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Emmanouil C, Giannakis I, Kyzas GZ. Terrestrial bioassays for assessing the biochemical and toxicological impact of biosolids application derived from wastewater treatment plants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 931:172718. [PMID: 38677438 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are facilities where municipal wastewater undergoes treatment so that its organic load and its pathogenic potential are minimized. Sewage sludge is a by-product of this process and when properly treated is preferentially called "biosolids". These treatments may include some or most of the following: thickening, dewatering, drying, digestion, composting, liming. Nowadays it is almost impossible to landfill biosolids, which however can well be used as crop fertilizers. Continuous or superfluous biosolids fertilization may negatively affect non-target organisms such as soil macro-organisms or even plants. These effects can be depicted through bioassays on terrestrial animals and plants. It has been shown that earthworms have been affected to various degrees on the following endpoints: pollutants' bioaccumulation, viability, reproduction, avoidance behavior, burrowing behavior. Collembola have been affected on viability, reproduction, avoidance behavior. Other terrestrial organisms such as nematodes and diplopods have also shown adverse health effects. Phytotoxicity have been caused by some biosolids regimes as measured through the following endpoints: seed germination, root length, shoot length, shoot biomass, root biomass, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity. Very limited statistical correlations between pollutant concentrations and toxicity endpoints have been established such as between juvenile mortality (earthworms) and As or Ba concentration in the biosolids, between juvenile mortality (collembola) and Cd or S concentration in the biosolids, or between phytotoxicity and some extractable metals in leachates or aquatic extracts from the biosolids; more correlations between physicochemical characteristics and toxicity endpoints have been found such as between phytotoxicity and ammonium N in biosolids or their liquid extracts, or between phytotoxicity and salinity. An inverse correlation between earthworm/collembola mortality and stable organic matter has also been found. Basing the appropriateness of biosolids only on chemical analyses for pollutants is not cost-effective. To enable risk characterization and subsequent risk mitigation it is important to apply a battery of bioassays on soil macro-organisms and on plants, utilizing a combination of endpoints and established protocols. Through combined analytical quantification and toxicity testing, safe use of biosolids in agriculture can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Emmanouil
- School of Spatial Planning and Development, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - Ioannis Giannakis
- School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
| | - George Z Kyzas
- Hephaestus Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Democritus University of Thrace, Kavala, Greece.
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Bertanza G, Abbà A, Alias C, Amatucci A, Binelli A, Castiglioni S, Fossati M, Cruzeiro C, Torre CD, Domini M, Feretti D, Gilioli G, Magni S, Mazzoleni G, Menghini M, Pedrazzani R, Schroeder P, Simonetto A, Steimberg N, Ventura V, Vezzoli S, Zerbini I. To spread or not to spread? Assessing the suitability of sewage sludge and other biogenic wastes for agriculture reuse. MethodsX 2024; 12:102599. [PMID: 38379723 PMCID: PMC10876616 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2024.102599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Sewage sludge (biosolids) management represents a worldwide issue. Due to its valuable properties, approximately one half of the EU production is recovered in agriculture. Nevertheless, growing attention is given to potential negative effects deriving from the presence of harmful pollutants. It is recognized that a (even very detailed) chemical characterization is not able to predict ecotoxicity of a mixture. However, this can be directly measured by bioassays. Actually, the choice of the most suitable tests is still under debate. This paper presents a multilevel characterization protocol of sewage sludge and other organic residues, based on bioassays and chemical-physical-microbiological analyses. The detailed description of the experimental procedure includes all the involved steps: the criteria for selecting the organic matrices to be tested and compared; the sample pre-treatment required before the analyses execution; the chemical, physical and microbiological characterisation; the bioassays, grouped in three classes (baseline toxicity; specific mode of action; reactive mode of action); data processing. The novelty of this paper lies in the integrated use of advanced tools, and is based on three pillars:•the direct ecosafety assessment of the matrices to be reused.•the adoption of innovative bioassays and analytical procedures.•the original criteria for data normalization and processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Bertanza
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
- MISTRAL, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca, Milano Bicocca e Verona “Modelli Integrati di Studio per la Tutela della Salute e la Prevenzione negli Ambienti di Vita e di Lavoro”, Università di Brescia, Italy
| | - Alessandro Abbà
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Carlotta Alias
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche, Scienze Radiologiche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Achille Amatucci
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Andrea Binelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milano I-20133, Italy
| | - Sara Castiglioni
- Dipartimento Ambiente e Salute, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, IRCCS. Via Mario Negri 2, Milano I-20156, Italy
| | - Marco Fossati
- Dipartimento Ambiente e Salute, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri, IRCCS. Via Mario Negri 2, Milano I-20156, Italy
| | - Catarina Cruzeiro
- Helmholtz Zentrum München – Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg D-85764, Germany
| | - Camilla Della Torre
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milano I-20133, Italy
| | - Marta Domini
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Donatella Feretti
- MISTRAL, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca, Milano Bicocca e Verona “Modelli Integrati di Studio per la Tutela della Salute e la Prevenzione negli Ambienti di Vita e di Lavoro”, Università di Brescia, Italy
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche, Scienze Radiologiche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Gianni Gilioli
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Stefano Magni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, Milano I-20133, Italy
| | - Giovanna Mazzoleni
- MISTRAL, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca, Milano Bicocca e Verona “Modelli Integrati di Studio per la Tutela della Salute e la Prevenzione negli Ambienti di Vita e di Lavoro”, Università di Brescia, Italy
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Sperimentali, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Viale Europa 11, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Michele Menghini
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Industriale, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 38, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Roberta Pedrazzani
- MISTRAL, Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca, Milano Bicocca e Verona “Modelli Integrati di Studio per la Tutela della Salute e la Prevenzione negli Ambienti di Vita e di Lavoro”, Università di Brescia, Italy
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e Industriale, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 38, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Peter Schroeder
- Helmholtz Zentrum München – Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Neuherberg D-85764, Germany
| | - Anna Simonetto
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Nathalie Steimberg
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Sperimentali, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Viale Europa 11, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Vera Ventura
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Simona Vezzoli
- Dipartimento di Ingegneria Civile, Architettura, Territorio e Ambiente e di Matematica, Università degli Studi di Brescia. Via Branze 43, Brescia I-25123, Italy
| | - Ilaria Zerbini
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche, Scienze Radiologiche e Sanità Pubblica, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Viale Europa 11, Brescia I-25123, Italy
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Bertanza G, Steimberg N, Pedrazzani R, Boniotti J, Ceretti E, Mazzoleni G, Menghini M, Urani C, Zerbini I, Feretti D. Wastewater toxicity removal: Integrated chemical and effect-based monitoring of full-scale conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor plants. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 851:158071. [PMID: 35988629 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The literature is currently lacking effect-based monitoring studies targeted at evaluating the performance of full-scale membrane bioreactor plants. In this research, a monitoring campaign was performed at a full-scale wastewater treatment facility with two parallel lines (traditional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor). Beside the standard parameters (COD, nitrogen, phosphorus, and metals), 6 polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, 29 insecticides, 2 herbicides, and 3 endocrine disrupting compounds were measured. A multi-tiered battery of bioassays complemented the investigation, targeting different toxic modes of action and employing various biological systems (uni/multicellular, prokaryotes/eukaryotes, trophic level occupation). A traffic light scoring approach was proposed to quickly visualize the impact of treatment on overall toxicity that occurred after the exposure to raw and concentrated wastewater. Analysis of the effluents of the CAS and MBR lines show very good performance of the two systems for removal of organic micropollutants and metals. The most noticeable differences between CAS and MBR occurred in the concentration of suspended solids; chemical analyses did not show major differences. On the other hand, bioassays demonstrated better performance for the MBR. Both treatment lines complied with the Italian law's "ecotoxicity standard for effluent discharge in surface water". Yet, residual biological activity was still detected, demonstrating the adequacy and sensitivity of the toxicological tools, which, by their inherent nature, allow the overall effects of complex mixtures to be taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Bertanza
- DICATAM-Department of Civil, Environmental, Architectural Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brescia, Via Branze 43, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Nathalie Steimberg
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Roberta Pedrazzani
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DIMI-Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Jennifer Boniotti
- DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Ceretti
- DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Mazzoleni
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSCS-Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Michele Menghini
- DIMI-Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Chiara Urani
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DISAT-Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Milan-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 1, I-20126 Milano, Italy.
| | - Ilaria Zerbini
- DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
| | - Donatella Feretti
- MISTRAAL Interdepartmental Research Center - MISTRAL - Inter-University Research Center "Integrated Models for Prevention and Protection in Environmental and Occupational Health", DSCS, Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy; DSMC-Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, I-25123 Brescia, Italy.
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