Heavy Metal Remediation in Sludge Compost: Recent Progress
- Rongwei Xiong1,#, Xiufang Gao1,2,#,*, Xinyue Tu3, Yilin Mao1, Li Jiang1, Lu Zheng3, Yitong Du3
1 Yangtze University, Wuhan, 430100, China
2 Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Jingzhou, 434025, China
3 School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiufang Gao. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Biochar Based Materials for a Green Future)
2 Engineering Research Center of Ecology and Agricultural Use of Wetland, Ministry of Education, Jingzhou, 434025, China
3 School of Environmental Science & Engineering, Hubei Polytechnic University, Huangshi, 435003, China
* Corresponding Author: Xiufang Gao. Email:
(This article belongs to this Special Issue: Biochar Based Materials for a Green Future)
Received 23 April 2021; Accepted 04 June 2021; Issue published 30 August 2021
Abstract
The safe and efficient disposal and utilization of sludge are major issues to be solved in solid waste treatment and environmental protection due to the complex characteristics of sludge and the low rate of innocuous treatments. Composting is a process of decomposing organic matter and transformed low-molecular organic acids into high-molecular humus substances under the action of microorganisms. Although land-use after composting has become an important direction for sludge treatment, heavy metal pollution is still the bottleneck problem restricting land use of sludge compost. Adding zeolite, hydroxyapatite, and other conditioning agents to the composting process affects the concentration or form of some heavy metals and effectively reduces the environmental risk. Lime and phosphorus modifiers change heavy metal speciation in samples, playing a role in decreasing biological availability and mobility. In this study, the effects of sludge composting treatment and conditioning agents on the concentrations and forms of heavy metals are reviewed. This review will provide a theoretical basis to treat heavy metals in sludge composting and lay the foundation for the land utilization and waste recycling of sludge.
Keywords
Sludge compost; heavy metal; conditioning agents; remediation
Cite This Article
Xiong, R., Gao, X., Tu, X., Mao, Y., Jiang, L. et al. (2022). Heavy Metal Remediation in Sludge Compost: Recent Progress. Journal of Renewable Materials, 10(2), 469–486.
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