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Distribution and transformation behaviors of heavy metals and phosphorus during hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge

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Abstract

This study investigated the distribution and transformation behaviors of heavy metals (HMs) and phosphorus (P) during hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge. In addition to a large reduction in sludge volume, HTC significantly decreased the exchangeable fraction of HMs (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Mn) and increased their residual fraction, which resulted in immobilization of HMs accumulated in hydrochar. The ecological toxicity of HMs was greatly reduced, and all HMs exhibited their lowest risk levels after HTC at 220 °C for 1 h in 2% H2SO4 solution. Most of the P (~ 97%) in the input sludge remained in the hydrochar after HTC. HTC facilitated transformation of organic P to inorganic P and promoted conversion of apatite P to non-apatite inorganic P under acidic conditions. The feasibility of recovering P from sludge by HTC was verified by an acid extraction experiment utilizing hydrochar, which recovered more than 90% P.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable help in the review and revision process.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 21077002 and the Science, Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality under Grant JCYJ20160330095359100.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Hang Wang, Zijian Yang, Xin Li & Yangsheng Liu

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory for Solid Waste Utilization and Management, Beijing, 100871, China

    Yangsheng Liu

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  1. Hang Wang
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  2. Zijian Yang
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  3. Xin Li
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  4. Yangsheng Liu
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Correspondence to Yangsheng Liu.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Wang, H., Yang, Z., Li, X. et al. Distribution and transformation behaviors of heavy metals and phosphorus during hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 17109–17122 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08098-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08098-4

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