biological reclamation

Decades of accumulated wastewater sludge (WWS) at Ukrainian sewage treatment plants (STP) represent a significant environmental hazard. In European countries, the predominant methods for managing sludge at STPs are thermal drying and sludge incineration, both of which come with substantial initial and ongoing expenses. In Ukraine, a more cost-effective and energy-efficient solution is aerobic biocomposting of WWS, resulting in the production of an organo-mineral mixture. Depending on the input sludge, this mixture can be utilized for land restoration and landfill rehabilitation.

The work investigated the effect of encapsulated mineral fertilizers on the growth and development of plants for 45 days. As a mineral fertilizer, nitroammophoska was used, which was encapsulated by a shell of different compositions: sample KD1 – a mixture of polystyrene, lignin, and carbon; sample KD2 – a mixture of polystyrene, lignin, and zeolite. The bioindication method was used to determine the effect of encapsulated mineral fertilizers on plant growth kinetics.