Plant uptake of phosphorus and nitrogen recycled from synthetic source-separated urine

Urine contains about 50 % of the phosphorus (P) and about 90 % of the nitrogen (N) excreted by humans and is therefore an interesting substrate for nutrient recovery. Source-separated urine can be used to precipitate struvite or, through a newly developed technology, nitrified urine fertilizer (NUF). In this study, we prepared ³³P radioisotope- and stable ¹⁵N isotope-labeled synthetic NUF (SNUF) and struvite using synthetic urine and determined P and N uptake by greenhouse-grown ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum var. Gemini) fertilized with these products. The P and N in the urine-based fertilizers were as readily plant-available in a slightly acidic soil as the P and N in reference mineral fertilizers. The ryegrass crop recovered 26 % of P applied with both urine-based fertilizers and 72 and 75 % of N applied as struvite and SNUF, respectively. Thus, NUF and urine-derived struvite are valuable N and P recycling fertilizers.     

鸟粪石法回收制肥工业废水中氨氮的中试研究

制肥工业废水中氨氮浓度高,难以直接进行生化反应,采用鸟粪石沉淀法可有效去除并回收氨氮。利用中试反应器回收某制肥工业废水中的氨氮,采用氯化镁与氧化镁作为联用镁源,通过考察不同进料方式、搅拌速度、停留时间等因素的影响,确定了鸟粪石法回收氨氮的最佳工况:采用间歇进水、固体投加镁源的投料方式,搅拌速度300 r/min,停留时间2 h。最佳条件下,氨氮去除率达到93.5%,磷残余率小于0.3%,生成的鸟粪石纯度可达85.6%,砷和铅的质量分数分别为0.0036和0.0008,符合肥料中重金属限值(GB/T 23349-2009),其他重金属均未检出。因此,回收产品有很好的利用价值。经济分析表明磷源是此方法处理成本较高的主要原因。     

酸性条件下剩余污泥中Ca2＋和Mg2＋溶出对磷回收的影响

为了在酸性条件下实现剩余污泥中磷的高效回收，对pH=3时剩余污泥水解酸化过程中氨氮、正磷酸盐和钙镁离子的溶出现象以及磷回收进行了研究分析。结果表明：当pH=3时，所溶出的氨氮、镁离子和钙离子与磷酸盐的摩尔比均大于1，能满足采用鸟粪石沉淀法或者羟磷灰石沉淀法回收磷的要求；但所溶出的钙镁离子的摩尔比大于1，会对鸟粪石沉淀法回收磷的顺利进行有较大影响；有无外加镁剂对磷回收率影响不大。采用改型后的镁型强酸性阳离子交换树脂进行离子交换可以得到较高纯度的鸟粪石沉淀产品，通过XRD检测其纯度为95％以上。     

Prospect of recovering phosphorus in magnesium slag-packed wetland filter

Phosphorus recovery from wastewater not only reduces the unbearable impacts of excessive nutrient discharge on environmental systems but also favor the reuse of phosphorus resource. Based on the mechanism as well as technical analysis for major phosphorus recovery techniques including struvite precipitation and wetland substrate adsorption, a novel magnesium slag-packed wetland filter and corresponding operational procedures are proposed, which aim to reduce the dependence of using magnesium-containing chemical reagent as magnesium sources for struvite precipitation, and improve the accumulation and recovery performance for struvite precipitation within porous wetland substrate. Results from preliminary experiments indicated that magnesium slag particles with approximately 2 mm in diameter can recover 43.20–72.39% phosphorus from 1–25 mol/L PO₄ ^3? solution, and the presence of 5–50 mol/L NH₄ ⁺ contributed to 11.71–29.11% enhancement of phosphorus recovery mainly due to struvite precipitation. The detected generation of struvite via XRD spectrum analysis partly demonstrated the potential of phosphorus recovery in magnesium slag-packed wetland filter. The proposed phosphorus recovery technology is free of secondary pollution and solid waste generation; phosphorus-saturated (mainly due to struvite precipitation and adsorption) magnesium slag particles can be potentially used as phosphorus fertilizer and thus partly solved the traditional shortages of disposing phosphorus-saturated substrate due to low phosphorus contents.     

Removal of nitrogen and phosphate from wastewater by addition of bittern

Removal of nitrogen and phosphate through crystallization of struvite (MgNH(4)PO(4).6H(2)O) has gained increasing interest. Since wastewaters tend to be low in magnesium relative to ammonia and phosphates, addition of this mineral is usually required to effect the struvite crystallization process. The present study evaluated the feasibility of using bittern, a byproduct of salt manufacture, as a low-cost source of magnesium ions. High reaction rates were observed; the extent of nitrogen and phosphorus removals did not change beyond 10 min. Phosphorus removals from pure solutions with bittern added were equivalent to those obtained with MgCl(2) or seawater. Nitrogen removals with bittern were somewhat lower than with the alternate Mg(2+) sources, however. Application of bittern to biologically treated wastewater from a swine farm achieved high phosphate removal, but ammonia removals were limited by imbalance in the nitrogen:phosphorus ratio.     

Effects of sewage sludge compost application on crops and cropland in a 3-year field study

Composted sewage sludge can be applied to cropland to supply nutrients and improve soil physical properties. However, farmers are much concerned about heavy metal accumulation in cropland and heavy metal availability for crops. A 3-year field study was carried out in this study to investigate the effects of sewage sludge compost (SSC) application on the heavy metal accumulation in cropland soil, rapeseed germination and plumelet development, and yields of barley and Chinese cabbage, compared with conventional mineral fertilization. In addition, the availability of heavy metals for barley and Chinese cabbage was examined. Experimental results showed that SSC application produced little effects on rapeseed germination and stimulated the rape plumelet development at lower application rates (<150 ton ha(-1)). Heavy metals (Cu and Zn) were accumulated in the topsoil (0-20 cm), the barley grains and the cabbage leaves. The yields of barley and Chinese cabbage generated positive response to the SSC application. Addition of mineral N-P-K fertilizers into SSC could further increase the crop yield. Considering the heavy metals accumulation in cropland soil and their availability for crops, SSC should be applied to cropland at a limited application rate (<150 ton ha(-1)).     

Prevention of struvite scaling in digesters combined with phosphorus removal and recovery--the FIX-Phos process

The fixation of phosphorus (FIX-Phos) combines struvite prevention and phosphorus recovery by the addition of calciumsilicatehydrate (CSH) particles into the anaerobic digester. The CSH fixates phosphorus as calcium phosphate and reduces the phosphorus concentration in the sludge water that allows for control of struvite formation. The phosphorus-containing recovery product can be separated and recovered from the digested sludge. In pilot plant experiments, 21% to 31% of phosphorus contained in digested sludge could be recovered when CSH was added at concentrations of 2 g/L to 3.5 g/L to a mixture of primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS) from enhanced biological phosphorus removal. The recovery product contained few heavy metals and a phosphorus content of 18 wt % P2O5, which allows for recycling as fertilizer. The fixation of phosphorus within the digester may increase wastewater sludge dewaterability. The phosphorus recycle stream to the headworks of the wastewater treatment plant is reduced.     

Dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) application in acidic sandy soil in reducing leaching of phosphorus and heavy metals—a column leaching study

A column leaching study was designed to investigate the leaching potential of phosphorus (P) and heavy metals from acidic sandy soils applied with dolomite phosphate rock (DPR) fertilizers containing varying amounts of DPR material and N-Viro soils. DPR fertilizers were made from DPR materials mixing with N-Viro soils at the ratios of 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 %, and applied in acidic sandy soils at the level of 100 mg available P per kilogram soil. A control and a soluble P chemical fertilizer were also included. The amended soils were incubated at room temperature with 70 % field water holding capacity for 21 days before packed into a soil column and subjected to leaching. Seven leaching events were conducted at days 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, 56, and 70, respectively, and 258.9 mL of deionized water was applied at each leaching events. The leachate was collected for the analyses of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), major elements, and heavy metals. DPR fertilizer application resulted in elevations up to 1 unit in pH, 7–10 times in EC, and 20–40 times in K and Ca concentrations, but 3–10 times reduction in P concentration in the leachate as compared with the chemical fertilizer or the control. After seven leaching events, DPR fertilizers with adequate DPR materials significantly reduced cumulative leaching losses of Fe, P, Mn, Cu, and Zn by 20, 55, 3.7, 2.7, and 2.5 times than chemical fertilizer or control. Even though higher cumulative losses of Pb, Co, and Ni were observed after DPR fertilizer application, the loss of Pb, Co, and Ni in leachate was <0.10 mg (in total 1,812 mL leachate). Significant correlations of pH (negative) and DOC (positive) with Cu, Pb, and Zn (P?<?0.01) in leachate were observed. The results indicated that DPR fertilizers had a great advantage over the soluble chemical fertilizer in reducing P loss from the acidic sandy soil with minimal likelihood of heavy metal risk to the water environment. pH elevation and high dissolved organic carbon concentration in soils after DPR fertilizer application are two influential factors.     

工艺条件对鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度的影响

采用激光粒度仪实验测定了小型套管式空气曝气填料层磷回收装置中不同条件下生成的鸟粪石晶体的体积平均粒径，考察了其变化规律，并结合Stokes公式计算了晶体的沉降速率，同时考虑鸟粪石晶体形状的影响，进行了相应的修正。实验结果表明，鸟粪石的粒径在10—200μm之间，主要集中于20～100μm；在磷回收装置中添加填料并通人空气有利于增大鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度，无填料无空气时和有填料有空气时的平均粒径分别在30～55μm和40～65μm之间。随着pH值的增大，鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度逐渐增大，但当pH大于9．0后，鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度又逐渐减小；氮磷比值从1：1增大到2：1，鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度小幅度增加，氮磷比进一步增大，鸟粪石晶体的粒径和沉降速度基本不变；镁磷摩尔比在1：1—1．2：1的范围内时，鸟粪石晶体的平均粒径和沉降速度随镁磷比的增大而增大；镁磷摩尔比大于1．2：1后，鸟粪石晶体的平均粒径和沉降速度随镁磷比的增大逐渐减小；初始磷浓度越高，鸟粪石晶体的平均粒径和沉降速度越大。     

Overcoming challenges to struvite recovery from anaerobically digested dairy manure

Recovering struvite from dairy manure has consistently posed problems for researchers. This study separated solids from anaerobically digested dairy manure using a filtration system. Filtrate was rich in free magnesium (160 to 423 mg/L), ammonium (320 to 1800 mg N/L) and orthophosphate (93 to 332 mg P/L). High concentrations of free calcium (128 to 361 mg/L) and alkalinity (3309 to 6567 mg/L as CaCO3), however, may hinder struvite precipitation. Batch precipitation tests were conducted to identify and overcome factors that interfere with struvite formation. Precipitation tests at pH 9 identified calcium and ionic strength as most probable interferences. Calcium addition did not significantly change phosphorus removal efficiency, but decreased struvite purity because of formation of calcium phosphates when Ca:P activity ratio was greater than 0.5 to 1. Batch tests demonstrated effective calcium removal from anaerobically digested dairy manure through precipitation of calcium carbonate at pH 9 to 10 while retaining magnesium and orthophosphate, lessening hindrance to struvite formation.     

Growth and photosynthetic responses to copper in wild grapevine

The present study evaluates the tolerance and accumulation potential of Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris under moderate and high external Cu levels. A greenhouse experiment was conducted in order to investigate the effects of a range of external Cu concentrations (0–23 mmol L⁻¹) on growth and photosynthetic performance by measuring gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and photosynthetic pigments. We also measured the total copper, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium and sodium concentrations in the plant tissues. All the experimental plants survived even with external Cu concentrations as high as 23 mmol L⁻¹ (1500 mg Cu L⁻¹), although the excess of metal resulted in a biomass reduction of 35%. The effects of Cu on growth were linked to a reduction in net photosynthesis, which may be related to the effect of the high concentration of the metal on photosynthetic electron transport. V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris survived with leaf Cu concentrations as high as 80 mg kg⁻¹ DW and growth parameters were unaffected by leaf tissue concentrations of 35 mg Cu kg⁻¹ DW. The results of our study indicate that plants of V. vinifera ssp. sylvestris from the studied population are more tolerant to Cu than the commercial varieties of grapevine that have been studied in the literature, and could constitute a basis for the genetic improvement of Cu tolerance in grapevine.     

Response of antioxidant enzymes in Nicotiana tabacum clones during phytoextraction of heavy metals

Background, aim, and scope  Tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum, is a widely used model plant for growth on heavy-metal-contaminated sites. Its high biomass and deep rooting system make it interesting for phytoextraction. In the present study, we investigated the antioxidative activities and glutathione-dependent enzymes of different tobacco clones optimized for better Cd and Zn accumulation in order to characterize their performance in the field. Main features  The improved heavy metal resistance also makes the investigated tobacco clones interesting for understanding the plant defense enzyme system in general. Freshly harvested plant material (N. tabacum leaves) was used to investigate the antioxidative cascade in plants grown on heavy metal contaminated sites with and without amendments of different ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate fertilizers. Materials and methods  Plants were grown on heavily polluted soils in north-east Switzerland. Leaves were harvested at the field site and directly deep frozen in liquid N₂. Studies were concentrated on the antioxidative enzymes of the Halliwell–Asada cycle, and spectrophotometric measurements of catalase (CAT, EC 1.11.1.6), ascorbate peroxidase (APX, EC 1.11.1.11), superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), glutathione peroxidase (GPX, EC 1.11.1.9), glutathione reductase (GR, EC 1.6.4.2), glutathione S-transferase (GST, EC 2.5.1.18) were performed. Results and discussion  We tried to explain the relationship between fertilizer amendments and the activity of the enzymatic defense systems. When tobacco (N. tabacum) plants originating from different mutants were grown under field conditions with varying fertilizer application, the uptake of cadmium and zinc from soil increased with increasing biomass. Depending on Cd and Zn uptake, several antioxidant enzymes showed significantly different activities. Whereas SOD and CAT were usually elevated, several other enzymes, and isoforms of GST were strongly inhibited. Conclusions  Heavy metal uptake represents severe stress to plants, and specific antioxidative enzymes are induced at the cost of more general reactions of the Halliwell–Asada cycle. In well-supplied plants, the glutathione level remains more or less unchanged. The lack of certain glutathione S-transferases upon exposure to heavy metals might be problematic in cases when organic pollutants coincide with heavy metal pollution. When planning phytoremediation of sites, mixed pollution scenarios have to be foreseen and plants should be selected according to both, their stress resistance and hyperaccumulative capacity.     

Heavy metal accumulation in Littoraria scabra along polluted and pristine mangrove areas of Tanzania

The periwinkle Littoraria scabra was collected at polluted and pristine mangrove sites along the Tanzanian coastline, including Msimbazi, Mbweni (i.e. Dar es Salaam) and Kisakasaka, Nyamanzi and Maruhubi (i.e. Zanzibar). Periwinkles were morphologically characterized, sexed and their heavy metal content was determined using ICP-MS. Analysis revealed that L. scabra from polluted areas contained higher soft tissue heavy metal levels, were significantly smaller and weighed less compared to their conspecifics from the unpolluted mangroves. The current morphological observations may be explained in terms of growth and/or mortality rate differences between the polluted and non-polluted sites. Although a variety of stressors may account for these adverse morphological patterns, our data suggest a close relationship with the soft tissue heavy metal content. Compared to soft tissue heavy metal levels that were measured in L. scabra along the same area in 1998, most metals, except for arsenic, chromium and iron have decreased dramatically.     

Air pollution assessment based on elemental concentration of leaves tissue and foliage dust along an urbanization gradient in Vienna

Foliage dust contains heavy metal that may have harmful effects on human health. The elemental contents of tree leaves and foliage dust are especially useful to assess air environmental pollution. We studied the elemental concentrations in foliage dust and leaves of Acer pseudoplatanus along an urbanization gradient in Vienna, Austria. Samples were collected from urban, suburban and rural areas. We analysed 19 elements in both kind of samples: aluminium, barium, calcium, copper, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, phosphor, sulphur, strontium and zinc. We found that the elemental concentrations of foliage dust were significantly higher in the urban area than in the rural area for aluminium, barium, iron, lead, phosphor and selenium. Elemental concentrations of leaves were significantly higher in urban than in rural area for manganese and strontium. Urbanization changed significantly the elemental concentrations of foliage dust and leaves and the applied method can be useful for monitoring the environmental load.     

The influence of long-term fertilization on cadmium (Cd) accumulation in soil and its uptake by crops

Continuous application of organic and inorganic fertilizers can affect soil and food quality with respect to heavy metal concentrations. The risk of cadmium (Cd) contamination in a long-term (over 20 years) experimental field in North China with an annual crop rotation of winter wheat and summer maize was investigated. The long-term experiment had a complete randomized block design with seven fertilizer treatments and four replications. The seven fertilizer treatments were (1) organic compost (OM), (2) half organic compost plus half chemical fertilizer (OM?+?NPK), (3) NPK fertilizer (NPK), (4–6) chemical fertilizers without one of the major nutrients (NP, PK, and NK), and (7) an unamended control (CK). Soil samples from 0 to 20 cm were collected in 1989, 1999, and 2009 to characterize Cd and other soil properties. During the past 20 years, various extents of Cd accumulation were observed in the soil, and the accumulation was mainly affected by atmospheric dry and wet deposition and fertilization. In 2009, the average Cd concentration in the soil was 148?±?15 μg kg^?1 and decreased in the order of NPK?≈?OM?+?NKP?≈?PK?>?NP?≈?NK?>?OM?≈?CK. Sequential extraction of Cd showed that the acid-soluble fraction (F1, 32?±?7 %) and the residual fraction (F4, 31?±?5 %) were the dominant fractions of Cd in the soil, followed by the reducible fraction (F2, 22?±?5 %) and oxidizable fraction (F3, 15?±?6 %). The acid-soluble Cd fraction in the soil and Cd accumulation in the crops increased with soil plant available K. Fraction F3 was increased by soil organic C (SOC) and crop yields, but SOC reduced the uptake of soil Cd by crops. The long-term P fertilization resulted in more Cd buildup in the soil than other treatments, but the uptake of Cd by crops was inhibited by the precipitation of Cd with phosphate in the soil. Although soil Cd was slightly increased over the 20 years of intensive crop production, both soil and grain/kernel Cd concentrations were still below the national standards for environmental and food safety.     

Comparison of the heavy metal bioaccumulation capacity of an epiphytic moss and an epiphytic lichen

This study compared the heavy metal bioaccumulation capacity in the epiphytic moss Scorpiurum circinatum and the epiphytic lichen Pseudevernia furfuracea, exposed in bags for 3 months in the urban area of Acerra (S Italy). The content of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, Ti, V, and Zn was measured by ICP-MS. The results showed that both species accumulated all the heavy metals assayed. The moss had the highest bioaccumulation capacity for all metals and showed a more constant and linear accumulation trend than the lichen. Intra-tissue heavy metal bioaccumulation was assessed by X-ray microanalysis applied to ESEM operated in high and low vacuum and ESEM modes.     

Synthesis of a novel slow-release potassium fertilizer from modified Pidgeon magnesium slag by potassium carbonate

A novel slow-release potassium fertilizer (SPF) was synthesized using Pidgeon magnesium slag (PMS) and potassium carbonate, which could minimize fertilizer nutrient loss and PMS disposal problems. Orthogonal experiments were conducted to determine the optimum conditions for synthesis. The potassium (K)-bearing compounds of SPF existed mainly in the form of crystalline phases Ca_1.197K_0.166SiO₄, K₂MgSiO₄, and K₄CaSi₃O₉, and in the noncrystalline phase. The active silicon content of SPF was 2.09 times as much as that of magnesium slag, and the slow-release character of SPF met the requirement for partly slow-release fertilizer in the national standard (GB/T23348-2009). The best models for describing the K release kinetics in water and 2% citric acid were the Elovich model and the first-order model, respectively. The heavy metal contents of SPF conformed to the national standard for organic–inorganic compound fertilizers, and the leaching mass concentrations of heavy metals and Fluorine were far lower than the limit values of the identification standard for hazardous waste identification for extraction toxicity (GB5085.3-2007), and also met the class II quality standard for ground water. The environmental risk of SPF is therefore very low, but because SPF is alkaline, its effect on soil pH should be taken into account.

Implications: PMS is the solid waste resulting from the production of magnesium metal by Pidgeon’s reduction process. Utilization of PMS in the high-technology and high-value areas may promote the high-efficiency development of worldwide collection metallic magnesium industry and contribute to the reduction of emissions of fine dust to air. This paper presents one of the new techniques in the use of PMS as a slow-release fertilizer by adding K₂CO₃. The product can serve as a very cost-effective and reliable artificial fertilizer.     

Comparison of EDTA-enhanced phytoextraction and phytostabilisation strategies with Lolium perenne on a heavy metal contaminated soil

Phytoremediation is a promising and cost-effective strategy to manage heavy metal polluted sites. In this experiment, we compared simultaneously phytoextraction and phytostabilisation techniques on a Cd and Zn contaminated soil, through monitoring of plant accumulation and leaching. Lolium perenne plants were cultivated for 2 months under controlled environmental conditions in a 27.6 dm³-pot experiment allowing the collect of leachates. The heavy metal phytoextraction was promoted by adding Na-EDTA (0.5 g kg⁻¹ of soil) in watering solution. Phytostabilisation was assessed by mixing soil with steel shots (1%) before L. perenne sowing. Presence of plants exacerbated heavy metal leaching, by improving soil hydraulic conductivity. Use of EDTA for phytoextraction led to higher concentration of heavy metal in shoots. However, this higher heavy metal extraction was insufficient to satisfactory reduce the heavy metal content in soil, and led to important heavy metal leaching induced by EDTA. On the other hand, addition of steel shots efficiently decreased both Cd and Zn mobility, according to 0.01 M CaCl₂ extraction, and leaching. However, improvement of growth conditions by steel shots led to higher heavy metal mass in shoot tissues. Therefore, soil heavy metal mobility and plant metal uptake are not systematically positively correlated.     

Health risks of heavy metals in contaminated soils and food crops irrigated with wastewater in Beijing, China

Consumption of food crops contaminated with heavy metals is a major food chain route for human exposure. We studied the health risks of heavy metals in contaminated food crops irrigated with wastewater. Results indicate that there is a substantial buildup of heavy metals in wastewater-irrigated soils, collected from Beijing, China. Heavy metal concentrations in plants grown in wastewater-irrigated soils were significantly higher (P相似文献   

Trace element contaminants in mineral fertilizers used in Iran

The application of mineral fertilizers which have contaminants of trace elements may impose concern regarding the entry and toxic accumulation of these elements in agro-ecosystems. In this study, 57 mineral fertilizers (nitrogen, potassium, phosphate, and compound fertilizers) distributed in Iran were analyzed for their contents of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Fe. The results revealed that the contents of these trace elements varied considerably depending on the type of the element and the fertilizer. Among these elements, Fe displayed the highest average content, whereas Cd showed the lowest. Generally, the trace element contents in P-containing fertilizers were higher than those in nitrogen and potassium fertilizers. The mean values of trace elements (mg kg^?1) in P-containing fertilizers were 4.0 (Cd), 5.5 (Co), 35.7 (Cr), 24.4 (Cu), 272 (Mn), 14.3 (Ni), 6.0 (Pb), 226 (Zn), and 2532 (Fe). Comparing trace element contents to limit values set by the German Fertilizer Ordinance showed that the mean contents of potentially toxic trace elements, such as Cd and Pb, were lower than their limit values in all groups of fertilizers. On the other hand, while a number of fertilizers contained a high content of some essential trace elements, particularly Fe, they were not labeled as such.