Influence of earthworms on the behaviour of organic micropollutants in sewage sludge

0574691 - MBÚ 2024 RIV NL eng J - Journal Article
Dume, B. - Hanč, A. - Švehla, P. - Michal, P. - Pospíšil, V. - Grasserová, Alena - Cajthaml, Tomáš - Chane, A.D. - Nigussie, A.
Influence of earthworms on the behaviour of organic micropollutants in sewage sludge.
Journal of Cleaner Production. Roč. 416, SEP 1 2023 (2023), č. článku 137869. ISSN 0959-6526. E-ISSN 1879-1786
R&D Projects: GA MZe(CZ) QK1910095
Institutional support: RVO:61388971
Keywords : Bio-waste * Vermidegradation * Eisenia andrei * Vermiaccumulation * Vermicompost
OECD category: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)
Impact factor: 11.1, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652623020279?via%3Dihub

The objective of this study was to evaluate the concentration of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and endocrine disrupting chemicals during vermicomposting of sewage sludge using Eisenia andrei and in earthworm tissues with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of earthworms to remove these substances. The experiment was carried out for 120 days with and without earthworms in varying proportions of sewage sludge in a mixture with dried straw pellets at 100, 75, 50, and 25% (w/w) of sludge. The results revealed that the earthworms had the most significant removal efficiencies on triclosan (37%) and mirtazapine (14%). Venlafaxine (193%), triclosan (43%), and citalopram (37%), had the most earthworm influence efficiency of degradation. The maximum vermiaccumulation of caffeine (72%), carbamazepine (65%), cetirizine (32%), citalopram (16%), diclofenac (183%), and triclosan (118%) was obtained. Based on these findings, earthworms show great promise in removing monitored compounds from sewage sludge during vermicomposting. However, further research is needed to optimize the process for maximum removal efficiency and confirm this approach's effectiveness.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0345966