Metal bioleaching from sludge : current status and potential
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Advisor
Abstract
The treatment of municipal wastewater results in large amounts of residual sludge and has to
be disposed of in a safe and economic way. The most common way of sludge disposal, is land
application. However, the downside of these pollutants such as heavy metals, toxic organic
compounds and pathogens might be accumulated during conventional sewage treatment
process and limits their use for land application. Bioleaching via the solubilisation of metals
from solid substrates either directly by the metabolism of leaching bacteria or indirectly by
the products of metabolism which has been developed and demonstrated to be an efficient
and cost-effective means of removing heavy metals from sewage sludge without seriously
affecting its soil conditioning and fertilizing properties. In this review, a study has been
conducted on the effects of bioleaching and concentrates on the three different types of
sludge that of anaerobically digested sewage sludge, tannery sludge and pig slurry. In
addition, the parameters that influence the result of these methods are also looked at.
Furthermore, a case study was carried out via the use of an equation that calculates the profit
following the sale of heavy metals after bioleaching and their recovery as commodities.
be disposed of in a safe and economic way. The most common way of sludge disposal, is land
application. However, the downside of these pollutants such as heavy metals, toxic organic
compounds and pathogens might be accumulated during conventional sewage treatment
process and limits their use for land application. Bioleaching via the solubilisation of metals
from solid substrates either directly by the metabolism of leaching bacteria or indirectly by
the products of metabolism which has been developed and demonstrated to be an efficient
and cost-effective means of removing heavy metals from sewage sludge without seriously
affecting its soil conditioning and fertilizing properties. In this review, a study has been
conducted on the effects of bioleaching and concentrates on the three different types of
sludge that of anaerobically digested sewage sludge, tannery sludge and pig slurry. In
addition, the parameters that influence the result of these methods are also looked at.
Furthermore, a case study was carried out via the use of an equation that calculates the profit
following the sale of heavy metals after bioleaching and their recovery as commodities.
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