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Proportions of Several Elements Found in Sewage Effluent and Sludge from Several Municipalities in West Virginia¹

ABSTRACT

Sewage sludge and effluent from 11 municipal waste-water treatment plants were analyzed for 14 elements. Using estimated discharge rates of the treatment plants and the analytical values for the samples, the weight of each element discharged in sludge and in effluent was calculated. These weights were then compared and significant differences among both municipalities and elements were noted. Attention is focused on evidence that sludge is enriched in Zn whereas effluent is enriched in Cd, indicating differential handling of these two elements in waste-water treatment. In contrast, ratios of Zn to Cu remain virtually constant throughout the waste-water treatment process.

Key Words: waste water • zinc • cadmium • plant nutrients • water quality • food chain

¹ Contribution of the West Virginia Agric. and Forestry Exp. Stn. and West Virginia Water Res. Inst. Approved for publication by the West Virginia Agric. and Forestry Exp. Stn. as Scientific Paper no. 1620.

² Professor and Technician, respectively, Division of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506.

Received for publication November 15, 1979.