MidAtlantic Biosolids Association

January 2024 - Executive Director’s Report to MABA Members

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With great power comes great responsibility…

The New Year is upon us, and the developments of 2022 and 2023 have propelled MABA into a seat of great accomplishment and standing as an organization and leader in the biosolids sector.  MABA’s leadership has done tremendous work to develop the historically robust educational offerings as well as its communications to inform and connect the regional and national biosolids sector and the communities they serve.  Additionally, MABA has rejuvenated and bolstered its membership, thus increasing its financial growth and stability.  The leadership has worked diligently to ensure MABA is aware of and engaged in up-to-date scientific, regulatory and legislative developments and likewise able to communicate this key information to its members on a regular basis. Furthermore, they have led the charge to create a new sister organization, the Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Foundation, with a focus on education and research, to broaden the reach and capabilities in the future.

MABA’s developments could be described as exceptional, momentous, or even, powerful.  And with this great power comes great responsibility.  And whether you ascribe to the proverb of the Spider-Man (or Marvel) universe, or rather to one of the more ancient accounts of the sentiment from the story of the Sword of Damocles, the meaning remains much the same - “power cannot simply be enjoyed for its privileges alone but necessarily makes its holders morally responsible both for what they choose to do with it and for what they fail to do with it.”

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There are great responsibilities on board for MABA, and the MABA members will be key in stepping up and sharing their interest and availability to join the committees and focus group.  Some of the initiatives taking place include:

  • The Membership Committee will work to connect with current members and reach out to the prospects.  

  • The Regulatory/Legislative Committee will work in keeping an ear to the ground of the regulatory and legislative occurrences in the region.  

  • The PFAS Focus Group will focus on new information to share and involvement in crucial PFAS research projects.

  • The Communications Committee will work to bring the MABA booth to regional conferences, and to create new fact sheets and other valuable information for members.

The Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Foundation (MABF) will pose a critical challenge and opportunity in the year ahead.  MABF was created to provide an organization charged solely with education and research, and the communication of both to the biosolids sector and the community.  As the building of MABF begins, it is imperative that MABA members consider new roles within this organization.  Some of these include:

  • The Programming Committee

  • The Research Committee

  • The Community Education and Communication Committee

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There is no doubt that MABA and MABF are poised for a strong year ahead, and although there is no proverbial sword of Damocles dangling above, the responsibilities that accompany that strength might seem foreboding or invigorating.  The challenge and reward will be in making it the latter. 

If you are interested in learning more about MABA, MABF, and getting more involved, please reach out to me at [email protected] or 845-901-7905. 

 

Biosolids NewsClips - March 6, 2024

NewsClips is filled with articles from around the region and the world. This edition includes some positive and informative articles, including an article from Ashland, Missouri, where they are just beginning plans for land application.  There are also informative stories, including an article about how researchers from the University of Córdoba, Spain, have developed a sustainable, simplified way of converting sewage sludge into high-value activated carbon.  
 
Unfortunately, there are some less-than-positive articles in this edition, including articles about issues at facilities and within local communities, as well as issues surrounding concern and conversation about PFAS and microplastics. 
 
The monthly newsclips are brought to you by the MABA Communications Committee, and they are looking for MABA members who are interested in learning more about their work for the biosolids sector.  Please reach out to Mary Firestone if you are interested in checking out an upcoming Communications Committee meeting. 
 
Stay tuned for more information from MABA.  If you have biosolids news to share, please reach out to Mary Firestone at 845-901-7905 or [email protected]

Biosolids News 

MABA Region
Controversial fertilizer factory is moving towards the finish line
Moreau, NY (31 Jan 2024) - After over two years of applications, public hearings and even litigation- the controversial project looking to make its home in the Moreau Industrial Park may be finally making some strides towards the first phase of construction. But, not if town officials and local environmental groups have something to say about it. Saratoga Biochar Solutions is looking to help solve one of the biggest challenges New York faces- TOO MUCH WASTE. 
DEC takes community input on proposed Moreau biochar facility
Saratoga Biochar cries foul after Moreau moratorium vote
 
What’s that smell in Schuylkill County?
Schuylkill County, PA (2 Feb 2024) - Residents in the west end of Schuylkill County say they’ve been dealing with a foul smell coming from a mulch supplier producing biosolids. They say they’re concerned about the smell, and the impact spreading biosolids has on the environment, and on their health. Residents are concerned about the odor coming from natural soil products in Tremont, a mulch supplier that produces biosolids. Biosolids are organic materials recycled from sewage.
 
Finalizing PFAS Detection Methods, EPA Moves Closer to Locating and Limiting Further PFAS Releases and Requiring Their Cleanup
Washington, DC (9 Feb 2024) - EPA’s plans to investigate – and eventually establish limits on and liability for – PFAS in wastewater discharges and biosolids crossed a significant milestone on January 31, 2024, with the completion of two new analytical methods to detect these ubiquitous contaminants. The most significant of the two is Method 1633, which provides a standardized quantitative method for laboratories to detect 40 different PFAS compounds, at very low levels, in wastewater, surface water, groundwater, soil, biosolids, sediment, landfill leachate, and fish tissue. Method 1621 is a low-cost screening method for the presence of fluorine-containing organic compounds, which could lead to use of the more sensitive Method 1633 to further characterize any PFAS in the sample. 
 
How Sewage Sludge Carries Toxic PFAS from Toilet to Table
Washington, DC (8 Feb 2024) - A few years ago, state testing at dozens of Maine farms uncovered alarming levels of toxic PFAS contamination. These forever chemicals were in the soil and water, crops and animals. Farms throughout the state were forced to shutter or cull their herds. While some farms have recovered, others have not. Some farmers have tested themselves and their families, finding high levels of PFAS contamination in their bodies. The main culprit: sewage sludge, the leftovers from treating wastewater. In many states, it’s common practice — and even encouraged by state officials — for farmers to spread sludge on their fields as fertilizer. 
 
Casella sues Town of Thurston to kill local law banning the spread of sewage sludge on fields
Thurston, NY (19 Feb 2024) - A unit of Casella Waste Systems Inc. filed suit late yesterday against the Town of Thurston to try to block enforcement of a new local law that bans the spread of municipal sewage sludge on certain Steuben County fields. The Vermont-based company that operates landfills and composting facilities across New York and New England alleges that Thurston’s law violates the state’s Right to Farm law as well as state solid waste policy. The suit asks a Steuben County Supreme Court judge to invalidate the law and prevent it from being enforced.
 
City to enter into $50 million contract for private management of Back River biosolids
Baltimore, MD (16 Feb 2024) - On the eve of the second anniversary of the state’s temporary takeover of the Back River sewage plant in 2022, Baltimore City is calling on a private company to manage its key facilities.
The so-far-unannounced, no-bid contract with Operations Management International (OMI) will start at $50 million and could increase to $100 million over an eight-year period.
Scott administration entered into secret contracts to operate the Back River sewer plant with private consultants
 
Nationally
Getting Ready: How York is fighting back against forever PFAS chemicals
Portsmouth, NH (30 Jan 2024) - Last fall, The York Weekly reported that the York Sewer District is suing Dupont and other chemical companies because the PFAS they manufacture contaminates the biosolids removed from the town's wastewater. Disposing of this sludge is more expensive because of a 2022 Maine law that bans spreading it as fertilizer on farmlands. Now, rather than recycling the nutrient-rich biosolids in the soil, the sludge must be sent to landfills, which has doubled the cost of its disposal. The sewer district wants those responsible to pay, not its customers.
 
City of Ashland moves to reduce sewer expenses; Plans for a more sustainable practice
Ashland, MO (31 Jan 2024) - On Jan. 16, 2024, the Ashland Board of Aldermen unanimously approved the purchase of a dump trailer to enable the sanitary sewer division to haul biosolids from the city’s wastewater treatment facility (WWTF) to the Columbia landfill for disposal. Biosolids are a sewage byproduct that has undergone treatment to reduce pathogens (dnr.mo.gov). Furthermore, Creel says the city has also applied for a wastewater discharge permit renewal through the Department of Natural Resources that will allow Ashland to begin biosolid land applications.
 
How the weird and wonderful microbes in wastewater can make our cities more sustainable
Waltham, MA (31 Jan 2024) - We also need sources of renewable energy. Thanks to naturally occurring microbes, our water utilities can produce renewable biogas from human waste. By reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, their poo biogas can help to mitigate climate change. So we need to learn more about these microbes to ensure they are doing the best possible job of processing our waste. One way of doing that is by monitoring DNA in human waste sludge.
 
Sewage burning? Yes, it’s a thing in Western Washington
Seattle, WA (3 Feb 2024) - Four cities in Western Washington burn their sewage sludge: Anacortes, Bellingham, Lynnwood, and Vancouver, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA announced Wednesday that Lynnwood was paying a $550,259 fine for air pollution from its sewage incinerator. Lynnwood officials say a pollution scrubber at the city’s wastewater treatment plant didn’t always work as planned, a frustrating experience for its plant operators. To comply with the federal Clean Air Act, the city of Lynnwood plans to stop burning sewage sludge by May 31.
 
Study tracks emerging contaminants from landfill to treatment plant to application
Champaign, IL (6 Feb 2024) - Treatment plants can effectively remove microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from wastewater before they’re discharged to lakes and rivers, but large amounts of contaminants end up in solid waste, called biosolids, often used on agricultural fields as soil nutrients. By land applying this material, these contaminants then are re-released back into the environment.  In a recent study published in an Illinois Sustainable Technology Center report, John Scott, analytical chemist at ISTC in the University of Illinois, studied the fate of microplastics and PFAS as they moved from landfill leachate, or water that filters though the mound of trash, to wastewater treatment plants and beyond. 
 
Oregon biosolids fertilizer study anticipates federal action
Salem, OR (12 Feb 2024) - Lawmakers are taking another look at funding a study of so-called “forever chemicals” on Oregon farmland fertilized with treated sewage after a similar proposal failed last year. Supporters say the analysis is needed to ensure Oregon’s particular situation is taken into account as federal regulators increase their oversight of PFAS chemicals in biosolids used as fertilizer.
 
Studies look into exposure and mental impact of PFAS
Fairfield, ME (15 Feb 2024) - It's been called a "slow-motion" disaster. Contamination from toxic chemicals known as PFAS seeped into the water supply of hundreds of farms and properties across Maine. The source was wastewater sludge trucked to farms and spread as fertilizer for decades. Now, two doctors are taking a deeper look at Mainers dealing with the emotional toll caused by the ongoing crisis to provide better health monitoring and mental health support in the future.
 
Watershed council digs into potential Spring Creek contamination
Lewistown, MT (15 Feb 2024) - The Big Spring Creek Watershed Council continues to seek the cause of possible contamination in the section of Big Spring Creek that runs past the Berg Lumber property north of Lewistown. During a regular meeting Monday, Feb. 12, the council took steps to investigate two potential sources of possible pollution into the creek. Outgoing Public Works Director for the City of Lewistown Matt Hays told the group biosolids (solid, nutrient-rich products of the water treatment process frequently used as fertilizer) from the city’s wastewater treatment plant, which sits upstream from the Berg Lumber property, may be contaminating the creek.
 
Safe fertilizer? Critics say human waste and industrial sludge poisoning farmland
Blount County, AL (19 Feb 2024) - It's become a fierce debate across the country and here in Alabama. The so called sewer sludge which is human and industrial waste that's being sprayed or dumped on farmland is causing more controversy. Companies promote it as a cheap fertilizer. Government regulators use cleaner terms like biosolids approved for land applications to describe it.
 
Grandview residents file suit against biosolids company
Grandview, TX (19 Feb 2024) - Five Grandview residents claim health, animal and property damages in a suit against a biosolids company. The plaintiffs, owners of two Grandview properties, filed suit against Synagro Technologies Thursday in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County in Maryland. "Plaintiff's farms were poisoned by toxic chemicals in a biosolids-based fertilizer produced and marketed by Synagro when a neighboring farmer spread it on his crops," according to the court filing.
PFAS in biosolids prompt lawsuits
 
Officials call for action against carcinogenic farming sludge: ‘It’s dangerous that we’re not taking this more seriously’
Columbia, SC (23 Feb 2024) - Long billed as a cheap fertilizer and irrigant, sludge may, in fact, pose devastating health risks. In July, The State, based in Columbia, South Carolina, published an investigation that linked the substance to toxic “forever chemicals” in waterways. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control examined bodies of water for three years and revealed two-thirds of tests contained “one or both of the most common types of forever chemicals, PFOA and PFOS, at levels above a proposed federal standard,” The State reported, noting 350 public wells and 18 surface water intake pipes were within a couple of miles of sludge sites.
 
Report: record levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in NE Tennessee sewage sludge used as crop fertilizer
Bristol, TN (26 Feb 2024) - Processed sewage sludge from a Bristol, Tenn. wastewater plant contains among the highest levels of so-called forever chemical contamination detected in the U.S., according to a report released today by Sierra Club Tennessee.The treated wastewater, discharged in local waterways, poses risks not only to drinking water, but to farmland across Sullivan County — and the resulting harvests that wind up on family dinner tables in Tennessee and beyond.
 
Internationally
Worthy alternative: A new field experiment shows that fertiliser derived from faecal sludge can improve crop yields
New Delhi, India (30 Jan 2024) - India has constructed over 100 million household toilets under its Swachh Bharat Mission in recent years. While this has improved the country’s overall sanitation levels, it has thrown open the challenge of handling vast amounts of faecal sludge, the mixture of human excreta and water. One of the solutions lies in separating the solid and liquid components and treating them separately. The liquid can be decontaminated and used for irrigation and toilet flushing. The solid can be composted and pasteurised to make biosolids and used as organic fertiliser.
 
Europe's Wastewater Measure to Apply 'Polluter Pays' Fee for Microplastics, PFAS
Carol Stream, IL (31 Jan 2024) - On Jan. 29, 2024, the European Commission (EC) announced a provisional agreement between the European Parliament and the Council revising the Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. Per the EC, the revised directive will "substantially strengthen the protection of human health and the environment from harmful discharges of urban wastewater" and lead to cleaner rivers, lakes, groundwater and seas all around Europe.
 
Wastewater plant stench gets even worse
Christchurch, New Zealand (1 Feb 2024) - Monitoring at the Christchurch Wastewater Treatment Plant shows the foul stench wafting from the facility has become even worse over the past few days. Christchurch City Council said on Wednesday the finding has been backed up by its monitoring stations beyond the boundary of the Bromley plant. An investigation identified the odour was coming from the primary settlement tanks, which process wastewater before it enters the temporary activated sludge treatment plant, said a city council spokesperson.
 
Biosolids survey material will 'more clearly' acknowledge risks, CRD board says
Capital Regional District, British Columbia, Canada (2 Feb 2024) - Information provided to the public about biosolids as part of a consultation process will “more clearly” acknowledge the health and environmental risks of biosolid uses “if not properly managed.” That’s what the Capital Regional District board decided after a survey put together by staff and a consultant came under fire this month from some environmental groups and board directors.
Virtual open house Tuesday for public input on future of biosolids in the capital region
 
Evidence of PFAS (aka 'forever chemicals') found in 29 sewerage plants across Tasmania
Tazmania, Australia (6 Feb 2024) - Following a Right to Information (RTI) request by Friends of the Earth (FOE), the Tasmanian water authority revealed that PFAS chemicals were found in almost all samples taken from 29 Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) around the state. The environmental organisation’s Australian branch received the information in December, which was obtained by TasWater’s study on the group of more than 4000 chemicals representing per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
 
Sustainable process turns sewage sludge into high-value activated carbon
Cordoba, Spain (7 Feb 2024) - Researchers have developed a simplified, sustainable method of converting sewage sludge from wastewater treatment into high-value activated carbon that can be used in a wide range of industrial and residential applications. Researchers from the University of Córdoba, Spain, have developed a sustainable, simplified way of converting sewage sludge into high-value activated carbon.
 
Recycled Food Waste: Unseen Contaminants and the Fungi Solution
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong (9 Feb 2024) - In an era where sustainability is at the forefront of global conversations, recycling food waste is a significant step towards a greener planet. However, recent research from the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) has brought a new dimension to this conversation, revealing a potential risk associated with recycled food waste. It appears that this waste may be contaminated with pharmaceutical residues, posing a risk to soil and water ecosystems. This discovery was made by NIBIO researcher Astrid Solvåg Nesse, who found that biogas digestate from food waste contained almost as much pharmaceutical residues as digestate from sewage sludge.
 
Australians are washing microplastics down the drain and it’s ending up on our farms
Waltham, MA (15 Feb 2024) - Australian wastewater treatment plants produce thousands of tonnes of treated sewage sludge every year. This nutrient-rich material is then dried to make “biosolids”, which are used to fertilise agricultural soil. Unfortunately every kilogram of biosolids also contains thousands of tiny pieces of plastic. These pieces are so small they can only be seen under a microscope, so they’re called microplastics.
 

March 2024 - Sally Brown Research Library & Commentary

Sally Brown

Provided for consideration to MABA members by
Sally Brown, PhD., University of Washington


Polyester 

I truly dream of the day when we can all (or at least the vast majority of us) realize that land application of biosolids is a way that people can heal the soil rather than how we poison the soil. When that happens, you very likely won’t need to read the library or I can devote every library to new articles extolling the benefits of biosolids. That day is not likely to fall in March 2024. 

A court case in WA recently challenged our new biosolids permit application saying that the permit didn’t explicitly recognize the potential health impacts of PFAS and microplastics in biosolids. As a result, the new permit is no longer (until this challenge is challenged) in effect and generators have to go back to the old permit. What luck that the February library was all about PFAS! And in doing my job here, that means that this library (March 2024) is all about microplastics. 

The first article in the library: Identification of microplastics extracted from field soils amended with municipal biosolids goes into details on method testing to measure microplastics in soils. This is included for multiple reasons. It turns out that you have to REALLY want to look for microplastics. Below is a schematic of their approach:

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It also turns out that recovery is far from 100%. This group, all well qualified, published in a well-respected journal call a recovery efficiency of 54% good. 

The authors also analyze biosolids-amended soils for microplastics. There are some pictures of the plastics after extraction but there are also heat maps. These maps show the relative density of plastics by type in different samples. Red is hot, blue is cold.

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The heat map of this particular soil shows that PET was more prevalent prior to biosolids and cools down after application. Other types of plastics start warming up and then cool down over time. These maps are generated showing plastic concentrations with different temperatures after extraction using FTIR spectroscopy. 

From here we go traveling. Like last month’s library on PFAS, this one gives you an armchair tourist approach to microplastics around the globe. Paper number 2: Variation in microplastic concentration, characteristics and distribution in sewage sludge & biosolids around the world takes us all over. At least to the parts of the world where they have wastewater treatment. Here the authors read papers instead of collecting soils. By using survey data, different methods for capture were involved with different associated accuracies. For me - this sentence from the abstract pretty much covers the topic: 

High numbers of microplastics were estimated to reach fields via biosolid application with a wide variation of 8.2 × 1010 to 1.29 × 1015 microplastics/year between sixteen countries, although there was no significant difference in microplastic concentration between fields with a history of biosolid applications and control fields. 

Raise the alarms on biosolids rather than plastics. The control fields were statistically the same as the biosolids amended. Plastic is everywhere.

One of the studies included in the review found 22x more microplastics than the others. The authors did not exclude this data but rather present results with and without the values included. What they should have done was gone to this study site and started waving banners about wearing natural fibers. Summer wool is a thing. The authors note that the studies were not well distributed across the map with most (19) being from China where biosolids are not well produced or managed. There was one study from the US. Again, a high-profile journal where many will just read the abstract. Here is the figure that goes with that choice sentence:

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Next stop is Australia for paper #3 Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in long-term biosolid-applied rehabilitation land: An overlooked pathway for microplastic entry into terrestrial ecosystems in AustraliaAside from being done in Australia, this study is unique because the authors have sampled a mine site restored with biosolids. Although they don’t give the cumulative loading rates, the implication is that mine sites, with annual applications at potentially higher than agronomic rates, will have more biosolids applied than agronomic sites. Here the authors have sampled three sites and a control on the same former mine. Samples were also collected at three different depths, down to 30 cm (about 1 foot). The three sites they sampled had about 9, 8, and 3 applications prior to sampling. Here are the results:

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There is also a figure showing abundance of different types in the different fields and at different depths for two of the amended fields. 

For paper #4 we go to Canada: How many microplastic particles are present in Canadian biosolids? The answer is between 228 and 1353 particles per dry gram of biosolids (mean of 636) but who’s counting? They report on the types (by shape) with fibers being the most common found in 73-92% of the biosolids sampled. People just have to stop washing their clothes. They also report on the colors. Black - as always - who can resist that simple black dress - was the most common (20-38%). Pink (5-11%) and blue (4-24%) were also identified. I am being serious. Just look at the pretty picture:

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Also note that the two fertilizer samples tested had about the same concentration of microplastics as the biosolids. Though likely not in as many pretty colors. 

We bring it home with paper #5 Accumulation of microplastics in soil after long-term application of biosolids and atmospheric deposition co-authored by Andy Bary and Markus Flury from WSU (among others). This study took place in Douglas County, WA at the long-term dryland wheat plots that have received biosolids since the mid 1990s. In addition to measuring plastics in soils, the authors also measured aerial deposition of plastics. They found that the biosolids amended soils had 383, 500, and 361 particles of plastic per dry kg of soil for the low, medium and high application rates. The biosolids themselves had 12 000 particles of plastic per dry kg. The air deposited 15 particles per kg of dry soil each year. They also looked at color and type for biosolids, amended soils and air (collected upwind and downwind of the field trial). Here is what it looks like:

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The fact that the upwind and downwind samples look almost identical and are color coordinated suggests that the biosolids amended soils are not contributing to the aerial loadings. 

So, there are microplastics in biosolids. If you read most of the scientific literature this is yet another terrible thing about biosolids application. To put this into perspective I asked my husband to share some pictures from a trip he took to Indonesia two years ago. He was there to help write a proposal for plastics removal from waterways. Indonesia has limited wastewater treatment and nobody counting microplastics in their biosolids. Here are a few of his pictures:

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Sally Brown is a Research Associate Professor at the University of Washington, and she is also a columnist and editorial board member for BioCycle magazine. 

Do you have information or research to share with MABA members? Looking for other research focus or ideas?

Contact Mary Firestone at [email protected] or 845-901-7905.

 
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