Felipe Yunta, Calogero Schillaci, Panos Panagos, Elise Van Eynde, Piotr Wojda, Arwyn Jones
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
The present European Union (EU) Sewage Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) is undergoing modifications aimed at enhancing its applicability in the agricultural sector. The Directive's existing limit values for heavy metal concentrations in soils are in the process of being revised. However, to comprehensively understand their effects on EU agricultural lands, additional evaluations are necessary. This is particularly important given that ecological risk assessments are often performed on a site-specific basis, potentially overlooking broader regional implications. The main objective of the current work is to introduce a methodological approach to quantify the impact of sewage sludge (SS) application on agricultural soils in the EU and the United Kingdom. Concentrations of heavy metals (HMs) (Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn) in agricultural land from Land Use/Land Cover Area Frame Survey (LUCAS) 2009 topsoil database were used as a baseline. Maximum quantities of SS that can be safely applied to agricultural lands were obtained by a modeling procedure was used to determine the maximum safe quantities of SS that can be applied to agricultural lands for each country within the European Member States and the United Kingdom. Accumulation of HMs in soils was modelled by using a representative SS composition, distributed over 10 successive years at 5 Mg ha−1 year−1 rate. Ecological risk impact was assessed by using both the single ecological risk index (Er) and the integrated potential ecological risk index (RI). Maximum quantities of SS applied on agricultural soils in EU + UK were estimated to be 45 Mg ha−1 at the country level. We found that 19% of agricultural land (around 28,471,900 ha) in the EU + UK shows a higher RI than moderate risk after long time application of the representative SS. We show that the combination of the HM concentrations from the LUCAS topsoil survey and assumptions on the SS composition and soil HM partitioning can be used to define the actual and potential soil pollution rate in EU + UK. We demonstrate that the proposed methodology can be used by policymakers, farmers, regional authorities and other stakeholders, with possible adaptions based on local in-depth soil and SS knowledge.
目前,欧盟(EU)正在对《污水污泥指令》(86/278/EEC)进行修改,以提高其在农业部门的适用性。该指令中关于土壤中重金属浓度的现有限值正在修订过程中。然而,为了全面了解重金属对欧盟农业用地的影响,有必要进行额外的评估。这一点尤为重要,因为生态风险评估通常是针对具体地点进行的,可能会忽略更广泛的区域影响。当前工作的主要目标是引入一种方法,量化污水污泥(SS)的施用对欧盟和英国农业土壤的影响。以 2009 年土地利用/土地覆盖面积框架调查(LUCAS)表土数据库中农田中的重金属(HMs)(镉、铜、汞、镍、铅和锌)浓度为基准。可安全施用于农田的最大 SS 量是通过建模程序获得的,该程序用于确定欧洲各成员国和英国可安全施用于农田的最大 SS 量。土壤中 HMs 的累积是通过使用具有代表性的 SS 成分来模拟的,该 SS 成分以 5 兆克/公顷-年-年的比率连续 10 年分布。生态风险影响通过使用单一生态风险指数(Er)和综合潜在生态风险指数(RI)进行评估。在欧盟和英国的农业土壤上施用 SS 的最大数量估计为 45 兆克/公顷-1。我们发现,欧盟+英国 19% 的农田(约 2847.19 万公顷)在长期施用具有代表性的 SS 后,RI 高于中度风险。我们表明,结合 LUCAS 表层土调查得出的 HM 浓度以及对 SS 成分和土壤 HM 分配的假设,可用于确定欧盟+英国的实际和潜在土壤污染率。我们证明,政策制定者、农民、地区当局和其他利益相关者可以使用所建议的方法,并可根据对当地土壤和 SS 的深入了解进行调整。
期刊介绍:
The EJSS is an international journal that publishes outstanding papers in soil science that advance the theoretical and mechanistic understanding of physical, chemical and biological processes and their interactions in soils acting from molecular to continental scales in natural and managed environments.