As part of the SUDDEN project, we study the behavior and fate of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their metabolites in composting, burning and pyrolysis of wastewater treatment plant sludge. We have sampled composted, burned and pyrolyzed sludge, the input material to each treatment, arable land fertilized with sludge products and a reference soil which has never received any sludge-based products. We are analyzing several active pharmaceutical ingredients and their metabolites in the samples. The results are used for environmental risk assessment to evaluate if the pharmaceuticals in the sludge products pose a risk to soil ecosystems and if some treatments can reduce the risks.
Check Noora Perkola’s presentation on soil and sludge sampling in SUDDEN project seminar on 11 May 2021:
