Open Access

REVIEW

Heavy Metal Remediation in Sludge Compost: Recent Progress

Rongwei Xiong^1,#, Xiufang Gao^1,2,#,*, 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:
# Co-first authors: Rongwei Xiong and Xiufang Gao are co-first authors of the article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Biochar Based Materials for a Green Future)

Journal of Renewable Materials 2022, 10(2), 469-486. https://doi.org/10.32604/jrm.2022.017226

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.

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