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Agriculture is one of the major fields, where sewage sludge can be used. Its high nutrient content can contribute to the improvement of important soil properties, such as nutrient content, water balance and soil structure. However, sewage sludge may contain hazardous components, such as pathogens and pollutants. Therefore, it is important to monitor the effects of its field application. In this paper, we assessed the impacts of two low-dose (2.5 m3/ha) municipal sewage sludge compost applications (in 2013 and in 2017) in a 5.6 ha arable land in southeast Hungary (near Újkígyós), located in the Hungarian Great Plain. The nutrient and the heavy metal contents in the upper soil layer (0-30 cm) of the studied Chernozem soils were compared between two sampling campaigns in 2013 (before the compost applications) and in 2018 (after the compost applications). Basic soil properties (pH, salinity, humus content, carbonate content, Arany yarn number) complemented with nutrient content (K2O, P2O5, NO2+ NO3) and heavy metal content (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) analyses were performed. The results show that no significant change can be noticed in the baseline parameters over the 5-year period. The slight increase in the P2O5, NO2+ NO3 content is closely related to the beneficial effects of the sewage sludge deposition. The soil-bound heavy metal load did not increase significantly as a result of the compost treatments, only nickel showed a slight increase in the topsoil. In all cases the heavy metal concentrations did not reach the contamination thresholds set by Hungarian standards. The results provided positive evidences proving that low dose municipal sewage sludge compost disposal on agricultural land is safe, and can be considered as a sustainable soil amendment for agriculture in compliance with legal requirements.

This essay will briefly examine two literary forms in the Book of Amos: the prophetic visions (Am 7,1-3.4-6.7-9; 8,1-3; 9,1-4) and the doxologies or hymns (Am 4,13; 5,8-9; 9,5-6). However, the purpose of the present research is not to engage in a historical-critical exegesis but to provide an interpretative framework highlighting the function of these passages within the Book of Amos. First, the five prophetical visions in Am 7-9 will be addressed, examining their particular aspects, such as their structure, classification, and impact. Second, the content, the literary context, and the literary purpose of the three doxologies will be studied, assessing the results of previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bible describes several natural disasters as a divine punishment. This often raises the question as to whether there is a relationship between great natural catastrophes and the divine will. This paper addresses this issue, examining the motif of the earthquake in the book of Amos. This analysis focuses on two questions. First, it seeks to explore how the various references to the earthquake relate to each other. Second, by means of the close reading of Amos 2:13, it endeavours to discover why Amos made use of the motif of the earthquake in order to describe the punishment of Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Applications of the power-to-gas principle for the handling of surplus renewable electricity have been proposed. The feasibility of using hydrogenotrophic methanogensas CH4 generating catalysts has been demonstrated. Laboratory and scale-up experiments have corroborated the benefits of the CO2 mitigation via biotechnological conversion of H2 and CO2 to CH4. A major bottleneck in the process is the gas-liquid mass transfer of H2. Results: Fed-batch reactor configuration was tested at mesophilic temperature in laboratory experiments in order to improve the contact time and H2 mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases. Effluent from an industrial biogas facility served as biocatalyst. The bicarbonate content of the effluent was depleted after some time, but the addition of stoichiometric CO2 sustained H2 conversion for an extended period of time and prevented a pH shift. The microbial community generated biogas from the added α-cellulose substrate with concomitant H2 conversion, but the organic substrate did not facilitate H2 consumption. Fed-batch operational mode allowed a fourfold increase in volumetric H2 load and a 6.5-fold augmentation of the CH4 formation rate relative to the CSTR reactor configuration. Acetate was the major by-product of the reaction. Conclusions: Fed-batch reactors significantly improve the efficiency of the biological power-to-gas process. Besides their storage function, biogas fermentation effluent reservoirs can serve as large-scale bio CH4 reactors. On the basis of this recognition, a novel concept is proposed, which merges biogas technology with other means of renewable electricity production for improved efficiency and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]