scholarly journals Hydrothermal Carbonization and Pyrolysis of Sewage Sludge: Effects on Lolium perenne Germination and Growth

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Paneque ◽  
Heike Knicker ◽  
Jürgen Kern ◽  
José María De la Rosa

The pyrolysis and hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of sewage sludge (SS) resulted in products free of pathogens, with the potential for being used as soil amendment. With this work, we evaluated the impact of dry pyrolysis-treated (600 °C, 1 h) and HTC-treated (200 °C, 260 °C; 0.5 h, 3 h) SS on the germination, survival, and growth of Lolium perenne during an 80 day greenhouse experiment. Therefore, the hydrochars and pyrochars were amended to a Calcic Cambisol at doses of 5 and 25 t ha−1. The addition of sludge pyrochars to the Cambisol did not affect Lolium germination, survival rates or plant yields. However, the use 25 t ha−1 of wood biochar reduced germination and survival rates, which may be related to the low N availability of this sample. In comparison to the control, higher or equal plant biomass was produced in the hydrochar-amended pots, even though some hydrochars decreased plant germination and survival rates. Among all the evaluated char properties, only the organic and inorganic N contents of the chars, along with their organic C values, positively correlated with total and shoot biomass production. Our work demonstrates the N fertilization potential of the hydrochar produced at low temperature, whereas the hydrochar produced at 260 °C and the pyrochars were less efficient with respect to plant yields.

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Waldemar Helios ◽  
Władysław Malarz ◽  
Marcin Kozak ◽  
Andrzej Kotecki

AbstractThe objective of our study was to assess the residual effect of sewage sludge on the growth and yield of Prairie cordgrass and the content of crude ash, macroelements and heavy metals in the plant biomass. Field trials conducted in the years 2011 to 2013 focused on the assessment of the impact of municipal sewage sludge applied from 2008 to 2010on the growth and yield of Prairie cordgrass. The experiments followed the split-plot design with two variables: the rate of sewage sludge (DM-dry matter) at 0, 1.4, 2.8 and 4.2 t ha


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuhan Zhu ◽  
Jia Wei ◽  
Yitao Liu ◽  
Xiaohui Liu ◽  
Jun Li ◽  
...  

AbstractEnvironmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) have attracted increasing research interest in recent years. Herein, the generation of EPFRs during the hydrothermal carbonization of sewage sludge (SS) was studied. First, the surface morphology, functional groups, constituent elements and free radicals were characterized for a holistic description of the raw SS and the selected hydrochar obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of SS (SHC). Then, the impact of hydrothermal temperature, residence time and initial pH on the formation of EPFRs was explored in detail through the investigation of g-factors and intensities of EPFRs identified in SHC. The results have shown that the formation of EPFRs was affected by the factors mentioned above, in which the impact of temperature is the greatest. Two types of EPFRs were spotted in the hydrochar, oxygen-centered (O-centered) and carbon-centered (C-centered) EPFRs, which were caught in 120–150 °C and 260–280 °C, respectively. Moreover, the intensities of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) signals enhanced with increasing hydrothermal temperature. Whereas, residence time and initial pH only affected the amount of EPFRs in a manner. Additionally, the half-life of the O-centered EPFRs and the C-centered EPFRs was determined as long as 160.45 days and 401.10 days, respectively, indicating that EPFRs are stable in a long time.


Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfang Tian ◽  
Liu Cui ◽  
Qimei Lin ◽  
Guitong Li ◽  
Xiaorong Zhao

In recent years, continuous efforts have been made to understand the impact of biochar on arable soil fertility. Little is known about whether the biochar derived from municipal sewage sludge has positive impacts on urban soil. In this study, we pyrolyzed spray-dried municipal sewage sludge at 200 °C, 300 °C, 500 °C, and 700 °C for 2 h in a muffle furnace and then amended it into an urban soil to grow turf grass in pots. The outcomes demonstrated that biochar incorporation caused remarkable increases in soil organic C, black C, total N, available P, and K by 3–8, 7–25, 2–9, 10–19, and 1.4–2 times, respectively. The dry matter of turf grass increased by 43–147%, probably due to the nutritional improvement after biochar addition. The turf grass grown in biochar-added soil had 4–70% lower heavy metals than that in the control, although the soils had much higher total heavy metals, which might imply that biochar amendment reduced the bioavailability of heavy metals. Considering the cost of biochar production and its impacts on both urban soil and grass, it would be alternative to convert the spray-dried municipal sewage sludge into biochar at 200 °C for 2 h and then used as an urban soil amendment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 367-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. B. Burken ◽  
B. L. Nuttelman ◽  
J. L. Gramkow ◽  
A. L. McGee ◽  
K. M. Sudbeck ◽  
...  

Abstract Corn plants were sampled over 2 consecutive years to assess the effects of corn hybrid maturity class, plant population, and harvest time on whole corn plant quality and yield in Nebraska. A finishing experiment evaluated the substitution of corn with corn silage in diets with corn modified distillers grains with solubles (MDGS). The first 2 harvest dates were at the mid- and late-silage harvest times whereas the final harvest was at the grain harvest stage of plant maturity. Whole plant yields increased as harvest time progressed (yr 1 quadratic P < 0.01; yr 2 linear P < 0.01). However, differences in TDN concentration in both years were quite minimal across harvest time, because grain percentage increased but residue NDF in-situ disappearance decreased as harvest time was delayed. In the finishing experiment, as corn silage inclusion increased from 15 to 55% (DM basis) by replacing dry rolled and high moisture corn grain with corn silage in diets containing 40% MDGS, DMI, ADG, and G:F linearly decreased (P ≤ 0.01), with the steers on the 15% corn silage treatment being 1.5%, 5.0%, and 7.7% more efficient than steers on treatments containing 30, 45, and 55% corn silage, respectively. Calculated dietary NEm and NEg decreased linearly as corn silage inclusion increased indicating that net energy values were greater for corn grain than for corn silage. In addition, dressing percentage decreased linearly (P < 0.01) as silage inclusion increased suggesting more fill as silage inclusion increases in diets. Cattle fed greater than 15% corn silage in finishing diets based on corn grain will gain slower and be slightly less efficient and likely require increased days to market at similar carcass fatness and size. When 30% silage was fed with 65% MDGS, DMI, and ADG were decreased (P < 0.01) compared to feeding 30% silage with 40% MDGS suggesting some benefit to including a proportion of corn in the diet. Conversely, when 45% silage was fed with 40% MDGS, ADG, and G:F were greater (P < 0.04) than when 45% silage was fed with just grain implying a greater energy value for MDGS than for corn grain. Substituting corn silage for corn grain in finishing diets decreased ADG and G:F which would increase days to finish to an equal carcass weight; however, in this experiment, increasing corn silage levels with MDGS present reduced carcass fat thickness without significantly decreasing marbling score.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2697
Author(s):  
Gabriel Gerner ◽  
Luca Meyer ◽  
Rahel Wanner ◽  
Thomas Keller ◽  
Rolf Krebs

Phosphorus recovery from waste biomass is becoming increasingly important, given that phosphorus is an exhaustible non-renewable resource. For the recovery of plant nutrients and production of climate-neutral fuel from wet waste streams, hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has been suggested as a promising technology. In this study, digested sewage sludge (DSS) was used as waste material for phosphorus and nitrogen recovery. HTC was conducted at 200 °C for 4 h, followed by phosphorus stripping (PS) or leaching (PL) at room temperature. The results showed that for PS and PL around 84% and 71% of phosphorus, as well as 53% and 54% of nitrogen, respectively, could be recovered in the liquid phase (process water and/or extract). Heavy metals were mainly transferred to the hydrochar and only <1 ppm of Cd and 21–43 ppm of Zn were found to be in the liquid phase of the acid treatments. According to the economic feasibility calculation, the HTC-treatment per dry ton DSS with an industrial-scale plant would cost around 608 USD. Between 349–406 kg of sulfuric acid are required per dry ton DSS to achieve a high yield in phosphorus recovery, which causes additional costs of 96–118 USD. Compared to current sewage sludge treatment costs in Switzerland, which range between 669 USD and 1173 USD, HTC can be an economically feasible process for DSS treatment and nutrient recovery.


BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e043844
Author(s):  
Natalia Araujo ◽  
Samantha Morais ◽  
Ana Rute Costa ◽  
Raquel Braga ◽  
Ana Filipa Carneiro ◽  
...  

IntroductionProstate cancer is the most prevalent oncological disease among men in industrialised countries. Despite the high survival rates, treatments are often associated with adverse effects, including metabolic and cardiovascular complications, sexual dysfunction and, to a lesser extent, cognitive decline. This study was primarily designed to evaluate the trajectories of cognitive performance in patients with prostate cancer, and to quantify the impact of the disease and its treatments on the occurrence of cognitive decline.MethodsParticipants will be recruited from two main hospitals providing care to approximately half of the patients with prostate cancer in Northern Portugal (Portuguese Institute of Oncology of Porto and São João Hospital Centre), and will comprise a cohort of recently diagnosed patients with prostate cancer proposed for different treatment plans, including: (1) radical prostatectomy; (2) brachytherapy and/or radiotherapy; (3) radiotherapy in combination with androgen deprivation therapy and (4) androgen deprivation therapy (with or without chemotherapy). Recruitment began in February 2018 and is expected to continue until the first semester of 2021. Follow-up evaluations will be conducted at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 years. Sociodemographic, behavioural and clinical characteristics, anxiety and depression, health literacy, health status, quality of life, and sleep quality will be assessed. Blood pressure and anthropometrics will be measured, and a fasting blood sample will be collected. Participants’ cognitive performance will be evaluated before treatments and throughout follow-up (Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Cube Test as well as Brain on Track for remote monitoring). All participants suspected of cognitive impairment will undergo neuropsychological tests and clinical observation by a neurologist.Ethics and disseminationThe study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the hospitals involved. All participants will provide written informed consent, and study procedures will be developed to ensure data protection and confidentiality. Results will be disseminated through publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentation in scientific meetings.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1289
Author(s):  
Shih-Chun Chang ◽  
Chi-Ming Tang ◽  
Puo-Hsien Le ◽  
Chia-Jung Kuo ◽  
Tsung-Hsing Chen ◽  
...  

Whether gastric adenocarcinoma (GC) patients with adjacent organ invasion (T4b) benefit from aggressive surgery involving pancreatic resection (PR) remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify the impact of PR on survival in patients with locally advanced resectable GC. Between 1995 and 2017, patients with locally advanced GC undergoing radical-intent gastrectomy with and without PR were enrolled and stratified into four groups: group 1 (G1), pT4b without pancreatic resection (PR); group 2 (G2), pT4b with PR; group 3 (G3), positive duodenal margins without Whipple’s operation; and group 4 (G4), cT4b with Whipple’s operation. Demographics, clinicopathological features, and outcomes were compared between G1 and G2 and G3 and G4. G2 patients were more likely to have perineural invasion than G1 patients (80.6% vs. 50%, p < 0.001). G4 patients had higher lymph node yield (40.8 vs. 31.3, p = 0.002), lower nodal status (p = 0.029), lower lymph node ratios (0.20 vs. 0.48, p < 0.0001) and higher complication rates (45.2% vs. 26.3%, p = 0.047) than G3 patients. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were significantly longer in G1 than in G2 (28.1% vs. 9.3%, p = 0.003; 32% vs. 13%, p = 0.004, respectively). The 5-year survival rates did not differ between G4 and G3 (DFS: 14% vs. 14.4%, p = 0.384; OS: 12.6% vs. 16.4%, p = 0.321, respectively). In conclusion, patients with T4b lesion who underwent PR had poorer survival than those who underwent resection of other adjacent organs. Further Whipple’s operation did not improve survival in pT3–pT4 GC with positive duodenal margins.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_3) ◽  
pp. iii322-iii322
Author(s):  
Raoull Hoogendijk ◽  
Jasper van der Lugt ◽  
Dannis van Vuurden ◽  
Eelco Hoving ◽  
Leontien Kremer ◽  
...  

Abstract BACKGROUND Variation in survival of pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors is large between countries. Within Europe, the Netherlands had one of the worst reported survival rates of malignant CNS (mCNS) tumors during 2000–2007. METHODS Using the Netherlands Cancer Registry, we evaluated trends in incidence and survival of pediatric mCNS tumors (behavior /3, 5th digit in the morphology code) diagnosed between 1990–2017. RESULTS 839 newly-diagnosed mCNS tumor patients &lt;18 years were registered between 1990–2017. Incidence of mCNS tumors remained stable (average incidence rate, 21.6 per million person-years). However, an increased incidence of malignant gliomas, NOS was found (Estimated Annual Percentage Change (EAPC) 11.6% p&lt;0.001). This appears to be related to a registration shift between 1990–1999 and 2000–2009 as brainstem tumors increased (+25%, n=79) for astrocytomas and other gliomas but decreased (-31%, n=32) for unspecified intracranial and intraspinal neoplasms. Overall, 5-year observed survival (5Y-OS) of mCNS tumors increased from 51% in 1990–1999 to 61% in 2010–2017 (P-for-trend&lt;0.001). This increase was not constant over time, as 5Y-OS for the period 2000–2009 was 47%. The only significant decrease in survival was found for malignant astrocytomas and other gliomas with a 5Y-OS of 56% in 1990–1999 decreasing to 48% in 2010–2017 (P-for-trend&lt;0.001). CONCLUSION Between 1990–2017 incidence of mCNS tumors in the Netherlands remained stable and survival increased. However, a decrease in survival was seen for malignant astrocytomas and other gliomas, which is partially explained by the registration shift of brainstem tumors. The impact of this shift on survival for all mCNS tumors is subject to further research.


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