Filtern
Erscheinungsjahr
Dokumenttyp
- Zeitschriftenartikel (48)
- Vortrag (24)
- Posterpräsentation (11)
- Beitrag zu einem Tagungsband (4)
- Buchkapitel (3)
- Beitrag zu einem Sammelband (2)
- Corrigendum (1)
- Forschungsbericht (1)
- Forschungsdatensatz (1)
Schlagworte
- Sewage sludge (15)
- Sewage sludge ash (15)
- Phosphorus (12)
- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (11)
- Soil (11)
- XANES spectroscopy (11)
- Fertilizer (9)
- X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy (9)
- PFAS (7)
- Phosphor (7)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
- 4 Material und Umwelt (55)
- 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien (39)
- 4.4 Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung (30)
- 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien (6)
- 1.7 Organische Spuren- und Lebensmittelanalytik (5)
- 1.1 Anorganische Spurenanalytik (4)
- 1.8 Umweltanalytik (3)
Paper des Monats
- ja (3)
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (24)
Phosphorus recycling from sewage sludge ash and meat and bone meal by thermochemical treatment
(2009)
Phosphorus recycling from sewage sludge ash and meat and bone meal by thermochemical treatment
(2009)
Phosphorus can be recycled by thermochemical treatment of sewage sludge ashes using a chlorine-donor at
1000°C. Heavy metals in the sewage sludge ashes are removed and the phosphorus of the developing
phosphate-phases is characterised by a high bioavailability.
The separated heavy metals can be post-treated for recycling purposes. The P-content in the product can be
increased by addition of meat and bone meal into the thermochemical process introducing process energy at the
same time. However, first investigations showed that the elimination rates of heavy metals and the P-solubility in
citric acid decreased if meat and bone meal ash (MBMA) was added to sewage sludge ash before
thermochemical treatment.
A high temperature (1000 °C) thermochemical process for heavy metal removal from sewage sludge ash via the chloride pathway was investigated by thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA). TG and DTA measurements gave information about secession and evaporation of water, HCl, and heavy metal chlorides at different temperatures. Additionally, gaseous water and hydrochloric acid which occurred in the process were detected by an FT-IR detector that was coupled to the TG/DTA-system. Heavy metal chlorides which were also formed in the process cannot be detected by this technique. For that reason the outlet gas of the TG/DTA-system was discharged into washing flasks filled with water for absorption. The washing flasks were replaced in temperature steps of 50 °C and the heavy metal concentrations of the solutions were determined by ICP-OES. The temperature-dependent formation/evaporation of different heavy metal chlorides was analyzed and compared for two different thermochemical processes using magnesium chloride hydrate or calcium chloride hydrate as Cl-donors. In both cases evaporation of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn was observed from 600 °C, whereas As, Cr, and Ni remained in the solid state. The results were discussed against the background of thermodynamic calculations.
Inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) fertilizers based on phosphates from thermochemically treated sewage sludge ash were analyzed using mid-infrared (mid-IR) and far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopy. The different compounds present in the fertilizers were qualitatively determined with the help of recorded reference spectra of pure substances. Differentiation between various phosphates and other compounds such as sulfates, nitrates, and oxides was possible using combined interpretation of the mid-IR and FIR spectra. The results are in agreement with previous X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements of the same samples. The main phosphate phases detected were NH4H2PO4, MgHPO4·3H2O, Mg3(PO4)2, Ca5(PO4)5Cl, CaHPO4·2H2O, Ca(H2-PO4)2·H2O, and AlPO4. Furthermore, K2SO4, NH4NO3, Fe2O3, and SiO2 were identified in the IR spectra. However, ammonium and sulfate compounds were only identified in the mid-IR region but were not detectable in the FIR region.
Sewage sludge ash (SSA) is a suitable raw material for fertilizers due to its high phosphorus (P) content. However, heavy metals must be removed before agricultural application and P should be transferred into a bioavailable form. The utilization of gaseous hydrochloric acid for thermochemical heavy metal removal from SSA at approximately 1000 °C was investigated and compared to the utilization of alkaline earth metal chlorides. The heavy metal removal efficiency increased as expected with higher gas concentration, longer retention time and higher temperature. Equivalent heavy metal removal efficiency were achieved with these different Cl-donors under comparable conditions (150 g Cl/kg SSA, 1000 °C). In contrast, the bioavailability of the P-bearing compounds present in the SSA after thermal treatment with gaseous HCl was not as good as the bioavailability of the P-bearing compounds formed by the utilization of magnesium chloride. This disadvantage was overcome by mixing MgCO3 as an Mg-donor to the SSA before thermochemical treatment with the gaseous Cl-donor. A test series under systematic variation of the operational parameters showed that copper removal is more depending on the retention time than the removal of zinc. Zn-removal was declined by a decreasing ratio of the partial pressures of ZnCl2 and water.
Sewage sludge and sewage sludge ashes (SSA) are produced in huge amounts at municipal waste water treatment plants (WWTP) all around the world and have become an issue for many urbanized areas. To deal with this unceasing mass flow in an ecologically and economically responsible way a comprehensive chemical and structural characterization of all types of SSA is needed. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is one of the most promising analytical methods for this task. Although, there has been ample chemical evidence showing that many SSA contain aluminium phosphate as a major component up to now no aluminium phosphate or aluminium-rich mixed phosphate phase has been reported to be identified by XRD in a SSA produced at a mono-incineration facility. The outcome of the present com-bined XRD and Mossbauer spectroscopy investigation provides comprehensive evidence closing this gap for the first time.
Sewage sludge ashes (SSA) contain considerable mass fractions of phosphorus (5-10 w-% P) suitable for fertiliser production. Unfortunately, also most of the heavy metals remain in the ashes. A thermochemical process was developed for the treatment of SSA to i) remove heavy metals and ii) transform phosphates into bio-available mineral phases. The technology was already demonstrated in technical scale (capacity of 300 kg/h) and the company OUTOTEC is currently planning the first industrial plant. In order to manufacture a marketable multi-nutrient fertiliser from the thermochemically treated SSA further wastes and industrial by-products were taken into account. Ammonium sulphate occurs as a by-product of the caprolactam production and was chosen as N-carrier (21 w-% N). Straw ash was tested as potassium carrier (11-15 w-% K). Granulation campaigns were carried out with intensive mixers in lab-, medium-and technical scale. NPS-and NPKS-fertilisers were produced that were characterised by suitable particle size distributions and strength.
Heavy metal removal from sewage sludge ash by thermochemical treatment with polyvinylchloride
(2013)
Sewage sludge ash (SSA) is a prospective phosphorus source for the future production of recycling P-fertilizers. Due to its high heavy metals contents and the relatively low P plant-availability, SSA must be treated before agricultural utilisation. In this paper SSA was thermochemically treated with PVC in a bench-scale rotary furnace in order to remove heavy metals via the chloride pathway. PVC has a high Cl-content of 52–53% and a high heating value that can be beneficially used for the thermochemical process. Large amounts of waste PVC are already recovered in recycling processes, but there are still some fractions that would be available for the proposed thermochemical process, for example, the low quality near-infrared(NIR)-fraction from waste separation facilities. Heavy metals were effectively removed at temperatures in the range of 800–950°C via the gas phase by utilisation of PVC as Cl-donor. The resulting P plant-availability was comparable to SSA thermochemically treated with MgCl2 as Cl-donor if MgO was used as an additive (Mg-donor). A further increase of the plant availability of phosphorus was achieved by acid post-treatment of the thermochemically treated SSA.
Determination of phosphate phases in sewage sludge ash-based fertilizers by Raman microspectroscopy
(2013)
The chemical form of phosphate phases in sewage sludge ash (SSA)-based fertilizers was determined by Raman microspectroscopy. Raman mapping with a lateral resolution of 5 × 5 µm² easily detected different compounds present in the fertilizers with the help of recorded reference spectra of pure substances. Quartz and aluminosilicates showed Raman bands in the range of 450-520 cm-1. Phosphates with apatite structure and magnesium triphosphate were determined at around 960 and 980 cm-1, respectively. Furthermore, calcium/magnesium pyrophosphates were detected in some samples.
The reaction mechanisms of phosphate-bearing mineral phases from sewage sludge ash-based fertilizers in soil were determined by Raman and synchrotron infrared microspectroscopy. Different reaction mechanisms in wet soil were found for calcium and magnesium (pyro-) phosphates. Calcium orthophosphates were converted over time to hydroxyapatite. Conversely, different magnesium phosphates were transformed to trimagnesium phosphate. Since the magnesium phosphates are unable to form an apatite structure, the plant-available phosphorus remains in the soil, leading to better growth results observed in agricultural pot experiments. The pyrophosphates also reacted very differently. Calcium pyrophosphate is unreactive in soil. In contrast, magnesium pyrophosphate quickly formed plant-available dimagnesium phosphate.
Sewage sludge ash (SSA) based P-fertilisers were produced by thermochemical treatment of SSA with Cl-donors at approximately 1000 °C. During this thermochemical process heavy metals are separated as heavy metal chlorides via the gas phase. Chromium cannot be separated under normal conditions. The risk of the development of toxic Cr(VI) during the thermochemical process was investigated. X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy measurements showed that SSA and thermochemically treated SSA with CaCl2, MgCl2 and NaCl contain Cr(III) compounds only. In contrast, treating SSA with elevated quantities of Na2CO3, to enhance the plant-availability of the phosphate phases of the fertiliser, developed approximately 10–15% Cr(VI). Furthermore, Raman microspectroscopy showed that using Mg-carbonate reduces the risk of a Cr(VI) development during thermochemical treatment. Additionally, leaching tests showed that only a Crwater solubility >10% is an indicator for Cr(VI) in SSA based P-fertilisers.
SR-FTIR in combination with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to investigate macromolecular changes in a population of melanocytes and their extracted nuclei induced by environmentally relevant fluxes of UVR (Ultraviolet Radiation). Living cells and isolated cellular nuclei were investigated post-irradiation for three different irradiation dosages (130, 1505, 15 052 Jm-2 UVR, weighted) after either 24 or 48 hours of incubation. DNA conformational changes were observed in cells exposed to an artificial UVR solar-simulator source as evidenced by a shift in the DNA asymmetric phosphodiester vibration from 1236 cm-1 to 1242 cm-1 in the case of the exposed cells and from 1225 cm-1 to 1242 cm-1 for irradiated nuclei. PCA Scores plots revealed distinct clustering of spectra from irradiated cells and nuclei from non-irradiated controls in response to the range of applied UVR radiation doses. 3D Raman confocal imaging in combination with k-means cluster analysis was applied to study the effect of the UVR radiation exposure on cellular nuclei. Chemical changes associated with apoptosis were detected and included intra-nuclear lipid deposition along with chromatin condensation. The results reported here demonstrate the utility of SR-FTIR and Raman spectroscopy to probe in situ DNA damage in cell nuclei resulting from UVR exposure. These results are in agreement with the increasing body of evidence that lipid accumulation is a characteristic of aggressive cancer cells, and are involved in the production of membranes for rapid cell proliferation.
Synchrotron Radiation Fourier Transform Infrared (SR-FTIR) spectra of single human prostate adenocarcinoma PC-3 cells, irradiated with a defined number of 2 MeV protons generated by a proton microbeam along with non-irradiated control cells, were analysed using multivariate methods. A number of different Principal Component Analysis (PCA) models were tested and the spectral ranges associated with nucleic acids, proteins and lipids were analysed separately. The results show a dose dependent shift of the O—P—O asymmetric stretching mode from 1234 cm-1 to 1237 cm-1, consistent with local disorder in the B-DNA conformation along with a change in intensity of the O—P—O symmetric stretching band at 1083 cm-1 indicative of chromatin fragmentation the natural consequence of a high number of DNA Double Strand Breaks (DSBs). 2D mapping of characteristic functional groups at the diffraction limit shows evidence of lipid deposition and chromatin condensation in cells exposed to protons indicative of cell apoptosis following irradiation. These studies lay the foundation for understanding the macromolecular changes that occur to cells in response to radiation therapy, which has important implications in the treatment of tumours.
Chemical state of chromium, sulfur, and iron in sewage sludge ash based phosphorus fertilizers
(2015)
As an essential element of all life forms, phosphorus (P) is vital to the fertilizer industry. With decreasing quantity and quality of phosphate rock resources, recycling P-fertilizers from wastewater is of increasing interest. The P-fertilizer products of a recently developed thermochemical process for P recovery from sewage sludge ash (SSA) were investigated by chromium, sulfur, and iron K-edge X-ray near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. This paper focuses the formation and prevention of toxic chromium(VI) and toxic sulfides during the thermochemical processes. Reducing conditions prevent the oxidation of chromium(III) in the SSA to toxic chromium(VI). Sulfides formed under the reducing conditions are nontoxic iron sulfides. Hematite (Fe2O3) present in the SSA is reduced to magnetite (Fe3O4). A gentle post-treatment at 400 °C under oxidizing conditions converts the iron sulfides into plant-available iron sulfates. This oxidative post-treatment does not form undesired chromium(VI) compounds.
Thermal treatment of chromium (III) oxide with carbonates analyzed by far-infrared spectroscopy
(2015)
SR-FTIR Coupled with principal component analysis shows evidence for the cellular bystander effect
(2015)
Synchrotron radiation-Fourier transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis was used as an independent modality to monitor the cellular bystander effect. Single, living prostate cancer PC-3 cells were irradiated with various numbers of protons, ranging from 50–2,000, with an energy of either 1 or 2 MeV using a proton microprobe. SR-FTIR spectra of cells, fixed after exposure to protons and nonirradiated neighboring cells (bystander cells), were recorded. Spectral differences were observed in both the directly targeted and bystander cells and included changes in the DNA backbone and nucleic bases, along with changes in the protein secondary structure. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to investigate the variance in the entire data set. The percentage of bystander cells relative to the applied number of protons with two different energies was calculated. Of all the applied quantities, the dose of 400 protons at 2 MeV was found to be the most effective for causing significant macromolecular perturbation in bystander PC-3 cells.
Thermal Treatment of Chromium (III) Oxide with Carbonates Analyzed by Far-Infrared/THz Spectroscopy
(2015)
Pot experiments are often performed to analyze the plant-availability of phosphorus (P) in P-fertilizers. However, these experiments do not determine the P compounds present in the soil which are responsible for the yield increase. In order to better understand the results of pot experiments we analyzed the soils by P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to determine the P species and unravel transformation processes. We carried out pot experiments with maize testing different waste water derived recycling P-fertilizers on an acidic and a neutral soil. Soils samples before sowing and after harvest were collected and prepared for analysis. A combination of macro- and µ-XANES spectroscopy was used to determine the chemical state of the overall soil P and to identify P compounds in P-rich spots localized by micro-X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF). P K-edge macro-XANES spectroscopy detected organic P and/or P sorbed onto organic matter or other substrates in the unfertilized and fertilized soils. In addition, µ-XRF mapping in combination with P K-edge µ-XANES spectroscopy evidenced that some P phases present in recycling P-fertilizers (magnesium phosphate and calcium sodium phosphate) react with co-fertilized ammonium nitrate and form highly plant-available ammonium phosphates in the soil. In opposite, apatites were not affected by the presence of ammonium. Thus, for a boost of the plant-availability of P in recycling P-fertilizers these fertilizers should be directly co-fertilized with nitrogen (N) sources that contain a high amount of ammonium instead of nitrate. Possibly, a specific preparation of NP-fertilizers by granulation of recycling P-fertilizers with ammonium compounds and a nitrification inhibitor could enhance the plant-availability of the produced fertilizer whereby they become more competitive to commercially available NP-fertilizers based on phosphate rock.
Phosphorus (P) is an essential element for all forms of life and is applied as fertilizer in agriculture. The P availability for plants may be highly dependent on the chemical state of P in fertilizers and soils; however, the nature of this dependence remains obscure due to the limitations of generally applied wet chemical and instrumental analytical approaches. This paper focuses on recently developed infrared, Raman, ultraviolet and X-ray microspectroscopic techniques for the characterization of P in soil. Microspectroscopic techniques have the advantage that discrete P phases can be distinguished and characterized even if their mass fractions are very low. However, only small volumes of soil can be analyzed by microspectroscopic methods hence a combination of macro- and microspectroscopic techniques is a promising concept.
Phosphorus (P) for fertilizer use can be recovered from sewage sludge ash (SSA). To enhance the bioavailability of P and reduce the heavy metal content of SSA, it can be treated thermochemically with Na2CO3 or Na2SO4 at 950 °C in a rotary kiln using dry sewage sludge or lignite as reducing agent. These processes were investigated by thermogravimetry/differential thermal analysis coupled with gas analysis. Reducing conditions in this experimental setup were provided by 2 % hydrogen in the Ar carrier gas. During SSA + Na2CO3 treatment CO2, CO and water were detected in the off-gas. During SSA + Na2SO4 treatment SO2, some CO2 and water were detected. Heavy metal removal was more efficient for SSA + Na2CO3 compared to the sulfate variant. A SSA + Na2SO4 + lignite variant which also formed CO shifted the heavy metal removal to the results obtained with Na2CO3 which was obviously due to the additional reduction potential. However, Zn evaporation was not achieved with the Na2SO4 variants which were most probably due to immobilization as ZnS.
Die Pflanzenversuche der vorliegenden Arbeit zeigen sehr gut, dass das Pyrolyse Produkt der Firma Pyreg zwar in der kurzfristigen P-Verfügbarkeit nur mäßig abschnitt, dafür aber eine gute P-Nachlieferung aufweist. Dies kann maßgeblich auf die im Produkt vorliegenden P-Verbindungen zurückgeführt werden.Es zeigt sich weiterhin, dass durch eine Na2CO3-Gabe die kurzfristige Verfügbarkeit von eisengefällten Klärschlämmen verbessert werden kann, es aber keinen Einfluss auf die langfristige P-Nachlieferung hat. Das BAM-Verfahren mit Na2SO4 liefert ein Produkt, welches sowohl eine gute kurzfristige P-Verfügbarkeit, als auch eine gute langfristige P-Nachlieferung hat. Dies kann auf die dabei entstehende P-Form, CaNaPO4, zurückgeführt werden. Ferner zeigen die Experimente, dass auch schwerlösliche Phosphate mit N2-fixierendem Rotklee mobilisiert werden können.
Phosphorus-fertilizers from secondary resources such as sewage sludge ash (SSA) will become more important in the future as they could substitute conventional fertilizers based on the nonrenewable resource phosphate rock. Thermochemical approaches were developed which remove heavy metals from SSA prior to its fertilizer application on farmlands. We analyzed the chemical state of mercury and selenium in SSA before and after thermochemical treatment under different conditions for P-fertilizer production by X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. In some incineration plants the mercury loaded carbon adsorber from off-gas cleaning was collected together with the SSA for waste disposal. SSAs from those plants contained mercury mainly bound to carbon/organic material. The other SSAs contained inorganic mercury compounds which are most probably stabilized in the SSA matrix and were thus not evaporated during incineration. During thermochemical treatment, carbon-bound mercury was removed quantitatively. In contrast, a certain immobile fraction of inorganic mercury compounds remained in thermochemically treated SSA, which were not clearly identified. HgSe might be one of the inorganic compounds, which is supported by results of Se K-edge XANES spectroscopy. Furthermore, the chemical state of selenium in the SSAs was very sensitive to the conditions of the thermochemical treatment.
Determination of chromium (VI) in primary and secondary fertilizer and their respective precursors
(2017)
Hexavalent chromium species (Cr(VI)) are often carcinogenic, of high acute toxicity, highly mobile, and thus pose a severe risk to health and environment. Fertilizers usually contain significant amounts of chromium. Therefore, a reliable analysis of chromium and the fraction of Cr(VI) are crucial for safe use of fertilizers. This problem is expected to increase in the future, since more and more recycled fertilizers emerge due to increasing fertilizer demand and respective supply risks. However, existing analytical methods have been developed for conventional fertilizers and have to be tested whether they are suitable for the new materials. Thus, we performed a wet-chemical extraction for Cr(VI) on several matrices as well as respective quality control experiments including spiking with Cr(III) and Cr(VI)compounds. We found the Cr(VI) amounts to be below 2 mg/kg except for a thermally post-treated sewage sludge ash (SSA) that showed 12.3 mg/kg. The presence of organic matter e.g. in sludge or precipitated struvite caused a reduction of spiked Cr(VI) and thus no satisfying recovery for Quality control. Cr(VI) reduction was also observed for SSA, presumably due to the presence of Fe(II) compounds.
Even though the tested procedure can be hampered in some recycled fertilizer matrices, it might be adapted to be applicable also for these complex samples.
Characterization of phosphorus compounds in soils by deep ultraviolet (DUV) Raman microspectroscopy
(2017)
Deep ultraviolet Raman microspectroscopy was successfully investigated as a new approach to analyze the chemical state of phosphorus compounds directly in soil. We demonstrate that ultraviolet excitation has the advantage to avoid the interference with the strong fluorescence, which occurs in the visible spectral range caused by organic matter in soils. Furthermore, the spatial resolution of <1 μm2 enables the detection of very small phosphorus particles. For some organic phosphorus compounds (β-glycerophosphate, aminomethylphosphonic acid), sample cooling to -100 °C is found to strongly reduce the rate of degradation induced by the illumination with the ultraviolet excitation light. However, phytic acid and adenosine monophosphate degraded even with cooling. Our results reveal the capability of deep ultraviolet Raman microspectroscopy as a high-resolution benchtop imaging technique for the analysis of local interactions between soil compounds with the potential to become an analytical key to improve the understanding of transformation mechanisms of phosphates as well as other mineral phases in soils.
Sewage sludge has one of the highest phosphorus (P) recovery potentials of all waste materials.
Therefore, P-recycling from sewage sludge could contribute to closing the P-cycle. Recently, various thermal processes for P-recovery have been developed, but there is still a demand for information on the effect of different process parameters (e.g. additives and temperature) on P-speciation and especially on the fertilization performance. In the present study, two common methods (low-temperature conversion at 400–500 °C and thermochemical treatment at 950 °C) were investigated and combined to produce highly bioavailable P-fertilizers from two different types of sewage sludge based on chemical phosphorus precipitation (Chem-P) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (Bio-P). The results of P-fractionation, X-ray diffraction analysis, and pot experiments with maize showed that Bio-P sludges attain high P-plant-availability after treatment at low temperatures (400 °C). In contrast, Chem-P sludges can adequately be treated at higher temperatures under reductive conditions with sodium additives to form highly bioavailable calcium-sodium-phosphate. Additionally, also highly heavy-metal contaminated sludges can be thermochemically treated at high temperatures to achieve the legal requirements for fertilizers.
The plant-availability of phosphorus (P) in fertilizers and soil can strongly influence the yield of agricultural crops. However, there are no methods to efficiently and satisfactorily analyze the plant-availability of P in sewage sludge-based P fertilizers except by undertaking time-consuming and complex pot or field experiments. We employed the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique to quantify the plant P availability of various types of P fertilizers with a novel focus on sewage sludge-based P fertilizers. Mixtures of fertilizer and soil were incubated for 3 weeks at 60% water holding capacity. DGT devices were deployed at the beginning of the incubation and again after 1, 2, and 3 weeks. Two weeks of incubation were sufficient for the formation of plant-available P in the fertilizer/soil mixtures. In a pot experiment, the DGT technique predicted maize (Zea mays L.) biomass yield and P uptake significantly more accurately than standard chemical extraction tests for P fertilizers (e.g., water, citric acid, and neutral ammonium citrate). Therefore, the DGT technique can be recommended as a reliable and robust method to screen the performance of different types of sewage sludge-based P fertilizers for maize cultivation minimizing the need for time-consuming and costly pot or field experiments.
Sewage sludge has one of the highest phosphorus (P) recovery potentials of all waste materials.
Therefore, P-recycling from sewage sludge could contribute to closing the P-cycle. Recently, various thermal processes for P-recovery have been developed, but there is still a demand for information on the effect of different process parameters (e.g. additives and temperature) on P-speciation and especially on the fertilization performance. In the present study, two common methods (low-temperature conversion at 400–500° C and thermochemical treatment at 950° C) were investigated and combined to produce highly bioavailable P-fertilizers from two different types of sewage sludge based on chemical phosphorus precipitation (Chem-P) and enhanced biological phosphorus removal (Bio-P). The results of P-fractionation, X-ray diffraction analysis, and pot experiments with maize showed that Bio-P sludges attain high P-plant-availability after treatment at low temperatures (400° C). In contrast, Chem-P sludges can adequately be treated at higher temperatures under reductive conditions with sodium additives to form highly bioavailable calcium-sodium-phosphate. Additionally, also highly heavy-metal contaminated sludges can be thermochemically treated at high temperatures to achieve the legal requirements for fertilizers.
Recycling-Düngemittel auf Basis von sekundären Ressourcen (Gülle, Gärreste, Klärschlamm, Tiermehl etc.) gewinnen in den letzten Jahren zunehmend an Bedeutung in der Landwirtschaft. Die in den Recycling-Düngemitteln enthaltenen P-Spezies weichen oft stark von denen in konventionell hergestellten Düngemitteln aus Rohphosphat ab, zudem enthalten Recyclingdünger oft mehrere verschiedene P-Formen. Die Pflanzenverfügbarkeit des P in ist ganz wesentlich von der enthaltenen P-Form abhängig. Derzeit gibt es außer zeitaufwendigen und kostspieligen Gefäß- und Feldversuchen keine zufriedenstellende Testmethode zur Analyse der P-Pflanzenverfügbarkeit von unterschiedlichen Recycling P-Düngemitteln. Die im europäischen Düngemittelrecht normierten chemischen Extraktionsmethoden (Wasser, Zitronensäure, Ameisensäure, neutral Ammoniumcitrat etc.) zeigen oftmals keine oder nur sehr geringe Korrelation zu der P-Aufnahme von Pflanzen in Gefäßversuchen mit Recycling-Düngemitteln (Kratz et al. 2010, Steckenmesser et al. 2017, Vogel et al. 2017). Eine grundlegende Schwäche chemischer Extraktionsmethoden liegt darin, dass es sich dabei um statische Methoden handelt, die nicht in der Lage sind, die im System Boden/Düngemittel-Bodenlösung-Pflanze stattfindenden dynamischen Prozesse wie P-Freisetzung und Entzug durch die Pflanzenwurzeln abzubilden.
Einen Lösungsansatz bieten hier sog. P-Senken-Methoden. Bereits in den 1950er Jahren wurden erstmals P-Senken zur Analyse des Boden-P angewendet (Chardon et al. 1996). In den darauffolgenden Jahrzehnten wurden verschiedene P-Senken auf der Basis von Eisenoxid-Papier entwickelt (Chardon et al. 1996). Jedoch konnten diese Ansätze auch nur begrenzt zur Bestimmung der P-Pflanzenverfügbarkeit des Boden-P eingesetzt werden. Mitte der 1990er Jahre wurde die DGT (engl. diffusive gradients in thin films) Methode entwickelt (Zhang et al. 1998). Bei der DGT Methode diffundiert P aus der Bodenlösung des angefeuchteten Bodens durch einen Membranfilter und die Diffusionsschicht und wird anschließend an einer Bindungsschicht absorbiert. Durch den Diffusionsgradienten wird das Gleichgewicht in der Bodenlösung permanent gestört, wodurch auch labiles P im Boden gelöst wird. Die stetige Entnahme von P aus der Bodenlösung über die Diffusions-/Bindungsschicht simuliert dabei den Entzug von P durch die Pflanzenwurzel. Die an die Bindungsschicht adsorbierte Menge an P korreliert stark mit der P-Aufnahme von Pflanzen (u.a. Mason et al. 2005, 2013; Menzies et al. 2005, Six et al. 2012). Im Gegensatz zu chemischen Extraktionsmethoden werden bei der DGT Methode Mischungen an Düngemittel und Boden für mehrere Tage inkubiert (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017), da ansonsten wasserlösliche P-Dünger den DGT Adsorber sättigen und wasserunlösliche P-Dünger unterschätzt werden. Ein bis zwei Wochen Inkubation sind ausreichend, damit sich pflanzenverfügbares P in die Mischungen bildet.
In letzter Zeit haben verschiedene Forschungsgruppen gezeigt, dass die DGT Methode auch eine sehr gute Korrelation mit der Pflanzenverfügbarkeit verschiedener Typen von (Recycling-)P-Düngemitteln aufweist (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017; Foereid 2017; Haarstad and Bavor 2017; Lemming et al. 2017). Bei Gefäßversuchen mit verschiedenen Recycling P-Düngemitteln konnte die DGT Methode den Ertrag bzw. die P-Aufnahme von Mais deutlich besser vorhersagen als herkömmliche chemische Extraktionsmethoden (Vogel et al. 2017; Duboc et al. 2017).
Daher kann die DGT Methode im Vorfeld der Zulassung von neuen Düngermitteltypen als zuverlässige und robuste Methode zum Screening von Produktvarianten eines Düngemittelherstellers verwendet werden. Um dieses Messverfahren im Rahmen des Düngemittelrechts als Bewertungsinstrument für die Abschätzung der Pflanzenverfügbarkeit unterschiedlicher Düngemittel zu verwenden, muss es allerdings zunächst standardisiert werden. Zu diesem Zweck bietet sich der Einsatz eines „standardisierten“ Bodens bzw. Bodenrezepts an. Zur Kalibrierung der Methode im jeweiligen Labor könnten auch chemisch definierte P-Verbindungen mit bekannter Löslichkeit/Pflanzenverfügbarkeit als Referenz-substanzen verwendet werden.
In the near future, phosphorus (P) recycling will gain importance in terms of decreasing primary resources. Sewage sludge (SSL) is an adequate secondary P-resource for P-fertilizer production but it is also a sink for heavy metals and organic pollutants. The present study is an investigation on thermochemical P-recycling of SSL. Various temperatures and amendments were tested regarding their performance to remove heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and simultaneous increase of the plant-availability of P. The investigations were carried out on two types of SSL originating from wastewater treatment plants with chemical P-precipitation and enhanced biological P-removal, respectively. The results show that thermochemical treatment with chlorine donors is suitable to remove the majority of heavy metals and that a combination of a gaseous chlorine donor (HCl) and sodium additives leads to both high heavy metal removal and high plant availability of P. Furthermore, plant experiments Show that almost all investigated thermochemical treatments can significantly reduce the bioavailability and plant uptake of heavy metals. Furthermore, PAHs are secondarily formed during low-temperature treatments (400–500 ° ), but can be significantly reduced by using sodium carbonate as an additive.
The present study shows the potential of high-resolution imaging and nano-Fourier-transform infrared (nano-FTIR) spectroscopy for corrosion science. The protective oxidation layers of different chlorine-gas treated silicon
carbides (SiCs) were characterized with these techniques. A nitrified SiC showed the highest resistant strength against chlorine corrosion at 1000 °C compared to the other SiCs. Nano-FTIR spectroscopy with a lateral resolution below 40 nm detected differences in the crystallinity of the bulk-SiC and in the transitional region to the protective layer. Furthermore, high-resolution imaging provides deep insight in the interfacial layer between bulk-SiC and the protective oxidation layer on sub-micrometer scale.
A pot experiment was carried out with maize to determine the phosphorus (P) plant-availability of different secondary P-fertilizers derived from wastewater. We analyzed the respective soils by P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to determine the P chemical forms that were present and determine the transformation processes. Macro- and micro-XANES spectroscopy were used to determine the chemical state of the overall soil P and identify P compounds in P-rich spots. Mainly organic P and/or P adsorbed on organic matter or other substrates were detected in unfertilized and fertilized soils. In addition, there were indications for the formation of ammonium phosphates in some fertilized soils. However, this effect was not seen in the maize yield of all P-fertilizers. The observed reactions between phosphate from secondary P-fertilizers and cofertilized nitrogen compounds should be further investigated. Formation of highly plant-available compounds such as ammonium phosphates could make secondary P-fertilizers more competitive to commercial phosphate rock-based fertilizers with positive effects on resources conservation.
A wide range of methods are used to estimate the plant-availability of soil phosphorus (P). Published research has shown that the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique has a superior correlation to plant-available P in soils compared to standard chemical extraction tests. In order to identify the plant-available soil P species, we combined DGT with infrared and P K- and L-edge X-ray adsorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. This was achieved by spectroscopically investigating the dried binding layer of DGT devices after soil deployment. All three spectroscopic methods were able to distinguish between different kinds of phosphates (poly-, trimeta-, pyro- and orthophosphate) on the DGT binding layer. However, infrared spectroscopy was most sensitive to distinguish between different types of adsorbed inorganic and organic phosphates. Additionally, also intermediates of the time-resolved hydrolysis of trimetaphosphate in soil could be analyzed. Furthermore, infrared and XANES microspectroscopy make it also possible to analyze P compounds on the binding layer with a lateral resolution down to 1 µm2. Therefore, P species of a spatial soil segment (e.g. rhizosphere) can be mapped and analyzed.
Die agronomische Effizienz von Düngemitteln wird üblicherweise im Vegetationsversuch geprüft. Vegetationsversuche erlauben die Betrachtung unterschiedlicher Kulturpflanzen und deren Strategien der Nährstoffmobilisierung und -Aneignung ebenso wie die Berücksichtigung verschiedener Substrattypen und deren Eigenschaften hinsichtlich Nährstofffixierung und -freisetzung. Solche Versuche, selbst wenn sie nicht im Feld, sondern nur im Gefäß durchgeführt werden, sind jedoch sowohl zeit- als auch kostenintensiv. In erster Näherung wird die Pflanzenverfügbarkeit insbesondere von Phosphor (P)-Düngemitteln daher herkömmlicherweise mit Hilfe standardisierter chemischer Extraktionsmethoden abgeschätzt, deren Durchführung in der deutschen ebenso wie in der europäischen Düngemittelverordnung normiert ist. Diese Methoden werden auch im Rahmen der staatlichen Düngemittelverkehrskontrolle genutzt, um die Einhaltung düngemittelrechtlicher Vorgaben zu überprüfen. Wie jüngere Arbeiten gezeigt haben, ist jedoch die Übertragung herkömmlicher Standardextraktionsmethoden auf neue Dünger aus Recyclingmaterialien wie Klärschlamm mit einigen Schwierigkeiten verbunden. Korrelationen zwischen P-Aufnahme im Vegetationsversuch und chemischer Löslichkeit im Standardextrakt sind oft nur mäßig bis schwach oder überhaupt nicht signifikant. Die vorliegende Literaturübersicht gibt einen Überblick zum aktuellen Stand des Wissens über die chemische Löslichkeit von klärschlammbasierten P-Recyclingdüngern, deren Effizienz im Vegetationsversuch und statistische Relationen zwischen beiden Parametern. Anschließend werden alternative Methoden
zur Abschätzung der P-Verfügbarkeit von Recyclingdüngern vorgestellt, die derzeit Gegenstand der wissenschaftlichen Diskussion sind.
Phosphorus (P) plays an essential role in the global food security. However, the global P reservoirs have a statistic lifetime of about 385 years only. Due to the scarcity of P and the increasing world population an efficient and sustainable recycling management is required. A few biogenic waste materials are high in P contents such as sewage sludge and meat and bone meal. Thus, they are suitable for P recycling and fertilizer production. But besides the high P content sewage sludge is often highly contaminated with organic pollutants and toxic heavy metals which have to be eliminated before agricultural field application. In this presentation we show the potential of sewage sludge as secondary resource for fertilizers. This includes our developments in thermochemical processes for the production of novel P-fertilizers from recycled materials. Furthermore, for these novel P-fertilizers common extraction tests to determine the plant-available P are often unusable. Therefore, we successfully applied the Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) techniques to analyse the plant-availability of P-fertilizers from recycled materials.
Specific co-fertilization of nutrients can enhance their plant-availability and thus the yield of plants. To investigate this effect, we performed a pot experiment with three different P-fertilizers and ammonium nitrate sulfate as a co-fertilizer, without and with a nitrification inhibitor (NI), and analyzed the form of nitrogen (N) in the soil via novel X-ray spectroscopic method. The application of NI with the N fertilizer led to a higher dry matter yield of maize. Novel N K-edge micro-X-ray absorption near-edge structure (micro-XANES) spectroscopy identified that the application of a NI promotes the temporary formation of a non-exchangeable N in detectable hot-spots in the soil. The subsequent slow release and prolonged availability of N during plant growth leads to higher yield. It can be concluded that NIs lead to a temporary fixation of ammonium-N in a pool that can be accessed by plant roots. Those types of available nutrient pools meet the idea of so-called “next generation fertilizers” as plants have access to nutrients according to their current demand.
Previous research shows that analytical methods based on Diffusive Gradients in Thin films (DGT) provide very good correlations to the amount of bioavailable nutrients and pollutants in the environmental samples. However, these DGT results do not identify which compound of the specific element has the high bioavailability. Using various spectroscopic techniques (infrared, XANES and NMR spectroscopy) to analyze the dried DGT binding layers after deployment could allow us to determine the specific elements or compounds. Nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen are often, together with other elements, present as molecules in the environment. These ions are detectable and distinguishable by infrared and NMR spectroscopy, respectively. In addition, XANES spectroscopy allows for the specification of nutrients and pollutants (e.g. chromium) on the DGT binding layer. Furthermore, microspectroscopic techniques make it also possible to analyze compounds on the DGT binding layer with a lateral resolution down to 5 µm2. Therefore, species of elements and compounds of e.g. a spatial soil segment can be mapped and analyzed, providing valuable insight to understand the dynamics of nutrients and pollutants in the environment. Here we will present the advantages and limitations of this novel combination of techniques.
Phosphorus (P) fertilizers from secondary resources became increasingly important in the last years. However, these novel P-fertilizer can also contain toxic pollutants e.g. chromium (Cr) in the hexavalent state (Cr(VI)), which is regulated with low limit values in agricultural products (German fertilizer ordinance limit: 2 mg/kg Cr(VI)). The determination of Cr(VI) in these novel fertilizer matrices can be hampered by redox processes that lead to false results with the standard wet chemical extraction method (German norm DIN EN 15192). Therefore, we analyzed Cr(VI) in various P-fertilizers with the DGT technique. DGT devices equipped with a APA (polyacrylamide) diffusion layer and Cr(VI) selective N-methyl-D-glucamine (NMDG) binding layer were used for the study. After a 24 h conditioning period of the fertilizer at 60% of the water holding capacity (WHC), the fertilizers were brought to 100% WHC, transferred onto the DGT devices and deployed for 24 h at 25°C. The extraction of Cr from the DGT binding layer was carried out with 1 M HNO3 for 24 h. The Cr-concentrations of the extract were determined by means of ICP-MS. We found a good correlation between the standard wet chemical extraction and the DGT method for the whole range of P-fertilizers. However, partly soluble Cr(VI) compounds cannot be detected in full extent by the DGT method that is best suited for mobile Cr(VI). Furthermore, Cr K-edge XANES spectroscopy showed that the Cr(VI)-selective DGT binding layer also adsorbs mobile Cr(III) compounds from acid treatment of phosphates which can therefore cause an overestimation of Cr(VI). The DGT method was very sensitive and in most cases selective for the analysis of Cr(VI) in P-fertilizers made from recycled materials. However, the results of certain types of P-fertilizers containing mobile Cr(III) or partly immobile Cr(VI) show that still some optimization of the method is required to avoid over- or underestimation of Cr(VI).
Phosphorus (P) recycling from sewage sludge for agricultural needs has to meet requirements for agricultural implementation, such as short and long-term P-plant-availability under field conditions. Field experiments often bring no evaluable results, because agricultural soils got a high potential of P-supply even if they are classified as low in P-supply according to the CAL extraction method. The present study presents a possible way to investigate the P-plant-availability of P-recycling-fertilizers under field-like conditions. The plant experiments are firstly performed in small Mitscherlich pots in growth chambers and subsequently in containers with a high soil volume of 170 kg under greenhouse conditions, in which plants can grow until ripening. The tested P-recycling fertilizers were produced from sewage sludge in a large-scale thermal process. It was a two-step treatment process performed with a pyrolysis of sewage sludge at 550°C (SSC-550) and a subsequent thermochemical post-treatment at 950°C with Na2SO4 (SSA-Na) and HCl + Na2SO4 (SSA-HCl/Na) as additives. The results show, that the P-recycling-products from pyrolysis got an adequate long-term but a 65% lower short-term P-plant-availability compared to triple superphosphate. SSA-Na and SSA-HCl/Na show both a high short and longterm P-plant-availability comparable to triple-superphosphate. This can be explained by their highly plant-available P-compound CaNaPO4.