Occurrence and dissipation mechanism of organic pollutants during the composting of sewage sludge: A critical review

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 328; p. 124847
• Main Authors: Lü, Huixiong, Chen, Xiao-Hong, Mo, Ce-Hui, Huang, Yu-Hong, He, Min-Ying, Li, Yan-Wen, Feng, Nai-Xian, Katsoyiannis, Athanasios, Cai, Quan-Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.05.2021
• Subjects: Biodegradation; Composting; Dibenzofurans; Dissipation; Environmental Pollutants; land application; microbial communities; Microbial community; mineralization; Persistent organic pollutants; phthalates; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins; Sewage; sewage sludge; Sludge composting; Soil; Biodegradation; Persistent organic pollutants; Microbial community; Sludge composting; Dissipation
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.124847

[Display omitted] •PAHs and PAEs showed higher dissipation percentages than PCDD/Fs and PCBs during sludge composting.•Organic pollutants like PAHs and PAEs were removed mainly through degradation or mineralization.•Recalcitrant PCDD/Fs and PCBs can be sequestrated in organic fraction of sludge compost.•ARG abundance in some cases increased after sludge composting.•Innovative and efficient composting is necessary to remove recalcitrant POPs and ARG. Sewage sludge contains various classes of organic pollutants, limiting its land application. Sludge composting can effectively remove some organic pollutants. This review summarizesrecent researches on concentration changes and dissipation of different organic pollutants including persistent organic pollutants during sludge composting, and discusses their dissipation pathways and the current understanding on dissipation mechanism. Some organic pollutants like PAHs and phthalates were removed mainly through biodegradation or mineralization, and their dissipation percentages were higher than those of PCDD/Fs and PCBs. Nevertheless, some recalcitrant organic pollutants could be sequestrated in organic fractions of sludge mixtures, and their levels and ARG abundance even increased after sludge composting in some studies, posing potential risks for land application. This review demonstrated that microbial community and their corresponding degradation for organic pollutants were influenced by different pollutants, bulking agents, composting methods and processes. Further research perspectives on removing organic pollutants during sludge composting were highlighted.