Analysis of Heavy Metal Contaminants and Mobility in Sewage sludge-soil Mixtures for Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the potential utilization of sewage sludge in agriculture, focusing on the assessment of heavy metal contaminants and their mobility in sewage sludge-soil mixtures. The innovative approach of investigating heavy metal fractions in these mixtures sheds light on their environmental implications. In this study, sludge and soil samples from three different soil categories were collected, and the mobility of heavy metals was investigated using sequential BCR analysis. A thorough assessment of the risk of environmental contamination associated with the agricultural use of sludge was also carried out. This study included the calculation of various risk indicators, such as the Geoaccumulation Index of heavy metals in soil (Igeo), the risk assessment code (RAC), and the author’s element mobility ratio (EMR), which included a comparison of the overall metal concentrations in sludge, soil, and mixtures. This study demonstrates that the key to using sludge is to know the form of mobility of the metals present in the sludge and how they behave once they are introduced into the soil.