Publications by authors named "Niluka Wickramasinghe"

Article Synopsis
  • Scientists looked at how treating sewage sludge (waste from toilets) affects the levels of harmful metals and chemicals in farming soils and crops.
  • They found that using processed sludge helped reduce 'bad' metals in crops, like arsenic and copper, and made sure the crops were safe to eat.
  • The study showed that treating sludge can lower harmful chemicals significantly, but more research is needed to see how it works with different soils and plants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Sewage sludge, while useful as a fertilizer, may contain harmful metals and pollutants that can leach into the soil.
  • The study tested combinations of composted sewage sludge and sulfidated nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI) to see how they affect metal stabilization, specifically looking at Cd, Pb, Fe, and Zn.
  • Results showed that combining composted sludge with S-nZVI significantly reduced metal leaching and that using Fe grit was effective in lowering extractable metals, highlighting the potential for safer soil amendments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The majority of the studies on nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) are conducted at a laboratory-scale, while field-scale evidence is scarce. The objective of this study was to compare the metal(loid) immobilization efficiency of selected Fe-based materials under field conditions for a period of one year. Two contrasting metal(loid) (As, Cd, Pb, Zn) enriched soils from a smelter-contaminated area were amended with sulfidized nZVI (S-nZVI) solely or combined with thermally stabilized sewage sludge and compared to amendment with microscale iron grit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF