Zdeněk Košnář

• PhD
• Researcher at Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Purpose: The use of biomass fuels in incineration power plants is increasing worldwide. The produced ashes may pose a serious threat to the environment due to the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), because some PAHs are potent carcinogens, mutagens and teratogens. The objective of this study was to investigate the content of tota...

A 120-day pot experiment was conducted to compare the ability of natural attenuation and phytoremediation approaches to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from soil amended with PAHs-contaminated biomass fly ash. The PAH removal from ash-treated soil was compared with PAHs-spiked soil. The removal of 16 individual PAHs from soil ranged...

An experiment was established to compare composting and vermicomposting for decreasing the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biomass fly ash incorporated into organic waste mixtures. PAH removal from the ash–organic waste mixture was compared to the same mixture spiked with PAHs. The removal of 16 individual ash PAHs ranged betw...

A 120-day experiment was conducted to compare the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from agricultural soil after natural attenuation (NA), phytoremediation (P), mycoremediation (M), and plant-assisted mycoremediation (PAM) approaches in relation to the extracellular enzyme activities in soil. The NA treatment removed the total soil...

Phytoremediation using maize (Zea mays L.) assisted by the compost or vermicompost amendments was the most appropriate strategy for bioremediation of soil contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived from biomass fly ash. Higher removal of low molecular weight PAHs than medium and high molecular weight PAHs within the same treatm...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous, persistent, potentially carcinogenic organic pollutants in the environment. They are emitted mainly from the incomplete combustion of coal, oil, and wood, and energy crops. During biomass combustion for energy production, PAHs can accumulate mainly in fly ashes, and these ‘fly bioashes’ are so...

The behavior of 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in agricultural Chernozem and Fluvisol soils from the Czech Republic planted with radishes, onions, and carrots was studied. Only the total biomass yield of carrots was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) when compared to the control biomass yield. All tested PCBs, especially congener PCB 28, were abl...

The behaviour of 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in agricultural Chernozem and Fluvisol soils from the Czech Republic planted with radishes, onions and carrots was studied. Only the total biomass carrot yield was significantly ( P < 0.05) reduced when compared to the control biomass yield. All tested PCBs, especially congener PCB 28, were able t...

Fragrances are chemicals mostly used in shampoos, detergents, cleaning agents and other personal care products due to their pleasant scent. Of these compounds, the polycyclic and nitromusks are not readily degraded in wastewater treatment plants and, therefore, their concentrations are dominant in the sewage sludge and reclaimed wastewater. The emp...

Concentration of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 7 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and 11 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in sewage sludge from 40 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was investigated. Relationship between pollutant sludge contents, main WWTP parameters and type of sludge stabilisation was carefully evaluated. Average...

The study was aimed to conduct the bioremediation of synthetic musks by four species of white rot fungi combined with phytoremediation (Zea mays) in biosolid-amended soils where only Galaxolide (HHCB) and Tonalide (AHTN) were found as other musks were below the detection limit (0.5-2 μg/kg dw). The HHCB and AHTN concentration in natural attenuation...

Torrefaction and pyrolysis are thermal treatments of organic matter resulting in a solid residue called biochar. Changes of total and available nutrient contents in biochars were previously evaluated during the torrefaction and pyrolysis of wood, straw, sewage sludge, digestate, bone mill, etc. Total contents of P and K were concentrated in biochar...

Disposable gloves represent one of the most important pieces of protective equipment for employees working in the science, chemical, and food industries, healthcare, and in other sectors of human activity. Their consumption during the coronavirus epidemic has more than doubled worldwide. Their property is the protection of the user's hands from dir...

Heavy metals caused a huge attention due to their bioaccumulation, toxicity. Sludge composting now become a viable route to dispose sludge. This study aimed to assess the fate of bioavailable heavy metals during aerobic sewage sludge composting. The sewage sludge composting was done for 90 days. The study showed that Zn and Ni was the predominant b...

Synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) are widely used as fragrance ingredients in personal care products. This study aimed to monitor 11 synthetic musks in biosolid samples from a single wastewater treatment plant collected over a one-year period. The results showed that individual SMCs, like of Galaxolide and Tonalide were found in higher amount with me...

Sewage sludge belongs to the waste materials containing a high amount of phosphorus and its production is growing steadily. Safe application is extremely important because sludge as the end-product of wastewater treatment contains not only nutrients, but also a wide range of contaminants from humans' activities. Therefore, different treatments are...

The impacts of plant-associated Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, strain FZB42 RhizoVital 42® (RV) on the yield and macronutrient content of tomato plants was investigated in a pot trial in a low-nutrient soil with and without the addition of compost and vermicompost amendments composed of mixtures of cow manure, vegetation and wastepaper. Plant uptake o...

Synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) are widely used as fragrances that can be released from different sources and through the sewer system, finally reaching wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, 6 synthetic polycyclic and 5 nitro musk compounds were screened in 55 sewage sludge (SS) samples from 43 different WWTPs in the Czech Republic, a...

The city of Litvínov (North Bohemia, Czech Republic) is seriously affected by coal mining, coal processing, and intensive industrial activities. Within the urban area, the potential environmental hazard of risk elements (in soil and vegetation) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, in soils) was estimated using selected environmental and huma...

Synthetic musk compounds (musks) represent a class of synthetic fragrance additives which are widely used as personal care and household products. Musks released to the environment mainly from anthropogenic sources could be accumulated in sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants. Musk compounds might induce unprecedented physiological changes...

Synthetic musk compounds (SMCs) become ubiquitous in the environment since they are frequently used in personal care products. Synthetic musks are semi-volatile organic chemicals, they can be lipophilic and persistent, therefore could affect the environment. This work was aimed to monitor the concentration of 11 SMCs in sewage sludges from differen...

Biosolids were applied as a fertilizer after drying, torrefaction (220, 320 °C), and pyrolysis (420, 520, 620 °C). Lettuce was grown on contrasting soils, and the transfer of pharmaceuticals to aboveground biomass was assessed. Of 42 compounds detected in dried biosolids, 10 were found in lettuce. Their potency for translocation to aerial parts was...

Název v původním jazyce: Fytoremediace kontaminované půdy polycyklickými aromatickými uhlovodíky pomocí rychle rostoucích topolů Název anglicky: Phytoremediation of Soil Contaminated by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Using Fast Growing Poplars Klíčová slova anglicky (oddělovat středníkem): spiked PAHs; soil contamination; bioremediation; degradat...

Willow Ability to Remove Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from Soil Amended by Biomass Fly Ash

A three-year experiment was conducted to investigate willows of Salix × smithiana Willd. (S. smithiana) phytoremediation of soil contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) derived by fly ash from biomass combustion. The total removal of ash PAHs in phytoremediation treatment was 50.9% after three consecutive years while the ash PAHs we...

Pyrolysis is a promising technology for sewage sludge (SS) treatment providing several improvements of SS properties for soil application. However, information on the influence of pyrolytic temperature on the availability of nutrients in resulting biochar (BC) is limited. In this study, anaerobically stabilised SS was pyrolysed in a laboratory fixe...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent the group of persistent organic pollutants which may pose a serious threat to the environment and human health. Phytoremediation of soil contaminated by PAHs using fast growing trees could be an environmentally friendly way to remove PAHs from soil. This work was conducted to evaluate the removal of...

Effective recycling of phosphorus (P) remains a critical issue in sustainable agriculture. Wood ash represents valuable soil amendment and potential source of P for agriculture, but its solubility and subsequent P-fertilisation efficiency is extremely low. This study tested fungal inoculants (Penicillium sp. PK112 and Trichoderma harzianum OMG08) a...

Supplementary material

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) belong to the group of persistent organic pollutants which may pose threats to the environment and human health. Phytoremediation of PAH contaminated soil using fast growing trees could be an environmentally friendly way to remove PAHs from soil. This work was conducted to determine the decrease of PAH conten...

PhD Thesis

Aims Improvement in nutrient efficiency of recycled fertiliser products represents a crucial step for sustainable agriculture. In this context, ash from biomass combustion belongs to the materials of interest. Methods Novel strain of potential plant growth-promoting bacterium (Paenibacillus mucilaginosus ABi13) was tested for its ability to increa...

Ability of natural attenuation and phytoremediation using maize_supplemetary content

Sewage sludge (SS), or biosolids, represent an important source of mineral nutrients and organic matter. However, SS application on agricultural soil is related with the risk of soil contamination by trace elements. Twenty sewage sludge samples from 17 different waste water treatment plants in the Czech Republic were collected in 2017. Subsequently...

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous persistent organic pollutants representing potential threats to the environment and human health. Bioremediation of agricultural soil contaminated by PAHs using organic amendments might be an environmentally friendly way to remove PAHs from soil. This work was conducted to determine the decreas...

Mycoremediation of PAHs

The content of both inorganic and organic pollutants in sediment from the Orlík reservoir (Vltava river, Czech Republic), and the main tributaries, was determined to assess the total loads of the pollutants in the upper layer of sediment (0–30 cm), and the potential bioaccessibility and bioavailability of these pollutants. Organic pollutants showed...

Biological treatments are considered an environmentally option to clean-up polluted soil with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A pot experiment was conducted to comparatively evaluate four different strategies, including natural attenuation (NA), mycoaugmentation (M) by using Crucibulum leave, phytoremediation (P) using maize plants, and mi...

Persistentní organické polutanty (dále jen POPs) patří k velmi rizikové skupině kontaminujících sloučenin, běžně se nacházejících v životním prostředí a hromadících se v půdě. Zde mohou negativně působit na všechny živé organizmy, z půdy mohou být transportovány do potravního řetězce a ohrožovat zdraví zvířat a lidí. Hlavním cílem předkládané metod...

Application of biomass ash to soil can save mineral nutrients due to its relatively high contents of Ca, K, and P. The study assessed the effect of powdered ash and pellets made from wood fly ash (WFA), combined moreover with additives rich in S (flue gas desulfurization gypsum – FGDG) and P (single superphosphate – SP) on the yield and uptake of n...

The fly ash derived from biomass combustion may also contain higher amounts of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that cause many health risks. The interest to ash PAHs bioremediation has increased due to increased recycling of ash nutrients to soil. The aim of this work was to determine the decrease of total PAHs content in fly ash-amended so...

One of the main sources of renewable energy is biomass that is in most cases incinerated. The new technologies allowed high efficiency of energy conversion. During the combustion process, ash is generated and its composition differs according to the feedstock and combustion technology. The contaminated biomass or inappropriate technology means the...

The ash derived from biomass combustion is rich in nutrients and could be able to use as mineral fertilizer. Biomass combustion can also form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ash that cause many health risks. The aim of this work was to determine the contents of individual and total PAHs in mixed ashes. PAHs-specific analyses were perform...

The Investigation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Presence in Ash Derived from Biomass Incineration - Presentation

Renewable energy resources play more important role in the production of heat and electricity to partly replace fossil fuels. The biomass combustion is seen as one of the most promising energy resources to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, mechanisms of biomass combustion can also lead to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) sorte...

Due to the increasing production of heat and electricity from renewable sources especially related with the decreasing use of fossil fuels, the biomass combustion is seen as the most promising energy source to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, mechanisms of biomass combustion can also lead to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) s...

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are synthetically created chlorinated cyclic compounds. PCBs congeners differ in their physical - chemical properties and are sorted into the group of persistent organic pollutants. PCBs are highly persistent and present in the whole environment where they are able to accumulate and may get into the food chain and t...