An investigation of rare earth elements in sewage sludge generated in Poland

Paulina Kostrz-Sikora

doi:10.7494/geol.2024.50.4.341

Authors

Paulina Kostrz-Sikora Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7633-9930

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7494/geol.2024.50.4.341

Keywords:

sewage sludge, rare earth elements, industrial/ municipal wastewater treatment plants

Abstract

According to Statistics Poland, an average of around 1 million tonnes DM of sewage sludge has been generated in Poland annually over the past several years, of which approximately 30% has been used in nature, e.g. in agriculture, to grow plants for compost production, or for land reclamation (Statistics Poland 2004–2022). Most research on sewage sludge has focused on investigating its fertilizing value (nitrogen, phosphorus), identifying the composition of organic matter and determining the total content of heavy metals (including primarily cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, zinc, mercury and chromium) and the forms of their occurrence that determine their mobility and bioavailability. The occurrence of rare earth elements (REEs) in sewage sludge has hardly been addressed in research, even though their presence in production processes and everyday objects is increasingly common. The results presented in this article of studies of the concentrations of individual REEs in sewage sludge from selected industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants located in Poland indicate that they are significantly lower than the average lanthanide level in the Earth’s crust. This may suggest that anthropogenic sources of REEs do not affect the composition of the wastewater and sludge studied. The calculated median concentration of ΣREE in sludge from industrial wastewater treatment plants is 9.47 mg/kg, whereas in municipal sewage sludge, the midpoint value for REE concentration is 13.5 mg/kg. Normalization of the obtained results with respect to Post-Archean Australian Shale (PAAS) and to topsoil and subsoil from Poland shows that the sludge is generally depleted in REE relative to the standards used. An assessment of the contamination of sewage sludge with rare earth elements, based on the calculated values of the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) for these elements, also shows that the content of lanthanides in the studied sewage sludge is lower than in the soils of Poland.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Balaram V., 2019. Rare earth elements: A review of applications, occurrence, exploration, analysis, recycling, and environmental impact. Geoscience Frontiers, 10(4), 1285–1303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsf.2018.12.005.

Bień J.B. & Wystalska K., 2011. Osady ściekowe: teoria i praktyka. Wydawnictwo Politechniki Częstochowskiej, Częstochowa.

Charewicz W. (red.), 1990. Pierwiastki ziem rzadkich: surowce, technologie, zastosowania. Wydawnictwa NaukowoTech-niczne, Warszawa.

Chen S., 2019. Occurrence characteristics and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sewage sludge. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 295(5), 052041. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/295/5/052041.

De Vos W., Tarvainen T. (Chief-editors), Salminen R., Reeder S., De Vivo B., Demetriades A., Pirc S., Batista M.J., Marsina K., Ottesen R.-T., O’Connor P.J., Bidovec M., Lima A., Siewers U., Smith B., Taylor H., Shaw R., Salpeteur I., Gregorauskiene V., …, Petersell V., 2006. Geochemical Atlas of Europe. Part 2: Interpretation of Geochemical Maps, Additional Tables, Figures, Maps, and Related Publications. Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo.

Duan B., Zhang W., Zheng X., Wu C., Zhang Q. & Bu Y., 2017. Disposal situation of sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and assessment of the ecological risk of heavy metals for its land use in Shanxi, China. Interna-tional Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(7), 823. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14070823.

Eriksson J., 2001. Concentrations of 61 trace elements in sewage sludge, farmyard manure, mineral fertiliser, precipitation and in oil and crops. Report 5159, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm.

Filho W.L., Kotter R., Özuyar P.G., Abubakar I.R., Eustachio J.H.P.P. & Matandirotya N.R., 2023. Understanding rare earth elements as critical raw materials. Sustainability, 15(3), 1919. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031919.

Gambogi J. & Cordier D.J., 2012. Rare earths. [in:] 2010 Minerals Yearbook: Rare Earths, U.S. Geological Survey, 60.1–60.13. https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/mineral-pubs/rare-earth/myb1-2010-raree.pdf [access: 12.09.2022].

Gao L., Kano N., Sato Y., Li C., Zhang S. & Imaizumi H., 2012. Behavior and distribution of heavy metals including rare earth elements, thorium, and uranium in sludge from industry water treatment plant and recovery method of metals by biosurfactants application. Bioinorganic Chemistry and Applications, 2012(1), 173819. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/173819.

Goodenough K.M., Wall F. & Merriman D., 2017. The rare earth elements: demand, global resources, and challenges for re-sourcing future generations. Natural Resources Research, 27(2), 201–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-017-9336-5.

Gupta C.K. & Krishnamurthy N., 2005. Extractive Metallurgy of Rare Earths. CRC Press Boca Raton, Florida, USA.

Kabata-Pendias A. & Mukherjee A.B., 2007. Trace Elements from Soil to Human. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-32714-1.

Kaegi R., Gogos A., Voegelin A., Hug S.J., Winkel L.H.E., Buser A.M. & Berg M., 2021. Quantification of individual Rare Earth Elements from industrial sources in sewage sludge. Water Research X, 11, 100092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wroa.2021.100092.

Kawasaki A., Kimura R. & Arai S., 1998. Rare earth elements and other trace elements in wastewater treatment sludges. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 44(3), 433–441. https://doi.org/10.1080/00380768.1998.10414465.

Latosińska J., Kowalik R. & Gawdzik J., 2021. Risk assessment of soil contamination with heavy metals from municipal sewage sludge. Applied Sciences, 11(2), 548. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11020548.

Li J., Luo G. & Xu J., 2019. Fate and ecological risk assessment of nutrients and metals in sewage sludge from ten wastewater treatment plants in Wuxi City, China. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 102(2), 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-018-2525-z.

Liu S.-L., Fan H.-R., Liu X., Meng J., Butcher A.R., Yann L., Yang K.-F. & Li X.-Ch., 2023. Global rare earth elements projects: New developments and supply chains. Ore Geology Reviews, 157, 105428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2023.105428.

Long K.R., Van Gosen B.S., Foley N.K. & Cordier D., 2010. The principal rare earth elements deposits of the United States – A summary of domestic deposits and a global perspective. Scientific Investigations Report 2010–5220, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia.

Müller G., 1969. Index of geoaccumulation in sediments of the Rhine River. Geo Journal, 2(3), 108–118.

Nance W.B. & Taylor S.R., 1976. Rare earth elements patterns and crustal evolution – I. Australian post-Archean sedimentary rocks. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 40(12), 1539–1551. https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(76)90093-4.

Nkinahamira F., Suanon F., Chi Q., Li Y., Feng M., Huang X., Yu C.P. & Sun Q., 2019. Occurrence, geochemical fractionation, and environmental risk assessment of major and trace elements in sewage sludge. Journal of Environmental Management, 249, 109427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109427.

Oleszkiewicz J.A., 1998. Gospodarka osadami ściekowymi: poradnik decydenta. LEM s.c., Kraków.

Paulo A. & Krzak M., 2015. Metale rzadkie. Wydawnictwa AGH, Kraków.

Statistics Poland, 2004–2022. Local Data Bank. https://bdl.stat.gov.pl/bdl/start [access: 20.05.2024].

Suanon F., Sun Q., Yang X., Chi Q., Mulla S.I., Mama D. & Yu Ch.-P., 2017. Assessment of the occurrence, spatiotemporal variations and geoaccumulation of fifty-two inorganic elements in sewage sludge: A sludge management revisit. Scientific Reports, 7, 5698. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-05879-9.

Sundha P., Basak N., Rai A.K., Chandra P., Bedwal S., Yadav G., Yadav R.K. & Sharma P.C., 2022. Characterization and eco-toxicological risk assessment of sewage sludge from industrial and non-industrial cities. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(55), 116567–116583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21648-2.

Suresh G., Ramasamy V., Meenakshisundaram V., Venkatachalapathy R. & Ponnusamy V., 2011. Influence of mineralogical and heavy metal composition on natural radionuclide concentrations in the river sediments. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 69(10), 1466–1474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2011.05.020.

Taylor S.R. & McLennan S.M., 1985. The Continental Crust: Its Composition and Evolution. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.

Tommasi F., Thomas P.J., Pagano G., Perono G.A., Oral R., Lynos D.M., Toscanesi M. & Trifuoggi M., 2021. Review of rare earth elements as fertilizers and feed additives: A knowledge gap analysis. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 81(4), 531–540. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00773-4.

Tytła M., 2019. Assessment of heavy metal pollution and potential ecological risk in sewage sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plant located in the most industrialized region in Poland – case study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(13), 2430. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16132430.

Tytła M., 2020. Identification of the chemical forms of heavy metals in municipal sewage sludge as a critical element of eco-logical risk assessment in terms of its agricultural or natural use. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4640. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134640.

USGS, 2022. 2018 Minerals Yearbook: Rare Earths (advance release). https://pubs.usgs.gov/myb/vol1/2018/myb1-2018-rare-earths.pdf [access: 12.09.2022].

USGS, 2024. Mineral Commodity Summaries: Rare Earths. https://pubs.usgs.gov/periodicals/mcs2024/mcs2024-rare-earths.pdf [access: 12.09.2022].

Verplanck P.L., Furlong E.T., Gray J.L., Phillips P.J., Wolf R.E. & Esposito K., 2010. Evaluating the behavior of gadolinium and other rare earth elements through large metropolitan sewage treatment plants. Environmental Science & Technology, 44(10), 3876–3882. https://doi.org/10.1021/es903888t.

Vriens B., Voegelin A., Hug S.J., Kaegi R., Winkel L.H.E., Buser A.M. & Berg M., 2017. Quantification of element fluxes in wastewaters: A nationwide screening in Switzerland. Environmental Science & Technology, 51(19), 10925–11496. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.7b01731.

Wysocka I.A., Porowski A., Rogowska A.M. & Kaczor-Kurzawa D., 2018. Pierwiastki ziem rzadkich (REE) w wodach po-wierzchniowych i podziemnych Polski na tle innych krajów Europy. Przegląd Geologiczny, 66(11), 692–705. https://doi.org/10.7306/2018.12.

Wysocka I.A., Rogowska A.M. & Kostrz-Sikora P., 2023. Investigation of anthropogenic gadolinium in tap water of Polish cities: Gdańsk, Kraków, Warszawa and Wrocław. Environmental Pollution, 323, 121289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121289.

Zhang S., 2022. Study on economic significance of rare earth mineral resources development based on goal programming and few-shot learning. Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2022(1), 7002249. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/7002249.

Zhang S. & Shan X., 2001. Speciation of rare earth elements in soil and accumulation by wheat with rare earth fertilizer application. Environmental Pollution, 112(3), 395–405. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00143-3.