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The present paper was aimed at determining the influence of particular methods and biological processes, including the application of Effective Microorganisms, on the change in characteristics of the treated dairy sewage sludge, especially when discussing the changes in the content of nutrients and macroelements. The purpose of the conducted research was to specify the possibility of using natural biological methods of dairy sewage sludge treatment and adapting it to environmental, especially farming use. Diagnostic research on the content of sewage sludge from dairy wastewater treatment plants in the north-eastern region of Poland has been conducted since the 1990s. On the basis of the results and the assessment of the possibility of agricultural utilization of dairy sewage sludge, the objectives for research on sludge treatment were established. The research facilities were located on the premises of Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in Zambrów. The choice of location for the research facilities was guided by the possibility of supplying the same sludge from dairy wastewater treatment. The excess sludge from biological dairy sewage treatment, which was aerobically stabilized in separate chambers, was used in the research. In all of the facilities where sludge was treated with biological methods, Effective Microorganisms (EM) were also used for comparison. In the years 2010-2013, the research was conducted in the research facilities (own project) constructed and launched in 2010, which were planted with phragmites and common osier. In the years 2010-2012, the research was conducted in the research facilities (own project) constructed and launched in 2010, i.e. vermiculture patches. The conducted research was comprehensive and the obtained experiment results point to the necessity of continuation and further development of research concerning the content transformation in dairy sewage sludge during its biological treatment. Establishing the role of microorganisms present in the EM formula on the processes and transformations occurring in biologically treated sewage seems to be of exceptional importance. The innovativeness of the research lay mainly in a very comprehensive range of natural biological methods of treatment applied for the same sewage sludge coming from dairy wastewater treatment plants. The conducted research points to the influence of the EM formula on vital changes in the content of macroelements in the biologically treated dairy sewage sludge. The most important impact (from the point of view of the number of parameters and the change in size as a result of applying EM formula) was observed in reference to the vermicomposting process with the use of earthworms and long-term stabilization in reed beds. The statistical assessment methods applied to the obtained results of own research (Wilcoxon and Spearman tests, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient) point to a significant influence of the EM formula on different "behavior" of many analyzed characteristics of the treated sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to link microbial community composition and chemical properties of various biomass and their resulting digestate residues for their potential use in biogas production or soil enrichment. The order of biogas production, graded from high to low was as follows: corn silage, grass silage, fruit waste, and dairy sewage sludge. Different bacterial families were predominant in different biomass. Corn silage deteriorated as a result of longterm air exposition and may serve as an efficient feedstock substrate for anaerobic digestion. A positive role in plant biocontrol microorganisms found in grass straw residues, and reasonable biogas yield obtained from this substrate suggests the use of grass straw for biogas production and its residues to enrich the soil. Due to potential threat of introducing pathogens into the soil within fruit waste or dairy sewage sludge, or soil acidification by fruit waste repeated use in field application, this biomass should be sanitized prior to soil application. Simultaneously, low biogas yields from fruit waste and dairy sewage sludge substrates make it necessary to transform them in anaerobic digestion with more energetic co-substrates. Tested residues may deliver a robust and wide range of methanogens as inoculum for further anaerobic digestion process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sewage sludge was taken from a dairy WWTP belonging to Mlekovita Cooperative in Wysokie Mazowieckie. There were excess sludge, flotation sludge and a mixture of excess and flotation sludge from pre-treatment of dairy sewage. The initial content of 16 PAHs in excess sludge before fermentation was approximately 689 µg·kg −1 in dry mass, whereas in post-flotation sludge (which constituted around 30% of raw sludge) it was approximately 95 µg·kg −1 in dry mass. A mixture of excess and flotation sludge had the content of 497,7 µg·kg −1 in dry mass. Through comparison of particular hydrocarbons content in raw sewage sludge to the total PAHs content, it was shown that tricyclic compounds, which constituted 46,3% of the PAHs sum (excess sludge), and tetracyclic compounds, which constituted 60,0% of the PAHs sum (flotation sludge), were the dominating fractions. In the sludge subjected to fermentation in reactors with mixed sludge and surplus activated sludge, the general trend of the course of changes in concentrations of PAHs was similar. Both in the sludge inoculated with EM and in that not inoculated with EM, a significant increase in the total PAHs contents was observed in the first fermentation phase (acidic fermentation) after 7 days of the process. Addition of EM into the sludge did not prevent the PAHs release, and therefore higher concentrations of PAHs sum were recorded during the hydrolysis stage than in sludge before fermentation. A decrease in the sum of PAHs was observed after 2 weeks of fermentation in relation to the quantity observed after 1 week of fermentation (except from post-flotation sludge). In the following weeks, there was further decrease in the concentration of the 16 PAHs sum in all sludge types. However, in sludge without EM inoculation, it was lower than in sludge with EM inoculation. The loss of the majority of tested hydrocarbons was reported in the final phase of fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present work was to assess the influence of organic amendment applications compared to mineral fertilization on soil microbial activity and functional diversity. The field experiment was set up on a soil classified as an Eutric Cambisol developed from loess (South-East Poland). Two doses of both dairy sewage sludge (20 Mg·ha−1 and 26 Mg·ha−1) and of mineral fertilizers containing the same amount of nutrients were applied. The same soil without any amendment was used as a control. The soil under undisturbed native vegetation was also included in the study as a representative background sample. The functional diversity (catabolic potential) was assessed using such indices as Average Well Color Development (AWCD), Richness (R) and Shannon–Weaver index (H). These indices were calculated, following the community level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog Eco Plates. Soil dehydrogenase and respiratory activity were also evaluated. The indices were sensitive enough to reveal changes in community level physiological profiles due to treatment effects. It was shown that dairy sewage amended soil was characterized by greater AWCD, R, H and dehydrogenase and respiratory activity as compared to control or mineral fertilized soil. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to depict the differences of the soil bacterial functional diversity between the treatments.

The aim of the present work was to assess the influence of organic amendment applications compared to mineral fertilization on soil microbial activity and functional diversity. The field experiment was set up on a soil classified as an Eutric Cambisol developed from loess (South-East Poland). Two doses of both dairy sewage sludge (20 Mg•ha-1 and 26 Mg•ha-1) and of mineral fertilizers containing the same amount of nutrients were applied. The same soil without any amendment was used as a control. The soil under undisturbed native vegetation was also included in the study as a representative background sample. The functional diversity (catabolic potential) was assessed using such indices as Average Well Color Development (AWCD), Richness (R) and Shannon-Weaver index (H). These indices were calculated, following the community level physiological profiling (CLPP) using Biolog Eco Plates. Soil dehydrogenase and respiratory activity were also evaluated. The indices were sensitive enough to reveal changes in community level physiological profiles due to treatment effects. It was shown that dairy sewage amended soil was characterized by greater AWCD, R, H and dehydrogenase and respiratory activity as compared to control or mineral fertilized soil. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used to depict the differences of the soil bacterial functional diversity between the treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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