A joint project between the Food Authority, the Natural Resources Centre (Luke) and the Finnish Environment Agency (Syke) investigated the long-term fertilization effect of phosphorus contained in wastewater sludge. The work also explored the accumulation of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) used as fire retards contained in sludge as a result of the soil improvement use of sludges.
Phosphorus contained in wastewater slurs is a major source of phosphorus, which is only marginally exploited in plant production. In the future, as phosphorus reserves deplete, exploitation of this phosphorus source must also be promoted. The main obstacles to slurry phosphorus exploitation are the poor usability of phosphorus contained in wastewater sludge for plants, as well as the unawareness of the harmful organic compounds contained in the sludge and their end-up in the environment and further into the food chain. This study examined the long-term fertilization effect of phosphorus contained in purification products based on fertilizer products. An extensive survey surveyed the concentration of PBDEs in 19 purification products collected from all over Finland. The accumulation of PBDE compounds in the plant was studied by a breeding experiment. Using a computationally hierarchical model, the work assessed a computational increase in PBDE concentration in farmland and oat caused by a single application of a purifier based fertilizer product.
Using sludge containing PBDEs as a soil improvers may raise the concentration of substances in farmland, but further information is needed about the increase in concentration in oat.
Schedule
2015 - 2018
Projectgroup
- Kari Ylivainio (Luke)
- Kimmo Rasa (Luke)
- Minna Sarvi (Luke)
- Eila Turtola (Luke)
- Marja Raatikainen (Ruokavirasto)
- Kimmo Suominen (Ruokavirasto)
- Jukka Ranta (Ruokavirasto)
- Ville Välttilä (Ruokavirasto)
- Jaakko Mannio (Syke)
- Päivi Meriläinen (Syke)
- Päivi Fjäder (Syke)
More information
Jukka Ranta (jukka.ranta@foodauthority.fi)