The agricultural use potential of the detoxified textile dyeing sludge by integrated Ultrasound/Fenton-like process: A comparative study

Enhancing industrial sludge detoxification is of scientific and practical significance in confronting urban development and stringent environmental regulations. A strategy combining ultrasound (US) with the zero-valent iron/EDTA/Air (ZEA) process was proven to be eco-friendly, being efficient in the removal of toxic compounds from textile dyeing sludge in our previous studies. In this paper, therefore, the detoxification effects of three advanced oxidation processes (US, ZEA, US/ZEA) on textile dyeing sludge were comparatively evaluated for the first time through alteration of the sludge's physico-chemical parameters (e.g., macronutrients, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants) and toxicity (plants and aquatic biota), by which the appropriateness of industrial sludge's agricultural use was assessed. The results showed that US led to the least alteration of the physico-chemical properties, and the treated sludge became less biodegradable, as demonstrated by XPS. With ZEA treatment, persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were degraded by oxidation, and heavy metals were more leachable, leading to effective detoxification with a relatively low sludge dose, but an excessive amount of EDTA would negatively change the fertilizing properties of the sludge. However, the integration of US and ZEA could avoid this situation, as US promoted the degradation of EDTA and POPs, thus causing the least inhibition or even a noticeable stimulation of plant growth when the sludge dosage was 7.5 t(dw)/ha (recommended dosage by the latest legislation in China). Aquatic organism toxicity tests further confirmed that US/ZEA treatment realized the most significant toxicity reduction, leading to the slightest environmental disruption. This study could be instructive in providing guidance for industrial sludge management considering agricultural use.