The production of sewage sludge in China has been increasing sharply in order to treat 40% of the municipal sewage in 2005 as planned by central government. The main sludge disposal method is landfill owing to heavy metal contamination, but it presents an attractive potential for agricultural land application. Experiments were carried out to study the simultaneous metal removal and sludge stabilization by plants. The sludge samples were collected from Datansha Wastewater Treatment Plant of Guangzhou, it contained excessive Cu and Zn compared with the Chinese National Standard for Agricultural Use of Sewage Sludge. Plants growing on sludge beds were investigated to follow their growth and metal uptake. 30 sludge plants were identified during 1 year’s observation. A Zn high accumulating and high growth rate plant (Alocasia macrorrhiza) was selected and grown on sludge beds in plots. The water, organic matter, heavy metals and nutrients contents, the E. coli number and the cress seed germination index were monitored for the sludge samples collected monthly. The plant growth parameters and its heavy metals contents were also determined. The sewage sludge treated by plants could be stabilized at about 5 months, the E. coli number was significantly decreased and the cress seed germination index attained 100%. Crop on sludge could ameliorate the sludge drying. The experiments are continuing to find out the appropriate plant combination for simultaneous sludge stabilization and metal removal for an acceptable period. Comparisons between the proposed processes and other methods for treating produced sludge such as composting, chemical and bacterial leaching were discussed.
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