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Notes:
Volume 2
Journal of Environmental Research
Page 55
JOINT EVENT
July 26-27, 2018 Rome, Italy
&
6
th
Edition of International Conference on
Water Pollution & Sewage Management
4
th
International Conference on
Pollution Control & Sustainable Environment
Heavy metals in the environment: Its influence on anaerobic sewage sludge stabilisation
Vitez T
1
, Dokulilova T
1
, Vitezova M
2
and
Kopecka M
2
1
Mendel University, Czech Republic
2
Masaryk University, Czech Republic
T
he work is focused on the impact of heavy metals on anaerobic sewage sludge stabilisation process, thus biogas production
and quality. Primary source of heavy metals in urban wastewater is industry, which represents up to 50% of the total heavy
metal content in sewage sludge. Domestic sources are mainly associated with leaching from plumbing materials, gutters and
roofs, galvanised materials, the use of detergents and washing powders, and the use of body care products. Anaerobic sewage
sludge stabilisation is a complex microbiological process involving various types of anaerobic and facultative anaerobic bacteria.
This way of sludge treatment involves degradation and the stabilisation of organic matter, with reduction in odour, pathogens
and the mass of solid organic material that requires further processing. This is accomplished by the biological conversion
of organic matter to methane (CH
4
) and carbon dioxide (CO
2
). Sludge samples were collected directly from the anaerobic
sewage sludge stabilisation tank located at the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Brno, Czech Republic, population
equivalent (PE) 513,000. Biogas production and quality was measured using batch anaerobic fermenters with the volume of 5
dm
3
at the temperature 38°C±0.2°C. Into fermenters five different amounts of heavy metals (Cu, Zn) were added. Cumulative
biogas and methane production were used as the comparative parameters of tested metals inhibitory effect. Hypothesis, which
predicts presence of inhibitory effect of zinc and copper on anaerobic microorganisms, mainly on methanogenic archaea, was
confirmed. The lowest concentration of zinc and copper which causes significant inhibition of biogas production is 400 mg
Zn
2+
∙l
-1
and 1000 mg Cu
2+
∙l
-1
, which cause reduction of 10.3±2.0% and 82.8±1.1%, respectively.
Biography
Vitez T has completed his PhD in 2004 at Mendel University in Brno. He completed his Habilitation at 2014 at Mendel University in Brno and has specialization
in Waste Management. He is Head of the National Biogas Laboratory, member of Czech Water Association. He is focused on waste management, anaerobic
technology and wastewater treatment.
vite@mendelu.czVitez T et al., J Environ Res 2018, Volume: 2