ASSESSMENT OF HEAVY METALS ACCUMULATION IN WHEAT GROWN ON SEWAGE SLUDGE-TREATED FERTILE SOIL

Abstract

The application of sewage sludge to agricultural land is an increasingly popular disposal route and it can be a valuable source of nutrients for crops. Soil properties such as texture, pH value, and ion exchange capacity, strongly influence the availability of trace metals to plants. This paper aims to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb, and Zn) from wheat, grown in controlled conditions, using two analytical methods as Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The analyzes were carried out at various stages of wheat grain growth and at different concentrations of sewage sludge/soil (0/100, 25/75, 50/50, 75/25, 100/0). The purpose of this paper is to present a method for valorizing sludge from sewage treatment plants, as well as the benefits that this method can have for the growth of cereals, while also looking at the influence and possible accumulation of heavy metals in this plant.