Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Removal of toxic metals from sewage sludge by EDTA in a closed-loop washing process

Researchers tested a closed-loop EDTA washing process for removing toxic metals from sewage sludge, achieving average removal rates of 59% for zinc and 60% for copper across 10 consecutive washing batches with no wastewater generated, while demonstrating that the process preserves sludge nutrient content within acceptable limits for potential land application.

2022 Chemosphere 13 citations
Article Tier 2

Removal of Toxic Metals from Sewage Sludge by Acid Hydrolysis Coupled with EDTA Washing in a Closed-Loop Process

Researchers evaluated acid hydrolysis coupled with EDTA washing in a closed-loop ReSoil process for removing toxic metals from sewage sludge, achieving average removals of 78% Pb, 76% Zn, 17% Cr, and 1% Cu across five consecutive batches, with EDTA and process solutions recycled at a pH gradient of 12.5-2 to eliminate wastewater generation.

2023 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Integral analysis of hydrodynamic cavitation effects on waste activated sludge characteristics, potentially toxic metals, microorganisms and identification of microplastics

Researchers investigated hydrodynamic cavitation as a pretreatment for waste activated sludge, analyzing its effects on sludge characteristics, toxic metals, microorganisms, and identifying microplastics present in the sludge to improve anaerobic digestion efficiency.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 47 citations
Article Tier 2

Sustainable Approaches for Wastewater Treatment: An Analysis of Sludge-Based Materials for Heavy Metal Removal from Wastewater by Adsorption

This review synthesized findings on sludge-based materials as adsorbents for heavy metal removal from wastewater, providing a comprehensive foundation for understanding how different sludge types, activation treatments, and operating conditions affect metal removal performance.

2023 Sustainability 22 citations
Article Tier 2

Integral analysis of hydrodynamic cavitation effects on waste activated sludge characteristics, potentially toxic metals, microorganisms and identification of microplastics

Researchers tested hydrodynamic cavitation — a process using high-speed water flow to create pressure changes — as a pretreatment to improve sewage sludge digestion and measured its effects on microplastics in the sludge. The process reduced some sludge properties that limit biogas production, but its effect on microplastic fragmentation was also assessed. The study is relevant to understanding how wastewater treatment alters microplastic size and abundance in sludge spread on farmland.

2021 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Principles and Applicability of Integrated Remediation Strategies for Heavy Metal Removal/Recovery from Contaminated Environments

Researchers reviewed strategies for removing heavy metals from contaminated agricultural soils, focusing on how chelating agents — chemicals that bind to metals — combined with beneficial bacteria can help plants absorb and neutralize metals without harming plant growth, offering cleaner soils for safer food production.

2022 Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 106 citations
Article Tier 2

Optimized Analytical–Numerical Procedure for Ultrasonic Sludge Treatment for Agricultural Use

Researchers developed an optimized ultrasonic treatment process for reducing sludge weight and moisture content for agricultural reuse. The study found that ultrasound treatment reduced sludge moisture by up to 20% and weight by up to 50%, transforming waste into a resource for agriculture while using energy-efficient operating principles.

2024 Algorithms 16 citations
Article Tier 2

Insights on Immobilization of Cd Contamination in Soil: Synergic Impacts of Water Management and Bauxite Residue

Researchers tested whether combining flooding with bauxite residue or lime could reduce the availability of toxic cadmium in contaminated soil. Both combined treatments raised soil pH and increased the proportion of cadmium locked into stable, residual forms while decreasing the easily exchangeable fraction. The bauxite residue treatment proved slightly more effective at immobilizing cadmium, offering a potential soil remediation strategy for heavy metal-contaminated agricultural land.

2024 ACS Omega 3 citations
Article Tier 2

The use of hydrodynamic cavitation for waste-to-energy approach to enhance methane production from waste activated sludge

Four hydrodynamic cavitation pre-treatment regimes for waste activated sludge were compared using a lab-scale generator, finding that cavitation pre-treatment improves sludge disintegration and enhances methane production in subsequent anaerobic digestion.

2023 Journal of Environmental Management 24 citations
Article Tier 2

From agricultural use of sewage sludge to nutrient extraction: A soil science outlook

Researchers reviewed Sweden's decades-long program of applying sewage sludge to farmland, finding that toxic metal concentrations dropped by up to 90% since the 1970s due to environmental regulations. However, they argue that simply spreading urban waste on fields is impractical for large cities due to high water content and transport costs, and suggest extracting nutrients from waste instead as a more scalable solution.

2016 AMBIO 217 citations
Article Tier 2

Organomineral fertilizer from sewage sludge: nutrient recycling and environmental safety for tropical agriculture

Not relevant to microplastics — this study evaluates an organomineral fertiliser derived from sewage sludge for tropical agriculture, focusing on nutrient recycling and heavy metal safety.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Over-Produced Extracellular Polymeric Substances and Activated Antioxidant Enzymes Attribute to Resistance of Pb(II) for Algal–Bacterial Granular Sludge in Municipal Wastewater Treatment

Researchers studied how lead contamination affects algal-bacterial granular sludge used in wastewater treatment. They found that while moderate lead concentrations were tolerable, higher levels disrupted the symbiotic relationship between algae and bacteria, reducing nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance. The study reveals that the sludge resists lead toxicity by overproducing extracellular polymeric substances and activating antioxidant enzymes.

2023 Water 6 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on the recent advances in electrochemical treatment technologies for sludge dewatering and alternative uses

This review examined recent advances in electrochemical treatment technologies for sludge dewatering and alternative uses, highlighting how these methods can address challenges including pathogen removal and microplastic contamination in municipal wastewater sludge.

2023 Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances 31 citations
Article Tier 2

Trace metal fate in soil after application of digestate originating from the anaerobic digestion of non-source-separated organic fraction of municipal solid waste

Researchers tracked the fate of trace metals in agricultural soil after applying digestate from anaerobic digestion of municipal solid waste, assessing whether this organic amendment safely recycles nutrients or risks accumulating harmful heavy metals in farmland.

2023 Frontiers in Environmental Science 12 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar produced from the co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and waste tires for cadmium and tetracycline adsorption from water

Researchers developed a biochar from co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and waste tires that effectively adsorbed cadmium and antibiotic (tetracycline) from water. While focused on water treatment, this approach also addresses sewage sludge — which typically contains high microplastic concentrations — as a resource rather than a waste.

2021 Water Science & Technology 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Trace Metals Contamination, Species Distribution and Mobility in River Sediments Using EDTA Extraction

Researchers investigated the effectiveness of EDTA extraction for removing trace metals (Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb) from river sediments and its effect on metal speciation across fractions. They found that increasing EDTA concentration, extraction multiplicity, and contact time all improved metal removal efficiency, while EDTA also caused metal redistribution between fractions beyond the bioavailable pool.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 10 citations
Article Tier 2

A Study on the Precipitation-Based Removal of Heavy Metals and Sludge Reduction from Electroplating Wastewater Using FeS4

Researchers investigated a precipitation-based method using FeS4 for removing heavy metals from electroplating wastewater while simultaneously reducing sludge generation. The study evaluated the efficiency of this chemical precipitation approach as a treatment strategy for the toxic metal-laden effluents characteristic of electroplating operations.

2025 Korean Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
Article Tier 2

Agricultural and non-agricultural directions of bio-based sewage sludge valorization by chemical conditioning

This review outlines agricultural and non-agricultural valorization pathways for bio-based sewage sludge, with a focus on chemical conditioning methods including acidic, alkaline, and lime hydrolysis to produce protein hydrolysates for beneficial reuse.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Effect of Thermal Drying and Chemical Treatments with Wastes on Microbiological Contamination Indicators in Sewage Sludge

This study evaluated thermal drying and chemical treatments for reducing bacterial contamination in sewage sludge from Portuguese wastewater treatment plants. Sewage sludge is a major pathway by which microplastics from wastewater reach agricultural soils when used as fertilizer.

2020 Microorganisms 25 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorptive removal of heavy metals from wastewater using Cobalt-diphenylamine (Co-DPA) complex

Researchers synthesized a new cobalt-diphenylamine complex and tested it for removing heavy metals like cadmium, lead, and chromium from wastewater. The material showed strong adsorption capacity, with removal efficiency influenced by factors such as pH, dosage, and initial metal concentration. The study suggests this type of metal-organic complex could be an effective tool for treating industrial wastewater contaminated with heavy metals.

2024 BMC Chemistry 28 citations
Article Tier 2

A novel dual circulating fluidized bed technology for thermal treatment of municipal sewage sludge with recovery of nutrients and energy

Researchers developed a dual circulating fluidized bed technology for thermally treating municipal sewage sludge that recovers both nutrients and energy while destroying harmful contaminants including pathogens, pharmaceutical residues, and microplastics.

2022 Waste Management 28 citations
Article Tier 2

Use of Parthenium hysterophorus with synthetic chelator for enhanced uptake of cadmium and lead from contaminated soils—a step toward better public health

Researchers demonstrated that the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus can extract cadmium and lead from contaminated soils, with EDTA chelator boosting metal uptake capacity, offering a phytoremediation approach to improve public health.

2022 Frontiers in Public Health 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Adsorption of Cd and Mn from neutral mine effluents using bentonite, zeolite, and stabilized dewatered sludge

Researchers investigated the adsorption efficiency of cadmium and manganese from neutral mine effluents using three natural sorbents — bentonite, zeolite, and stabilized digested dewatered waste sludge — expanding knowledge on heavy metal removal beyond the acid mine drainage context typically studied.

2024 Research Square (Research Square) 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmentally Safe Method for Conditioning and Dewatering Sewage Sludge Using Iron Coagulant, Cellulose and Perlite

Researchers evaluated iron coagulant PIX 113 combined with perlite and cellulose as environmentally safe conditioners for sewage sludge dewatering, testing in accordance with European standards. A PIX 113 dose of at least 0.40 g/g DS achieved the target dewatering parameters, while cellulose and perlite as standalone or combined conditioners degraded dewaterability, suggesting that non-toxic biodegradable additives require further optimization.

2023 Energies 4 citations