Agronomic use of biosolids has raised concern that plant availability of biosolids-Cd will increase with time after cessation of biosolids application. It has been demonstrated that chemical extractability of Cd is persistently decreased in biosolids-amended soils. This study was conducted to determine if Cd phytoavailability in long-term biosolids-amended soils was also persistently decreased....

The USEPA standards (40 CFR Part 503) for the use or disposal of sewage sludge (biosolids) derived risk-based numerical values for Mo for the biosolids --> land --> plant --> animal pathway (Pathway 6). Following legal challenge, most Mo numerical standards were withdrawn, pending additional field-generated data using modern biosolids (Mo concentrations <75 mg kg(-1) and a reassessment of this ...

The USEPA adapted a risk assessment approach in biosolids regulations that includes the use of an uptake coefficient (UC) (i.e., the ratio of plant concentration to quantity of element added) to determine limitations on selected elemental additions. The nature of the risk assessment requires UCs to be constants. Our hypothesis was that the UC for Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, P, and Zn for biosolids-amended ...

Even those people who regard municipal biosolids as a wonderful resource would be hard pressed to classify their odor as innocuous. For those who question the safety of biosolids, their odor is proof that beneficial use of biosolids is an unsafe practice. There are two important aspects to this contentious issue, the particular aromas of biosolids. The first relates to how people perceive odors...

Land application of biosolids has proven a cost-effective method of waste disposal by beneficially recycling organic matter and nutrients and improving soil quality; however, it may also pose potential threat to the environment and human health. The purpose of this paper is to provide information on recent research progresses and regulation efforts regarding land application of biosolids, inclu...

Investigations on the impact of application of biosolids for land reclamation on C sequestration in soil were conducted at Fulton County, Illinois, where 41 fields (3.6-66 ha) received biosolids at a cumulative loading rate from 455 to 1654 dry Mg ha(-1) for 8 to 23 yr in rotation from 1972 to 2004. The fields were cropped with corn, wheat, and sorghum and also with soybean and grass or fallowe...

GOAL, SCOPE AND BACKGROUND Biosolids, i.e., treated sewage sludge, are commonly used as a fertilizer and amendment to improve soil productivity. Application of biosolids to meet the nitrogen (N) requirements of crops can lead to accumulation of phosphorus (P) in soils, which may result in P loss to water bodies. Since 1996, biosolids have been applied to a Pinus radiata D. Don plantation near N...

Each year, large quantities of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are used worldwide. Once conveyed to wastewater treatment plants, PPCPs can remain unchanged or undergo partial or complete transformation during wastewater treatment processes before discharge into the environment via effluent and biosolids for land application. Biosolids can be a major sink for some PPCPs. Previ...

Anaerobically digested cattle biosolids are a by-product of cattle waste processing for pollution control and biogas production, yet this material has potential as an economical component of potting mixes used for sustainable nursery container production. As an animal waste, this material could have valuable fertilizer properties that could reduce the amount of supplemental fertilizer applied t...

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are popular flame-retardants which are highly hydrophobic and ubiquitous in the environment. Elevated concentrations of PBDEs have been found in biosolids and in agricultural soils that have received biosolids in Europe and North America over the last 5 years. A study was carried out to confirm the contamination of soil by PBDEs due to biosolids applicatio...