Monitoring of repeated composted biosolids applications is necessary for improving beneficial reuse program management strategies, because materials will likely be reapplied to the same site at a future point in time. A field trial evaluated a single and a repeated composted biosolids application in terms of long-term (13-14 years) and short-term (2-3 years) effects, respectively, on soil chemi...

Mine reclamation with biosolids increases revegetation success but nutrient addition well in excess of vegetation requirements has the potential to increase leaching of NO3 and other biosolids constituents. A 3-yr water quality monitoring study was conducted on a Pennsylvania mine site reclaimed with biosolids applied at the maximum permitted and standard loading rate of 134 Mg ha. Zero-tension...

An experiment was designed to assess the mineral status of 60 Angus yearling beef steers grazing bahiagrass pastures fertilized with large amounts of biosolids from three sources: Baltimore, MD; Tampa, FL; and Largo, FL. Biosolids were classified as exceptional quality and thus had no regulatory restrictions on loading rate. They differed primarily in concentration of Mo (12 to 56 mg/kg of DM)....

The recently discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) have been suggested as contributors to the first step of nitrification in terrestrial ecosystems, a role that was previously assigned exclusively to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The current study assessed the effects of agricultural management, specifically amendment of soil with biosolids or synthetic fertilizer, on nitrification rat...

High-solids centrifugation can reduce the cost of managing or disposing of anaerobically digested biosolids. High-solids centrifuges can increase relative cake solids by as much as 5% DS compared with other dewatering devices, such as belt filter presses, with a resulting 15-20% reduction in overall mass of hauled biosolids. Cost reductions can be similar (15-20%) or more, depending on the type...

Biosolids are solid, semi-solid, or liquid materials resulting from the treatment of domestic sewage sludge. The term “biosolids” was introduced by the wastewater treatment industry in the early 1990’s and has been adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) to distinguish high quality, treated sewage sludge from raw sewage sludge and from sewage sludge containing la...

BACKGROUND Although the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a long history of using risk-based approaches for regulatory purposes, pollutant limits for pathogens in biosolids are not currently based on quantitative risk assessments. OBJECTIVES We developed and demonstrated a risk-based methodology for assessing the risk to human health from exposure to pathogens via biosolids. MATERIAL...

This paper critically reviews the fate of trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) in biosolids, with emphasis on identifying operation conditions that impact the accumulation of TrOCs in sludge during conventional wastewater and sludge treatment and assessing the technologies available for TrOC removal from biosolids. The fate of TrOCs during sludge thickening, stabilisation (e.g. aerobic digestion,...

It has been found in Australia and in the United States that composting does not always result in the complete removal of salmonellae from biosolids. It is therefore likely that monitoring of composted biosolids for salmonellae will be required in Australia to ensure the safety ofbiosolids products. At present rapid methods of detection such as PCR and ELISA are not sufficiently developed to mo...

Land application of wastewater biosolids is both economical and beneficial to resource recycling. However, this environmentally friendly practice can be at risk due to odor complaints. Volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSCs) including methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide, have been identified as major contributors to biosolids odor. In this study, methanogens were shown to p...