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Global defi cit of fertilizers is evident and as a result of the war in Ukraine the situation is worsening. At the same time, not all the possible major resources of nutrients have found appropriate application in agriculture, as for example sewage and its sludge, which are among the most promising sources of P, N and organic matter. Sewage sludge (SS) usage as an agricultural fertilizer has a number of limitations. Amongst them persistent organic pollutants (POPs) have a special role due to their ability to affect living organisms. Ongoing work directed to eliminating POPs present in SS is widely reported, but due to the complexity of these compounds no universal success has been achieved. In the case of several undesired residual compounds promising results have been gained using SS composting with different bulking agents. The current study was concentrated on the degradation of some widely used persistent POPs that are present in SS, namely carbamazepine (CBZ) and triclosan (TCS). Peat alone as a bulking agent widely used in the mixture with sewage sludge in Estonia is not suitable for initiating the process of composting. Additions of carbon-rich matter, as for example draff, might provide the relevant conditions needed for launching this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study was conducted to determine the potential for some antibiotics to be taken up by food plants from soil fertilized with manure, sewage sludge or its compost containing antibiotic residues. The plants (potato – Solanum tuberosum L., carrot – Daucus carota L., and wheat – Triticum aestivum L.) were cultivated in greenhouse under natural light conditions in the presence of three fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and norfloxacin), and two sulfonamides (sulfadimethoxine and sulfamethoxazole). The uptake of antibiotics was demonstrated from two different soils (loamy and loamy sand). The concentrations of each antibiotic in soil were 0.01, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 10 mg kg–1. The antibiotics were extracted from the plants using the liquid extraction (LE) and cleaned up by the solid phase extraction (SPE). The extracts were analyzed by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). The accumulation range depended on antibiotic concentration in soil, chemical properties of the antibiotic, soil type, plant species and parts (overground or below-ground). At soil concentrations of 10 mg kg–1 antibiotics accumulated in edible parts of most plants in amounts, which exceeded their maximum residue levels (MRL) set for food of animal origin – 100 µg kg–1. The highest average content of antibiotics was detected in potato tubers and carrot roots grown in the loamy sand soil – 3897 µg kg–1 and 3400 µg kg–1 sulfamethoxazole. Plants accumulated antibiotics (ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin) from soil even at soil concentration of 0.01 mg kg–1. Mostly the highest concentrations of antibiotics were detected in below-ground parts of the plants grown in the loamy-sand soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Pharmaceuticals are present in sewage sludge and its compost. This may cause severe health problems due to the plant uptake of pharmaceuticals by food plants when sewage sludge compost is used for fertilizing agricultural soils. Recently studies were conducted for estimating the efficiency of composting technologies in the view of the degradation of pharmaceutical residues. Experiments on plant uptake of pharmaceutical residues showed, that this phenomenon could not be ignored when using sewage sludge compost as a fertilizer. Novel approaches were developed via optimising the composition of the compost mixture with the aim of utilising sewage sludge compost as a nutrient-rich source for the improvement of soil properties. Sawdust as a bulking agent clearly speeded up the degradation of most of the studied pharmaceutical residues present in sewage sludge and its compost. More work in this field is needed for increasing the efficiency of the sewage sludge composting process. Efficient express methodologies should be developed with the aim of assessing the safety of sewage sludge compost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Straw and reed are natural local insulation- and construction materials, which properties allow them to replace energy intensive building materials. In general, straw and reed as building materials are considered harmless to the environment and human health. Unfortunately, the use of these materials may bring about mould growth in buildings which may result in different diseases (for example irritation of eyes, nose and throat, allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma) in people with weaker immune systems. No research has been carried out on the topic of microbiological community in straw and reed houses in climatic conditions similar to Estonia, although buildings made of natural materials are becoming more and more popular. The aims of the study were to investigate the indoor climate of buildings with straw and reedbale walls and to determine the factors influencing indoor air quality. In order to fulfil the set aim: (1) air quality was tested in the bedrooms of the studied houses, and the microbial species in air and walls were determined; (2) the indoor air quality parameters (CO2, RH%, and temperature) in air and at two different heights in the walls were measured. The results enable to conclude that the walls of straw or reed-bale house are suitable in Estonian climatic conditions, which as a result of professional design, usage of materials suitable for building, and high-quality craftsmanship provides a healthy and environmentally friendly housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semi-coke is classified as an environmentally harmful residue of oil shale industry due to its toxic components: several organic and inorganic compounds – oil products, asphaltenes, phenols, PAHs, sulphuric compounds. The aim of the present work was to compare the abundances and species compositions of soil invertebrate assemblages (Collembola, Lumbricidae, Araneae, Myriapoda, Coleoptera) in the artificial substrate from vegetated and bare residue sites of semi-coke heaps of Estonian oil shale industry. Invertebrate communities in semi-coke heaps were studied at three heights of each heap slope; all sampling points in the heaps were divided into four groups based on plant cover. The authors concluded that the communities of micro- and macroarthropods and earthworms in oil-shale processing waste heaps were formed under certain conditions – a high pH and extremely low moisture. The presence of several invertebrate groups (springtails, earthworms, epigeic predators, etc.) and soil communities can be used for monitoring the success in restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exploitation of the Ni(III)/Ni(II) transition as a means of quantifying the concentration of nickel within industrial samples was assessed. The methodology relies upon the reagentless electrodeposition of Ni onto a glassy carbon electrode and the subsequent oxidative conversion of the metallic layer to Ni(III). The analytical signal is derived from a cathodic stripping protocol in which the reduction of the Ni(III) layer to Ni(II) is monitored through the use of square wave voltammetry. The procedure was refined through the introduction of an ultrasonic source which served to both enhance the deposition of nickel and to remove the nickel hydroxide layer that results from the measurement process. A well-defined stripping peak was observed at +0.7 V (vs. Ag∣AgCl) with the response found to be linear over the range 50 nM to 1 μM (based on a 30 s deposition time). Other metal ions such as Cu(II), Mn(II), Cr(III), Pb(II), Cd(II), Zn(II), Fe(III) and Co(II) did not interfere with the response when present in hundred fold excess. The viability of the technique was evaluated through the determination of nickel within a commercial copper nickel alloy and validated through an independent comparison with a standard ICP-AES protocol. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]