Stabilization of heavy metals in sewage sludge by attapulgite

The mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in sewage sludge are the major risks to utilize for agricultural application. In this study, the chemical speciation of Cu, Ni, Cr, and Zn in the Lanzhou municipal sewage sludge were investigated with the addition of a natural attapulgite. The influences of attapulgite amendment in sewage sludge on heavy metals stabilization were evaluated by investigating the leaching procedure and sequential chemical extraction experiments. The sequential extraction procedure described by European Community Bureau of Reference was used in sludge to determine the distribution of heavy metal species. The addition of attapulgite accelerated more reducible speciation of all metals transformed into residual speciation evidently. It reduced the leaching content of metals significantly and decreased the ecotoxicity accounted for the germination index values climbed rapidly with increased attapulgite addition. Implications: This research developed a method to stabilize heavy metals in municipal sewage sludge with clay. The activated attapulgite improved the treatment of sewage sludge containing heavy metals, and reduced the environmental risk of heavy metals.