Biosolids are produced from treated sewage sludge and can be used as fertilizer and soil conditioner. Regulations vary by country and it’s important to understand local rules. Biosolids contain less water than sewage sludge and can be treated with lime and disinfected before being recycled. Many countries are looking to increase their use of recycled biosolids and improve their management. Toxic compounds and dangerous contaminants must be removed in the treatment process for biosolids to be safe for agricultural use.
A biosolid, more commonly referred to in the plural as biosolids, is a material produced after sewage sludge has been treated and processed in a wastewater treatment plant, sometimes called a wastewater treatment plant. Domestic wastewater, composed mainly of human waste and domestic sewage, is the most commonly used feedstock to produce a biosolid. Treatment of biosolids usually includes the removal of most of the water contained in the wastewater, chemical treatments such as the application of lime, and various other chemical and biological treatments performed to remove odor, disease causing material, and various toxins and heavy metals. The biosolid material can be used for many different purposes, including as a fertilizer and soil conditioner. Regulations for the use and application of biosolids vary by country and jurisdiction, and it is important to understand local rules and regulations before using biosolid material.
Wastewater biosolids are very different from the sewage sludge used to produce this biosolid material. An important difference is that biosolids contain less water, as most of the water is removed from the sludge as it enters the biosolids treatment plant. The separated solid material is then processed in various ways. For example, it can be treated with lime to reduce its odor and increase the pH value and disinfected in various ways to remove disease-causing microbes such as parasites, bacteria and viruses. Sometimes, the material is stabilized, which means it is placed in tanks where microorganisms called digesters consume much of the organic material and potentially pathogenic organisms.
Biosolids can be landfilled, incinerated or recycled in various ways. This material contains significant amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, chemical compounds that are important plant nutrients, and one of the primary uses of recycled biosolids is as a fertilizer for agriculture, gardening, and forestry. Soil application of biosolids also includes spreading biosolids material over previously mined sites to allow plants to regrow, and using it to add and improve soil in recreational areas such as parks and golf courses.
Many countries are looking to increase their use of recycled biosolids material and also to improve their management of biosolids, including establishing better rules and regulations for its production and use. For recycled biosolids to be safe to use, it is important that toxic compounds and potentially dangerous contaminants such as heavy metals are removed in the wastewater treatment process. This is especially important due to the application of biosolids for agricultural purposes.
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