formulas included also rape oil used as a plasticizer for controlling the nutrients release from the fertiliser. Mustard (Sinapis alba L.), oats (Avena sativa sp. L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and cress (Lepidium sativum L.) were used as test plants species in the experiment. The toxicity tests were performed using a standard procedure of 72 h with the use of Phytotoxkit microbiotest and fertilizer appl…
The effect of temperature on the biodegradation of different types of packaging materials under test conditions
The development of civilization contributed to the exponential growth in the production of plastics. Policy of the, so-called, “European Green Deal” places particular emphasis on reducing the use of plastics through various mechanisms, including their reuse, recycling and, in particular, the development of new biodegradable and compostable plastics. In order to check if plastics are suitable for biodegradability and compostability they must undergo a series of tests in accordance with applicable standards. The biodegradation test procedures are very general and allow for the use of different temperatures of the biodegradation process in the test. The aim of the research was to evaluate the …
The comparative research of leaching tests and the sequential chemical extraction based on the environmental risk assessment by a selected type of waste
The problem of the circulation of metal ions in the environment remains a current problem in view of the quality of received agricultural crops. The necessity of increasingly frequent use of alternative sources of biogenesis in the form of waste substances poses a threat of bringing significant amounts of heavy metals harmful to human health and life to soils. The article discusses a significant problem, which is the comparison of the results of the environmental impact assessment of waste obtained based on the implementation of legitimate leaching tests (the three-stage leachability test according to PN-Z-15009) with the results obtained from sequential chemical extraction tests according …