Simultaneous dry-sorption of heavy metals by porous adsorbents during sludge composting

Abstract

Heavy metal removal by using porous mineral adsorbents bears a great potential to decontaminate sludge compost, and natural zeolite (NZ), artificial zeolite (AZ), and expanded perlite (EP) seem to be possible candidates for this purpose. A composting experiment was conducted to compare the efficiency of those adsorbents for removal of iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), and lead (Pb) from sewage sludge compost with no adsorbent amendment. For this purpose, 10 g of NZ and AZ and 5 g of EP was filled in a small bag made from non-biodegradable synthetic textile and was separately mixed in composting piles. The bags were separated from compost samples at the end of the experiment. AZ and NZ exhibited different reduction potentials depending on the type of heavy metal. AZ significantly reduced Cr (43.7%), Mn (35.8%), and Fe (29.9%), while NZ more efficiently reduced Cu (24.5%), Ni (22.2%), Zn (22.1%), and Pb (21.2%). The removal efficiency of EP was smaller than both AZ and NZ. The results of this simultaneous composting and metal removing study suggest that AZ and NZ can efficiently bind metal during composting process.