DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/presipitasi.v22i1.143-156

Model-Based Assessment of Heavy Metals Leaching Behavior in Wasted Activated Sludge Utilization

*Nopa Dwi Maulidiany orcid scopus  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Sabina Adwina Oktovidonna  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Jessica Dorothea Rastandi  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Baskoro Lokahita  -  Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia
Ayik Abdillah orcid  -  Kyoto University, Japan

Citation Format:
Abstract

Advanced sludge treatment remains a critical challenge as global wastewater production increases, with waste-activated sludge (WAS) posing ecological and health risks due to heavy metal accumulation. This study characterized WAS based on solid parameters and metal content, focusing on As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Ni, Mg, Mn, and Zn, which exceed organic fertilizer thresholds. Using Visual MINTEQ, heavy metal leaching behavior was modelled under pH-independent and pH-dependent conditions. The pH-independent simulation identified As as the least leachable metal (2.166 × 10⁻¹³ mgAs/L) and Cu as the most leachable (1.261 × 10⁻⁴ mgCu/L). The pH-dependent simulation (pH 1.5–13.5) revealed significant leaching for Fe (21.777 mgFe/L) and Cu (1.98 ×10-3 mgCu/L), with Ni (0.120 mgNi/L) and Pb (2.7 × 10-4 mgPb/L) posing chronic risks to aquatic ecosystems. Metals like Cr, Cd, and Ni exhibited distinct leaching patterns influenced by pH and WAS composition. The findings highlight the critical role of pH, along with WAS composition, in governing heavy metal leaching, providing insights to mitigate risks and support sustainable sludge management practices.

Note: This article has supplementary file(s).

Fulltext View|Download |  Data Analysis
Supplementary data
Subject Visual Minteq Data
Type Data Analysis
  Download (4MB)    Indexing metadata
Keywords: Sewage sludge; leaching; heavy metals; Minteq; sludge utilization
Funding: Universitas Indonesia PUTI NKB-271/UN2.RST/HKP.05.00/2023.

Article Metrics:

Article Info
Section: Original Research Article
Language : EN
Recent articles
An Overview of the Utilization of PET Plastic Bottle Waste for Membrane Fabrication Analysis of Human Activities and Deforestation Impact on Air Quality: a Paper Review Impact of Green Building Implementation on Health and Well-being of Building Users in Indonesia Reclamation of Former Brick Mining Lands: Enhancing Oil Palm Growth Using Goat Manure and Rice Husk Charcoal Sustainable Recovery of SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and MgO from Slag, Aluminum Cans, and Bittern Rainwater Processing System into Ready-to-Drink Water PIR Sensor (Hc-Sr501) and Arduino Uno Urban-Rural Innovation of the ABCD-based Mangunharjo Mandiri Sejahtera (MAMISERA) Program by Pertamina AFT Ahmad Yani Infiltration Well Design for Environmental Conservation: Assessing Watershed and Groundwater Depth in Denpasar City Value-Added Analysis of Used Cooking Oil Recycling as a Base Material for Floor Cleaning Soap: A Case Study of Putra Abadi MSMEs in Pagalaram City, South Sumatra More recent articles
Most cited articles
KONSERVASI ENERGI BERBASIS RENEWABLE ENERGY TECHNOLOGY DENGAN PEMANFAATAN TEKNOLOGI MICROBIAL Kajian Dampak Rencana Pembangunan Kawasan Wisata Marina di Pesisir Kabupaten Belitung terhadap Kualitas Lingkungan Sekitarnya POTENSI NITRIFIKASI OLEH BAKTERI YANG TERDAPAT DI LAUT ALIRAN KALI PLUMBON, LAUT ALIRAN KALI BANJIR KANAL BARAT DAN LAUT ALIRAN KALI BANJIR KANAL TIMUR ANALISIS PENGARUH HIDROLIKA SUNGAI TERHADAP TRANSPORT BOD DAN DO DENGAN MENGGUNAKAN SOFTWARE QUAL2E (STUDI KASUS DI SUNGAI KALIGARANG, SEMARANG ) PENERAPAN PENGELOLAAN LIMBAH B3 DI PT. TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING INDONESIA More cited articles
  1. Al, K., 2022. Anaerobic co-digestion efficiency under the stress exerted by different heavy metals concentration: An energy nexus analysis. Energy Nexus, 7, p.100099
  2. Ali Redha, A., 2020. Removal of heavy metals from aqueous media by biosorption. Arab Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 27, pp.183–193
  3. Amanatidou, E., 2023. Speciation, chemistry, geogenic formation and dispersion of chromium in groundwater. Environmental Science and Engineering Part F, 1975, pp.19–41
  4. Angel, B.M., Apte, S.C., Batley, G.E. and Raven, M., 2021. Geochemical factors affecting the solubility of copper in seawater. Environmental Chemistry, 18, pp.1–11
  5. APHA/AWWA/WEF, 2017. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. 23rd ed
  6. Barnett, J., Richardson, D., Stack, K. and Lewis, T., 2012. Addition of trace metals and vitamins for the optimisation of a pulp and paper mill activated sludge wastewater treatment plant. Appita Journal, 65, pp.237–243
  7. Batstone, D.J., Jensen, P.D. and Ge, H., 2011. Biochemical treatment of biosolids – Emerging technologies. Biosolids, 38, pp.90–93
  8. Besser, J.M., Brumbaugh, W.G., Brunson, E.L. and Ingersoll, C.G., 2005. Acute and chronic toxicity of lead in water and diet to the amphipod Hyalella azteca. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 24, pp.1807–1815
  9. BGMEDRI, 2007. Water design manual - Urban drainage. 2nd ed. Beijing: China Architecture
  10. Bozkurt, Y.C. and Apul, O.G., 2020. Critical review for microwave pretreatment of waste-activated sludge prior to anaerobic digestion. Current Opinion in Environmental Science and Health, 14, pp.1–9
  11. Bułkowska, K., 2024. Thermal disintegration of waste-activated sludge. Energies, 17
  12. Cadmus, P., Brinkman, S.F. and May, M.K., 2018. Chronic toxicity of ferric iron for North American aquatic organisms: Derivation of a chronic water quality criterion using single species and mesocosm data. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 74, pp.605–615
  13. Casares, V., Cabo, L.I. De, Seoane, R.S., Natale, O.E., Weigandt, C. and Iorio, A.F. De, 2012. Measured copper toxicity to Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Pisces: Poeciliidae) and predicted by biotic ligand model in Pilcomayo River water: A step for a cross-fish-species extrapolation. Journal of Toxicology, 2012
  14. Chiang, K.Y., Tsai, C.C. and Wang, K.S., 2009. Comparison of leaching characteristics of heavy metals in APC residue from an MSW incinerator using various extraction methods. Waste Management, 29, pp.277–284
  15. Cieślik, B. and Konieczka, P., 2017. A review of phosphorus recovery methods at various steps of wastewater treatment and sewage sludge management: The concept of “no solid waste generation” and analytical methods. Journal of Cleaner Production, 142, pp.1728–1740
  16. Cuppett, J.D., Duncan, S.E. and Dietrich, A.M., 2006. Evaluation of copper speciation and water quality factors that affect aqueous copper tasting response. Chemical Senses, 31, pp.689–697
  17. Czarnota, J. and Masłoń, A., 2019. Evaluation of the effectiveness of a wastewater treatment plant with MBBR technology. Roczniki Ochrony Środowiska, 21, pp.906–925
  18. Dijkstra, J.J., Meeussen, J.C.L., Van der Sloot, H.A. and Comans, R.N.J., 2008. A consistent geochemical modelling approach for the leaching and reactive transport of major and trace elements in MSWI bottom ash. Applied Geochemistry, 23, pp.1544–1562
  19. Ding, T., Du, S., Zhang, Yahui, Wang, H., Zhang, Yu, Cao, Y. and Zhang, J., 2020. Hardness-dependent water quality criteria for cadmium and an ecological risk assessment of the Shaying River Basin, China. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 198, p.110666
  20. Dong, J.Q., Zhang, H.Z., Wang, J.N. and Zhang, T.Z., 2015. Modeling of cadmium speciation in Longjiang River during an emergent environmental incident. Zhongguo Huanjing Kexue/China Environmental Science, 35, pp.3046–3052
  21. Gagliano, M.C., Sudmalis, D., Temmink, H. and Plugge, C.M., 2020. Calcium effect on microbial activity and biomass aggregation during anaerobic digestion at high salinity. New Biotechnology, 56, pp.114–122
  22. García-Carvajal, C., Villarroel-Rocha, J., Curvale, D., Barroso-Quiroga, M.M. and Sapag, K., 2019. Arsenic (V) removal from aqueous solutions using natural clay ceramic monoliths. Chemical Engineering Communications, 206, pp.1451–1462
  23. Garg, S., Ahammed, M.M. and Shaikh, I., 2021. Heavy metal fractionation in aerobic and anaerobic sewage sludge. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, 104, pp.11–19
  24. Garza-León, C.V., Fernández-Flores, C.A., Arzate-Cárdenas, M.A., Rubio-Franchini, I. and Rico-Martínez, R., 2023. Differential effects on the toxicity and bioconcentration of hexavalent and trivalent chromium on the rotifer Lecane papuana (Murray, 1913) (Monogononta: Lecanidae). Hidrobiologica, 33, pp.329–338
  25. Gawdzik, J. and Gawdzik, B., 2012. Mobility of heavy metals in municipal sewage sludge from different throughput sewage treatment plants. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 21, pp.1603–1611
  26. Gemeda, S., Gabbiye, N. and Alemu, A., 2019. Phytoremediation potential of free floating plant species for chromium wastewater: The case of duckweed, water hyacinth and water lilies. Lecture Notes in Computer Science and Social Telecommunications Engineering, 274, pp.519–535
  27. Grunder, Y., Beane, J., Kolodziej, A., Lucas, C.A. and Rodriguez, P., 2019. Potential dependent structure and stability of Cu(111) in neutral phosphate electrolyte. Surfaces, 2, pp.145–158
  28. Gu, C., Gates, B.A. and Margenot, A.J., 2020. Phosphate recycled as struvite immobilizes bioaccessible soil lead while minimizing environmental risk. Journal of Cleaner Production, 276, p.122635
  29. Gupta, S., Pathak, A.K. and Singh, D.K., 2022. Heavy metal contamination in riverine sediments: A review on spatial distribution, environmental risk, and remediation technologies. Environmental Research, 214, p.113825
  30. Hargreaves, A.J., Vale, P., Whelan, J., Alibardi, L. and Constantino, C., 2021. Phosphorus and nitrogen recovery from wastewater treatment plants: The applicability of biological, chemical, and physical technologies. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 9, p.105202
  31. Huang, H., Tang, J., Gao, K., Wang, X., Wen, Z., Cai, W. and Wang, W., 2020. Advances in phosphorus recovery from wastewater: A review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27, pp.4600–4623
  32. Keller, A.A., McFerran, S., Lazareva, A. and Suh, S., 2013. Global life cycle releases of engineered nanomaterials. Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 15, p.1692
  33. Kondor, A.C., Vancsik, A., Papp, S., Makó, P. and Kovács, B., 2022. Evaluating heavy metal pollution in surface waters: A case study in Central Europe. Water, 14, p.284
  34. Li, W., Liu, J., Qiao, X., An, Y. and Zhang, Z., 2018. Ecotoxicity of heavy metals in sediments from a typical mariculture zone. Environmental Pollution, 243, pp.1279–1287
  35. Metcalf & Eddy, 2014. Wastewater engineering: treatment and resource recovery. 5th edition, McGraw-Hill, New York
  36. Mohan, S.V., Modestra, J.A., Amulya, K., Butti, S.K. and Velvizhi, G., 2016. A decade of bioelectrochemical systems: A review. Biofuel Research Journal, 3, pp.520–535
  37. Nancharaiah, Y.V., Reddy, G.K.K. and Mohan, S.V., 2016. Aerobic granular sludge technology: Mechanisms of granulation and biotechnological applications. Bioresource Technology, 215, pp.252–264
  38. Pérez, D.F., Cáceres, R.E., Gómez, R.S., Rodríguez, L.A. and García, M.C., 2021. Phytoremediation potential of Eichhornia crassipes for heavy metal removal in wastewater treatment. Journal of Environmental Management, 292, p.112763
  39. Qi, J., Zhang, W., Qian, Y. and Liu, W., 2018. Effects of microbial community and environmental factors on nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands. Science of the Total Environment, 642, pp.145–154
  40. Rahman, M.A., Choudhury, T.R. and Ghosh, S.K., 2019. Assessment of heavy metal contamination in river sediments: A case study of the Buriganga River, Bangladesh. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 191, p.557
  41. Santos, R.M., Behera, S.K., Park, H.S. and Rao, P.K., 2017. Biogenic sulfate reduction for simultaneous biogas production and metal recovery: A review. Bioresource Technology, 244, pp.1001–1012
  42. Singh, R.P. and Agrawal, M., 2018. Potential benefits and risks of land application of sewage sludge. Waste Management, 28, pp.347–358
  43. Tchobanoglous, G., Burton, F.L. and Stensel, H.D., 2014. Wastewater engineering: Treatment and reuse. 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill
  44. Wang, X., Wang, Y., Huang, W., Wang, J., Li, J., Zhang, Q. and Li, J., 2022. Adsorption of heavy metals in wastewater using nanomaterials: A review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 29, pp.1–20
  45. Yin, K., Wang, Q., Lv, M., Chen, L., Zhang, Y. and Hu, J., 2020. Heavy metal pollution in the Yangtze River Basin: A review of distribution, remediation, and governance. Environmental Science & Technology, 54, pp.11959–11975

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2025-12-21 00:44:34

No citation recorded.