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Comparison of dissolved organic matter from sewage sludge and sludge compost as electron shuttles for enhancing Fe(III) bioreduction

  • SOILS, SEC 1 • SOIL ORGANIC MATTER DYNAMICS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING • RESEARCH ARTICLE
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Abstract

Purpose

Land utilization of sewage sludge and sludge compost is a common practice in many countries. Soils amended with sewage sludge and sludge compost display different physicochemical properties, especially in terms of dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition that affects the electron-donating capacity (EDC) of DOM in soils. The aim of this paper was to compare the EDC of DOM derived from sewage sludge and sludge compost for enhancing Fe(III) bioreduction. It is expected that this research could be helpful for further understanding of soil remediation in the future.

Materials and methods

Sludge and compost DOM were extracted from sewage sludge and sludge compost, respectively. Fractionation, CHNO/S analysis, Fourier-transform infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry were then used to determine the degree of aromaticity and humification in the samples. To determine if their EDC was altered during composting, samples were reduced by the humic-reducing bacterium, Shewanella cinica D14T, after which their EDC values were determined. The initial and potential EDC values of the samples were measured using FeCl3/Fe(citrate) as an electron acceptor. The insoluble Fe(III) oxide reduction by strain D14T was mediated by DOM.

Results and discussion

Both sludge and compost DOM contained redox-active functional groups that could shuttle electrons to insoluble Fe(III) oxide and accelerate Fe(III) bioreduction. When FeCl3 was used as an oxidizing agent, their potential EDC reached 0.25 and 0.50 meq/(mg C), respectively. In addition, their electron transfer ability could be recycled.

Conclusions

The degree of humification of DOM increased during sludge composting, which resulted in the EDC of compost DOM being greater than that of sludge DOM. Furthermore, the rate of Fe(III) bioreduction mediated by DOM could be accelerated under anaerobic conditions, which has important implications for soil biogeochemistry because it may accelerate the rate of some kinds of toxic metals and recalcitrant organic pollutants transformation or degradation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 20807012 and 40801119), the Guangdong Natural Science of Foundation (No. 8151065003000004 and 8151065003000005), and Special Scientific Research Funds for Commonweal Agricultural Industry (No. 200803029).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangdong Institute of Eco-environment and Soil Sciences, 808 Tianyuan Road, Guangzhou, 510650, People’s Republic of China

    De-Yin Huang, Li Zhuang, Wei Xu, Shun-Gui Zhou & Fang-Bai Li

  2. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, People’s Republic of China

    Wei-Dong Cao

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  1. De-Yin Huang
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  2. Li Zhuang
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  3. Wei-Dong Cao
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  4. Wei Xu
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  5. Shun-Gui Zhou
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  6. Fang-Bai Li
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Correspondence to Shun-Gui Zhou.

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Responsible editor: Nicole Mathers

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Huang, DY., Zhuang, L., Cao, WD. et al. Comparison of dissolved organic matter from sewage sludge and sludge compost as electron shuttles for enhancing Fe(III) bioreduction. J Soils Sediments 10, 722–729 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-009-0161-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-009-0161-2

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