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Synergistic effects of Fe-based nanomaterial catalyst on humic substances formation and microplastics mitigation during sewage sludge composting
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Researchers developed a novel iron-based nanomaterial catalyst and applied it during sewage sludge composting to enhance the formation of beneficial humic substances while reducing microplastic contamination. The catalyst significantly increased humic acid content and accelerated the breakdown of microplastics in the compost. The findings suggest that iron-based nanomaterials could serve a dual purpose in improving compost quality while helping address microplastic pollution in organic waste.
In this study, a novel Fe-based nanomaterial catalyst (Fe/FeS) was synthesized via a self-heating process and employed to explore its impact on the formation of humic substances and the mitigation of microplastics. The results reveal that Fe/FeS exhibited a significant increase in humic acid content (71.01 mg kg). Similarly, the formation of humic substances resulted in a higher humification index (4.91). Moreover, the addition of Fe/FeS accelerated the degradation of microplastics (MPs), resulting in a lower concentration of MPs (9487 particles/kg) compared to the control experiments (22792 particles/kg). Fe/FeS significantly increased the abundance of medium-sized MPs (50-200 μm) and reduced the abundance of small-sized (10-50 μm) and large-sized MPs (>1000 μm). These results can be attributed to the Fe/FeS regulating the ▪OH production and specific microorganisms to promote humic substance formation and the degradation of MPs. This study proposes a feasible strategy to improve composting characteristics and reduce contaminants.
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