RESEARCH ON THE USE OF SLUDGE FROM THE PITEȘTI WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT AS FERTILIZER.

Sludge is a by-product, resulting from wastewater treatment. This study research provides the sludge analysis from the Pitești Wastewater Treatment Plant and the possibility of using this sludge in agriculture in its initial state, resulting from the treatment plant or even after any remediation required or appropriate treatment so that it can be used. For these analyses, we used the services of two laboratories, namely: Iași Research Institute for Agriculture and Environment - ICAM, from the "Ion Ionescu de la Brad" Iași University of Life Sciences and WESSLING - testing and consulting laboratory for continuous improvement of quality, safety, environmental protection, and health - the Hungarian laboratory. The research focused on the presence of heavy metals, antibiotics, and hormones in the sludge and the determination of microplastics in it. The microplastics in the sludge were determined by treating them with 5% HCl sonicated at 250C and then centrifuging and analyzing the supernatant. The research results show that the sludge obtained from the Pitești Wastewater Treatment Plant cannot be used as fertilizer in agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]