MidAtlantic Biosolids Association

Biosolids NewsClips - June 20, 2025

The June edition of MABA NewsClips provides updates on legislative and regulatory actions, facility developments, and ongoing research related to biosolids management across the Mid-Atlantic region, the United States, and internationally.
 
A central topic this month was the proposed legislation in New York—Senate Bill S5759 and Assembly Bill A6192—which would impose a five-year moratorium on the land application of biosolids. The NY Assembly closed its legislative session late Tuesday night (June 17) without bringing a floor vote for (A6192B).  MABA submitted a formal letter of opposition, citing the potential disruption to existing waste management systems, increased costs for municipalities, and the importance of aligning policy with current scientific understanding. The letter emphasizes that biosolids are not a primary source of PFAS exposure and highlights the benefits of existing regulatory frameworks and biosolids reuse in supporting soil health and climate goals.
 
Regionally, multiple municipalities, including the Town of Cameron, NY, are advancing local restrictions or bans on land application. Meanwhile, the Pennsylvania DEP scheduled a public hearing on proposed modifications to the Liberty Soils Biosolids Management Facility. News coverage also included reporting on operational incidents and community concerns related to biosolids and wastewater treatment in Baltimore and New York City.
 
At the national level, several states are evaluating or advancing legislation related to PFAS and biosolids, with Washington State enacting a testing requirement and other states considering similar measures. Infrastructure updates, such as thermal drying initiatives and composting upgrades, continue to be reported, alongside legal disputes over biosolids transport and disposal.
 
International coverage reflects ongoing interest in biosolids-related practices, including sludge treatment innovations, regulatory reforms, and management challenges in diverse settings such as India, Scotland, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

MABA will continue to monitor these developments and provide timely updates to members.
 
If you have biosolids-related news to share or are interested in participating in MABA’s Communications Committee, please contact Mary Baker at 845-901-7905 or [email protected].

Biosolids News 
(as of June 11, 2025)
 
MABA Region
 
‘We can’t poison the soil in New York state’ says Glick
Albany, NY (14 May 2025) - With the governor pushing to increase the use of cancer-causing material found in Bethlehem’s water supply, asked what the state legislature will do to stem the application of fertilizers containing so-called forever chemicals on farms all over the state, the chair of the State Assembly’s environmental conservation committee said conversations about the issue have taken place.
 
A 40-year fight: Local law against sewage sludge sees no opposition in Steuben County town of Cameron
Cameron, NY (15 May 2025) - Cameron residents in Steuben County have been fighting against the use of sewage sludge for decades, and they are finally seeing progress with local legislation that would ban the spreading of biosolids on farmland. “I’ve been wanting to have this level of town action for 40, 39 years now,” said Wayne Wells, a resident of Cameron whose creek has been tainted by forever chemicals, which he believes is a result of the neighboring farm’s use of sewage sludge. While the Cameron Town Board didn’t officially vote on the local law during Wednesday night’s meeting, there was no one opposed to the law at the public hearing. 
Cameron nears sewage sludge ban after decades of concern
A second town in Steuben County introduces law to ban ‘sewage sludge’ as fertilizer
Officials approach tipping point in battle over controversial farming practice: 'We've done a lot of work'
 
Residents outraged after uncovering toxic chemicals from sewage spreading through food supply: 'They're not being truthful'
Baltimore, MD (28 May 2025) - Baltimore's wastewater treatment plant at Back River doesn't just process sewage. It's also hiding a dirty secret — an unsavory mixture of toxic "forever chemicals" that make their way from toilets to farms to plates. The city's sewage flows into the wastewater treatment plant each day, where it is processed into both dry biosolids and a dark sludge. Both products are then shipped out to farms in the area, where they are spread across soil to act as fertilizer.
 
Freak raw sewage boat explosion on Hudson River kills city worker
New York, NY (24 May 2025) - A 59-year-old city worker was reported dead and two others were injured Saturday when a boat carrying raw sewage exploded on the Hudson River near West 138th Street. NYPD received a 911 call about a person in the water at about 10:30 a.m., and responded to the scene along with the FDNY, according to police. Officials arrived at the scene to find a large explosion had ripped through the ship’s hull. The blast forced a New York City Department of Environmental Protection worker into the water, where he became trapped between the vessel and the pier and died.
Top NYC engineer’s welding may have sparked methane on sewage boat, killing him in blast
Update on Incident at North River Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility
 
DEP to Host Public Meeting and Hearing for Modification for Liberty Soils Biosolids Management Facility
Harrisburg, PA (1 June 2025) - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will host a public meeting and hearing to take testimony from the public regarding the modification application for Liberty Soils Biosolids Management Facility in Reilly Township, Schuylkill County. The meeting and hearing will take place on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Tremont Borough Municipal Building located at 139 Clay Street, Tremont, PA 17981. Representatives from DEP Waste Management will be in attendance.
West Schuylkill residents question sludge company about odors
 
DEC cites ‘source control’ as solution in sewage sludge fight as upstate faces water contamination problems
New York, NY (5 June 2025) - The use of sewage sludge on farmland is a rising concern for a growing number of New York towns and counties, so much so that several have intervened in recent months to stop the spread of it over contamination worries. Despite an alarming EPA study and tests throughout the state showing PFAS in biosolids, state environmental leaders are standing by its approach to ban PFAS-infused products as the best way to mitigate the problem. New York lawmakers proposed a five-year moratorium on the use of biosolids on farmland. However, the bill is in committee for both the state Senate and the Assembly with just days left in the current legislative session.
Should sewage sludge be used as fertilizer for New York's farmland?
 
Nationally
 
Commissioners seek dismissal of biosolids lawsuit
Bartholomew County (10 May 2025) - The Bartholomew County commissioners have asked a special judge to throw out a lawsuit challenging an ordinance restricting out-of-county biosolids. In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, the commissioners argue, among other things, that they did not exceed their regulatory authority when they approved the measure last year, according to filings in Bartholomew Circuit Court. The ordinance bars the import, storage and application of biosolids originating outside of Bartholomew County unless it is processed by Columbus City Utilities’ wastewater treatment plant.
 
Wastewater Superintendent working to improve city’s water and waste
Grand Marais, MN (9 May 2025) - The City’s Public Utilities Commission met on May 7, a meeting that heavily featured Wastewater Superintendent Scott Warner. Warner updated the commission on programming updates to the water treatment controls and process changes to the wastewater treatment plant, hoping to add efficiencies to both. “When permitting the Heights development extension, the MPCA [Minnesota Pollution Control Agency] notified us of concerns they have regarding limit exceedances at the wastewater plant in the last 12 months. We reviewed the 29 exceedances in the past 12 months and concluded that they all resulted from excess sludge levels in the clarifiers,” Warner said in a memo to Councilor Craig Schulte and the Public Utilities Commissioners.
 
Sludge pond capped at Bunker Hill Superfund site
Kellogg, ID (13 May 2025) - Work throughout the Bunker Hill Superfund Site has ramped up for the season, including the finalization of a project on top of the site’s central impoundment area. For the past 30 years, sludge from the nearby Central Treatment Plant has been disposed of in an 8-acre lined pond atop the CIA, but in 2023, the pond was at max capacity and will now be sealed. The CTP was built in 1974, with the specific goal of treating wastewater from the nearby Bunker Hill Mine, but the plant was upgraded in 2021, and a new groundwater collection system was installed.
 
Texas bill seeking to keep toxic “forever chemicals” off farmland misses key deadline
Austin, TX (14 May 2025) - A bill aimed at limiting the spread of toxic chemicals on Texas farmland has hit a political wall — missing a key deadline that decreases its likelihood of passage this session. At this point, its chances of advancing further in the legislative process are slim. Monday was the deadline for House bills to advance out of committee, although there are ways to revive bills up to the end of the legislative session. 
Bills aimed at studying, restricting “forever chemicals” in Texas fail
 
Round Mountain starts sewage sludge removal project
Westcliffe, CO (13 May 2025) - The regular meeting of the Board of the Round Mountain Water and Sanitation District (RMWSD) on April 17 began with District Manager Dave Schneider giving reports on ongoing projects, including the wastewater treatment plant, the new Grape Creek Reservoir, and the bulk water station. The project was slightly delayed due to weather, but trucks have been coming and going as of Monday, May 12. The project should take 2-3 weeks with trucks running six days per week.
 
Star power: Erin Brockovich weighs in on foul odors plaguing St. Augustine community
St. Augustine, FL (14 May 2025) - Off of County Road 214, residents of the Morgan’s Cove neighborhood are suffering from an unbearable stench – poop. The neighborhood sits just two miles away from Indianhead Biomass Services, a composting and biosolid processing plant that is the source of the strong odor that has disrupted their daily lives. Residents of Morgan’s Cove and surrounding areas have become increasingly vocal, drawing the attention of renowned environmental advocate Erin Brockovich, who was played by Julia Roberts in a 2000 film on her life.
 
HQWD Rescinds Proposed FY26 Budget Over Sludge Disposal Changes
North Adams, MA (14 May 2025) - Contaminated sludge is off the table for the Hoosac Water Quality District. The HWQD's board on Wednesday voted to rescind its approved $1.5 million budget after Casella  Waste Management withdrew its option to truck untreated residential sewage from other communities to the Williamstown facility and then distribute the composted product elsewhere. Secondly, said Bradley O. Furlon, district manager, the state has extended the wastewater district's ability to compost its own sludge by two years.
 
Utilities approves agreement for design work on biosolids thermal dryer
Columbus, IN (17 May 2025) - Columbus City Utilities (CCU) is moving forward on plans to change its biosolids management as they transition to drying the organic materials. The CCU board approved a professional services agreement with Strand Associates to do design work on a thermal dryer for biosolids, which will cost around $27 million when complete. The agreement with Strand was for a total of $1.45 million, with the idea that a design will be complete by September.
 
Sen. Jeff Wilson bill to test for harmful chemicals in certain fertilizers signed into law
Olympia, WA (21 May 2025) - Gov. Bob Ferguson signed a bill sponsored by Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, on Monday, May 19, launching a testing program to identify forever chemicals in the state’s food supply. Senate Bill 5033 will institute statewide testing requirements for biosolids used as fertilizer for a group of chemicals commonly referred to as per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals.” The term biosolids refers to nutrient rich organic substances yielded from domestic sewage treatment. In other words — human waste.
PFAS/Biosolids: Washington State Legislature Mandates Testing
Testing for ‘forever chemical’ in food supply signed into law
 
Sewer district eyes rising disposal costs
Boothbay Harbor, ME (21 May 2025) - Sludge disposal fees for Boothbay Harbor Sewer District (BHSD) will increase following a review of the 2025 pricing from its current provider Casella. According to operator-in-charge Chris Higgins, the plant generates 375 tons of sludge per year, whose disposal costs about $185 per wet ton.  Under the new proposed contract, this number increases to $227.51 per ton; however, this figure is liable to change due to surcharges based on rising fuel costs and the possible shipment of the sludge to Canadian landfills.
 
Maine ENR committee supports emergency bill LD 297 for temporary biosolids disposal solution
Augusta, ME (23 May 2025) - The committee charged with protecting Maine’s air and water quality, natural resources, and other key environmental issues, voted 10 to 1 in favor of supporting LD 297, an emergency bill which allows Maine to continue accepting bulky waste from out of state. The material is used in Maine landfills to stabilize municipal biosolids. While seemingly contrary to the Environment and Natural Resource (ENR) Committee’s charge, lawmakers say it’s a ‘necessary, but temporary solution’ until the state can define a holistic waste management plan, specifically for biosolids.
 
Farmers eye ‘forever chemical’ legislation
Greenfield, MA (24 May 2025) - Some local farmers hope bills to mitigate PFAS contamination in Massachusetts could safeguard their work and protect their lives. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are chemicals used in many types of products such as cookware, clothes, artificial turf and firefighting foam. They’re also found in soil and water, and nicknamed “forever chemicals” because they are very difficult to break down.
 
Scappoose awarded for new biosolids dryer that turns waste into fertilizer
Scappoose, OR (28 May 2025) - A new initiative to turn Scappoose’s waste into usable fertilizer has received a statewide accolade.  The League of Oregon Cities has presented the city of Scappoose with the 2025 Award for Excellence in recognition of the city’s new biosolids dryer, which is among a slew of new improvements at the wastewater treatment plant. The new biosolids dryer has been up and running in Scappoose since December. It cost the city about $2.7 million, $2.5 million of which came from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.
 
Researchers Seek to Develop New Tools to Remove PFAS from Agricultural Soil and Nearby Groundwater via The Freshwater Collaborative of Wisconsin
Green Bay, WI (28 May 2025) - Five years ago, UW-Green Bay faculty began investigating whether land application of biosolids would result in PFAS leaching into groundwater. They received funding from the Freshwater Collaborative to partner with faculty and students from UW-Madison, UW-Platteville and UW-Stevens Point to investigate the issue. As part of the project, undergraduates from the four universities tested woodchip-based biochar to determine its effectiveness in adsorbing PFAS from soil.
 
$8.5M to Garden City Compost could help the facility manage PFAS contamination
Missoula, MT (30 May 2025) - Garden City Compost is about to see some new upgrades coming to its facility, worth $8.5 million, funding for which comes from federal COVID-19 relief money. Some of those upgrades include a concrete pad for the compost to sit on top of in order to come in compliance with state regulations and also help them address a PFAS contamination issue.
 
Orange Sewer Commission votes to increase rates
Orange, MA (30 May 2025) - The Sewer Commission voted unanimously this week to raise the sewer rate by 22.32% to adequately operate the wastewater treatment facility at 295 West Main St. The commission, made up of the town’s Selectboard members, continued on Wednesday a discussion that began on May 14 with Wastewater Superintendent Oscar Rodriguez and David Prickett of DPC Engineering. Member Jane Peirce’s peers opted to pass her motion to adjust the sewer rate from $12.50 per 100 cubic feet to $15.29 per 100 cubic feet, effective the start of the fiscal year on July 1.
 
Bills Banning Firefighting Gear and Biosolids Containing Toxic Forever Chemicals Set to Pass this Session
Providence, RI (2 June 2025) - Lawmakers in both chambers are also moving to pass a requirement that biosolids — essentially the physical sludge leftover from wastewater treatment — distributed or applied on lands in Rhode Island be tested for PFAS, with DEM getting the power to reject any biosolids that would potentially pose an environmental threat or risk to public health because of their PFAS content. 
 
Sunnyside wastewater plant releasing methane while awaiting repairs
Sunnyside, WA (2 June 2025) - Sunnyside's wastewater treatment plant is in need of repair. Earlier this year, staff discovered a methane leak from the piping between the anaerobic digester to the burner which burns off the gas. Casing and insulation around the pipes were removed, which revealed that they were severely corroded. Methane is a natural gas produced as microorganism break down the wastewater in the anearobic digestion process. The plant is releasing the gas into the air at the top of the digester until the repairs are made.
 
Tracing the Long-Term Impacts of Biosolids on Florida’s Sandy Soils
Winter Haven, FL (4 June 2025) - What happens to nutrients and metals in soil long after biosolids—a byproduct from sewage treatment—have been applied to the land? That’s the question JoAnn Donald, a graduate student in the UF/IFAS Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences (SWES), set out to answer. The research study appears in the journal Geoderma Regional. Working under the guidance of Dr. Yang Lin, SWES assistant professor of soil health, JoAnn studied a former Florida ranch that applied biosolids 14-years ago. 
 
First-ever airborne toxic chemical detected in Western Hemisphere
Boulder, CO (6 June 2025) - Using a high-tech instrument to measure how aerosol particles form and grow in the atmosphere, they stumbled upon something unexpected: the first-ever airborne measurements of medium chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs), a kind of toxic organic pollutant, in the Western Hemisphere. MCCPs are used in fluids for metalworking and in the construction of PVC and textiles. They are often found in wastewater and as a result, can end up in biosolid fertilizer, also called sewage sludge, which is created when liquid is removed from wastewater in a treatment plant.
 
Study on ‘forever chemicals’ in fertilizer gains traction
Salem, OR (9 June 2025) - The third time may prove the charm for an Oregon-specific study on so-called “forever chemicals” in treated sewage, or biosolids, applied to crops as fertilizer.  Two previous attempts to fund research on PFAS chemicals, which are widely used in consumer goods but are known to harm human health, were stopped in their tracks in the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. In 2025, however, the proposal has won the approval of that key budget-setting committee, which recently recommended House Bill 2947 for a vote on the House floor.
 
Hoosac Water Quality District to Keep Producing Compost for Now
Williamstown, MA (9 June 2025) - The Hoosac Water Quality District will continue its decades-long practice of composting biosolid waste and offering it for sale as fertilizer. The district's Board of Commissioners made that decision in a meeting on Wednesday at the Williamstown Municipal Building after a half dozen North County residents raised concerns about the dangers of recycling feces contaminated with polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, which have been linked to cancer. Earlier this spring, the four-member commission learned that a deal that would have imported biosolids, or sludge, from other municipalities to be composted at the district's Williamstown facility no longer was on the table.
 
Internationally
 
Uttar Pradesh’s leap in faecal sludge management—but can the system sustain it?
Uttar Pradesh, India (26 May 2025) - In just five years, Uttar Pradesh has made big strides in managing toilet waste by setting up 59 faecal sludge treatment plants by the end of 2024—up from just one in 2018. This shows a strong push to improve sanitation, especially in places that rely on septic tanks and other on-site systems. But while building these plants is a big achievement, keeping them running smoothly is just as important. Their long-term success depends on how well they are operated and maintained.
 
4 workers sent to retrieve gold from septic tank without safety equipment die in Jaipur
Jaipur, India (28 May 2025) - Four workers died of suffocation after they were sent into a Jaipur jewellery shop’s septic tank without safety equipment on Monday to remove sludge for the recovery of gold and silver particles lost during washing, police said. The workers were initially reluctant to undertake the work, but agreed to do it after they were offered extra money, they added.
 
Rhineland repeats enzyme sludge treatment for Gretna lagoon
Municipality of Rhineland, Manitoba, Canada (29 May 2025) - The Municipality of Rhineland has opted to use the same enzyme treatment to de-sludge the Gretna lagoon as it did at the Plum Coulee facility last year. The biological method, used by Clean Water Pro, utilizes a special formula of beneficial bacteria and enzymes to break down the material. According to Reeve Don Wiebe, the 20-week process resulted in the sludge being reduced at the Plum Coulee lagoon by 12 to 14 inches.
 
SEPA announces changes to regulation of waste-to-land activities in Scotland
North Lanarkshire, Scotland (4 June 2025) - On 2 June, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said it was informing businesses in Scotland of important changes to the regulation of the use of waste on land for soil improvement. This includes changes to how to apply for an authorisation. The move will create a single regulatory framework for the application of waste to land, said SEPA, “offering greater fairness and environmental safeguards.”
 
Engineers turn water treatment sludge into sustainable concrete alternative
Melbourne, Australia (9 June 2025) - Engineers from the University of South Australia (UniSA) have developed a new, environmentally friendly material that could reduce the high costs associated with maintaining Australia’s ageing sewer infrastructure. The innovation involves combining alum-based water treatment sludge – a waste product from the drinking water purification process – with ground granulated blast-furnace slag, commonly used in cement production.
 
Under harsh Delhi sun, this 18-year-old manually cleans drains — for just Rs 500
New Delhi, India (9 June 2025) - On a dusty road in Southeast Delhi’s Taimoor Nagar, the stench arrives before the scene. Manholes lie prised open, their cement lids on the side, flanked by mounds of thick black sludge. From one of them, Sonu, who goes by only one name, slowly emerges — his thin face rises into the harsh summer sun. Sonu is just 18 but has spent most of his teenage years waist-deep in drains, pulling out sludge with his bare hands.
 
Warning over 'dirty secret' of toxic chemicals on farmers' fields
London, England (9 June 2025) - Successive governments have failed to deal with the threat posed by spreading sewage sludge containing toxic chemicals on farmers' fields, a former chair of the Environment Agency has told the BBC. About 3.5 million tonnes of sludge – the solid waste produced from human sewage at treatment plants - is put on fields every year as cheap fertiliser. But campaigners have long warned about a lack of regulation and that sludge could be contaminated with cancer-linked chemicals, microplastics, and other industrial pollutants.
 
In Yaoundé, fecal sludge flows through ‘Caca Junction’ streets
Yaoundé, Cameroon (9 June 2025) - Major streets of Yaoundé, the political capital of Cameroon, have turned into open sewers. Every day, hundreds of cubic meters of liquid waste — enough to fill more than an Olympic-sized swimming pool each a week — overwhelm the city’s only fecal sludge treatment plant. That plant exceeds its capacity by 100% almost every day. As a result, sewers clog, streets turn into foul-smelling rivers and residents suffocate from unbearable odors that have become part of daily life.
 
A Toxic ‘Sewage Sludge’ is Covering Britain’s Crops in Microplastics – Then Flowing Into Our Rivers
Lond, England (10 June 2025) - A toxic cocktail of chemicals is being spread on British farmland due to a near-total lack of rules on what farmers can put on their crops, campaigners warn today. Environmentalists including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the former Chair of the Environment Agency Emma Howard Boyd and the campaign group, Fighting Dirty have joined forces to demand that the Government regulates the use of ‘sewage sludge’ to prevent toxic run-off further polluting Britain’s dying waterways.
 

June 2025 - Sally Brown Research Library & Commentary

Sally Brown

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

 

Crying Wolf 

Microplastics - are they the new contaminant of choice, too small for any naked eye to see but packing a punch like dynamite? Or just the latest fad that will pass the same way that hormones have faded from memory? This library tells one version of the tale. 

The library starts with Article #1 Identification of microplastics extracted from field soils amended with municipal biosolids, published in a very well-regarded journal. Here, as per usual, the article starts with the evils of plastic pollution (no argument here) and dives directly into biosolids as a source of these materials in soils. Again, as is frequently the case, there is no mention of the use of plastic in agriculture and the acreage involved as it compares to biosolids. A quick search suggested that 4.4 million acres in the US are used for vegetable production and plastic mulch is a common practice for many of those crops. In contrast, according to the last National Survey 2.3 million tons of biosolids were used for agriculture in 2018. If you consider an application rate of just over 5 dry tons per acre that comes to a little over 400,000 acres. Just me ranting here. Let’s get back to that first article. 

The authors had a lab and a field component. They used Class B cake in the lab with a sandy soil and a clay soil. The field component was on the clay soil after about 5 tons of biosolids was applied and incorporated. A major goal of the study was to test whether lab methods of counting the plastics were able to translate into field quantification. Here is what quantification looked like in the lab: 

Problems started in the lab. In the sandy soil with glow in the dark microplastics added all the same size and shape, the different solutions the authors used to separate them out had recoveries ranging from 42-54%. The next step was to use spectroscopy and specific temperatures to ‘burn off’ specific types of plastic. The authors created heat maps to compare techniques and recoveries. For these, red is good - meaning a good match with blue being the opposite. They got decent ‘heat’ for PET and above room temperature for polypropylene. This is the lab portion. In the field the maps all ran cold. Here is the data from the spectroscopy showing the microplastics at different temperatures. Note that the biosolids @ 1 month and @ 1 year have no relationship to each other. 

We have a potential contaminant that researchers haven’t quite figured out how to measure (at least in this paper, other papers with other methods seem more confident). We are also not clear at all about its toxicity. As Belinda Sturm, an engineering professor at the University of Kansas pointed out in the NW Biosolids recent webinar (link here) on the topic, it is quite possible that the majority of these particles are just inert surfaces in soil systems. 

So what can we do about this emerging crisis? For a solution we go to paper #2 Elimination of microplastics, PFAS, and PPCPs from biosolids via pyrolysis to produce biochar: Feasibility and techno-economic analysis. Same high profile journal as the first paper. Here the authors test pyrolysis for its ability to remove not only microplastics but PFAS and PPCPs (pharmaceuticals and personal care products). The authors claim that not only will this process eliminate over 90% of each of these contaminants, it will also be cost effective based on revenues from sales of the biosolids ash. The authors collected biosolids from a plant in southern California, freeze dried the biosolids, placed small amounts (<30 g) in a furnace to mimic a pyrolysis facility. After combustion the samples were analyzed for the contaminants as well as for elemental composition and total C and N analysis. Information provided by manufacturers was used to calculate the economic balance of pyrolysis. The authors note that pyrolysis increased the concentrations of the different minerals present but did not provide data on the N content of the biosolids or the final char product. 

They calculate expenses associated with constructing and operating a facility:

They estimate that the final product would be sold for between $400-$800 per metric 

ton. A lot of consultants and even some municipalities are taking this option very seriously. Before you plunk down those multiple millions to burn your cake I would encourage you to take a step back. 

To do that we go to paper #3 Microplastics in wastewater: microfiber emissions from common household laundry. Previous articles in the library have noted that washing synthetic fabrics is a significant source of these contaminants into wastewater. If you are looking for another reference to emphasize that point - here you go. This quote from the abstract pretty much sums it all up: 

Results estimated an average emission rate of 18,000,000 synthetic microfibers for a reference load of 6 kg of synthetic fibers. Only 7% of the synthetic fibers found were larger than 500 μm in length, 40% were between 100 and 500 μm, and 53% were between 50 and 100 μm.

Here is the data: 

Looks more like this: 

than something that scares the bejesus out of you. 

So instead of crying wolf (article #1) or burning up your biosolids (#2) you look into source control. Article #4 Ceramic membranes as a potential high-performance alternative to microplastic filters for household washing machines does just that. Here the source isn’t the evil factory pouring out toxins but your home machine, sending out grit, grease and microplastics along with some suds. Putting filters on spit basins in dental offices cut the Hg in biosolids by >50% in King County. How about eliminating microplastics by filtering the water from washers? The authors start by noting that the microplastic filters currently on the market do not do a good job with a removal efficiency < 25%. They tested polymer and ceramic based filters as alternatives. The authors measured removal efficiency, water flow rate and fouling potential. Backwash is never a good thing. Especially after the spin cycle. 

The authors found exceptional removal efficiency for the new filters with >99% removal:

One of the membranes had a higher fouling potential than the other. The authors note that the fouling is reversible - meaning you can clean the filter. 

The final paper in the library #5 Efficiency and costs of household filters for the retention of fibrous microplastics from the laundry process in Germany provides a performance and economic analysis of these filters. It turns out that if you buy a washing machine in France it (as of 1/25) already comes equipped with a filter. The authors anticipate that similar regulations may soon hit Germany and they’ve done their best here to model their impact. 

A fun calculation from the paper: 

  • Each person washes 260 kg of laundry each year 

  • 38% consists of synthetic fibers 

  • The microplastic generation rate from laundry is 62 mg per kg of washing

  • A general range of MP generation from laundry is 50.6-1180 kg per 100,000 people per year 

Here is what one looks like and a table showing cost estimates for different filters:

The authors go on to consider MP generation from tire wear. The focus here is MP release with effluent as the majority of biosolids in Germany are incinerated. Hopefully MP won’t drive us over the edge. If it turns out that MP are really a concern for biosolids (count me in the not convinced category), all we have to do is require filters on washing machines. That is the KISS principle as a means to kiss that contaminant good bye. 

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 Baker at [email protected] or 845-901-7905.

 

Important Update for MABA Members:
Results from the 2nd National Survey of Biosolids Regulation, Quality, End Use and Disposal in the U.S.

The National Biosolids Data Project (NBDP) has been recently unveiled. You are invited to its comprehensive, user-friendly, data-rich website: http://biosolidsdata.org.  This website provides both a national overview of biosolids generation and utilization/disposal in the target year 2018, but, importantly and most usefully for practitioners in the mid-Atlantic region, the NBDP also includes state summary reports.  Your MABA staff and volunteers are assembling a webpage which will allow quick access to the state reports in our region. 

This NBDP data site was prepared over a two-year period. It was accomplished on a shoe-string budget of about $60,000, with a small EPA grant and some financial contributions from WEF, NACWA and public agencies, and with many hours of volunteer time. The focus  is comprehensive, with details on technologies, particularly the distinction of Class A and Class B levels of pathogen treatment, with categories of utilization outlets and products (compost versus pellets), with capture of landfill and incineration disposal, and with an overview of each state’s regulations. 

A key feature of the project was the survey of water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), generators of biosolids.  The survey had 452 valid and representative responses from WRRFs in 43 states and DC. This is a set that comprises a flow of about 12,000 MGD, or 34% of total municipal effluent flows in the United States. When generously supplied by public agencies, surveys provided in addition to mass of biosolids and uses, information on pollutant concentrations, program costs and points of view on hurdles and barriers. In a few cases, the surveys of state officials were able to elicit information on septage management.  The EPA biosolids records for 2018 in ECHO (Enforcement and Compliance History Online) was also brought into the analysis. 

Every effort was made to provide comparable data across all states, but this goal was elusive. In the end, the data reports of 32 states were judged of high confidence, 12 were of moderate confidence and 4 of low confidence.  Every state office responsible for biosolids management was afforded an opportunity to review and correct its state’s data and description.  

While this richly compiled database might clearly have commercial value, the results are freely available and are intended to aid in the transparency of biosolids programs to the public. 

Ned Beecher, for 20 years executive director of NEBRA and then special projects coordinator for the early PFAS response,  is the principal investigator for this “second” survey. He was the principal designer of the two surveys (one for state officials and the other for public agencies) and of the database, though with much feedback along the way, Ned had been also the leader of the first survey, which was released fifteen years ago, July 2007, based on biosolids generation and use in 2004, which explains in part the ambitious goals of the current survey. 

Many biosolids practitioners over the years had come to rely on this first survey. It was clear to all who used it recently that the first survey had become dated. Ned took on this herculean project, and now with its completion, we can give hearty kudos to Ned for his vision and persistence. Today you will note from Ned’s email communications that he is now the “former” special project manager for NEBRA and available for hire.  But updates to the second survey, whether to correct or amplify it, or to change it to reflect new developments, will need to be shouldered by others, and we await these folks to emerge and step forward. 

The survey year of 2018 may have the feel of “historical” today. But, at the opening of the project in mid-2020, this was the year most likely to be complete in its data set from federal, state, and municipal sources. The project was intended to be completed by Spring 2021, but whether a victim of pandemic staffing challenges or from competing issues for biosolids practitioners, data collection for this new survey was a slog.  In the mid-Atlantic region, the year 2018 had an atypical influence of large rainfall volumes, and in the Northeast region the discovery of perfluoroalkyl substances disrupted programs. 

Here is the big reveal!  Total biosolids used or disposed of in the U. S. in 2018 was 5,823,000 dry metric tons (dmt). This compares to 6,132,000 dmt reported in the 2004 survey.  This decline in total biosolids was a surprise to the NBDP team. The decline may reflect less double counting than in 2004 of solids hauled from small to larger plants for treatment, or in some locations it may reflect a shift from alkaline stabilization to digestion, the latter technology reducing total dry solids. The 2018 database involved fewer estimations, particularly of biosolids production at small WRRFs. With the estimation in this second survey of the sewered population served, the total national average per capita production of biosolids annually is 37 pounds. That agencies and states show a wide range around this average suggests other aspects at play, perhaps the proportion of combined sewer systems and the acceptance of septage from unsewered areas. 

Here is the second big reveal.  Fifty-three percent of biosolids produced in the United States in 2018 were beneficially used. Within this number are some important findings.  More Class A EQ biosolids are being produced in 2018 than in 2004. Despite policies for organics diversion from municipal waste landfills in some states and regions, the same percentage of biosolids are commingled with municipal waste in 2018 as in 2004.  The percentage of biosolids fed to incinerators has declined, with a fewer number of sewage sludge incinerators in operation.  The survey showed, too, decreased full time equivalent (FTE) employees regulating biosolids at state and federal agencies.  As our industry has asserted in the past, the proportion of our nation's croplands receiving biosolids as a nutrient source is very small, less than 1%.

The Mid Atlantic Biosolids Association participated in the NBDP project. It reviewed electronic record reports to the EPA and state environmental agencies, and also surveyed state officials and larger public agencies.  In the work covering the 7 states and one district in this region, the NBPD documented that the over 1,800 significant POTWs serve 50 million “sewered” customers, producing 1.3 million dry tons of biosolids annually. Sixteen WRRFs in the region produce over 10,000 dmt. NYCDEP is largest agency (~100,000 dmt), and in descending order are Philadelphia Water Department, DC Water, Passaic Valley Water Commission, Middlesex County Utility Authority, Baltimore Department of Public Works, ALCOSAN (Allegheny County, PA), Hampton Roads Sanitation District (VA), City of Rochester (NY), DELCORA, Bergen County Utility Authority (NJ), Suffolk County (NY), Arlington County (VA), Nassau County (NY), and Fairfax County (VA). The average per capita annual biosolids production in the MABA region is 54 dry pounds.

The NBDP state reports include narratives describing notable facilities and programs that serve to treat and use biosolids. In the MABA region report are these distinctive points. Composting is a major treatment technology in the region (e.g., Burlington Co, Rockland Co, Baltimore, A&M Composting, Natural Soils, Spotsylvania (VA) and many small facilities). Two new, large compost facilities under development in reach of Philadelphia.  DELCORA and ALCOSAN are large utilities with sludge Incinerators; others in NY (Rochester), NJ (ACUA) and VA have upgraded to meet new MACT standards.  The US’s principal service companies, Synagro and Denali, have main offices in the MABA region and serve hundreds of agency clients NYC is the sole large facility in the US without a pathway to Class A EQ products. PVSC is the exclusive example of a long-tested Zimpro wet oxidation solids treatment, and this agency accepts solids from dozens of agencies.  Co-digestion with high strength organic waste has great reference facilities in the MABA region (Rahway Valley SA, Lehigh County Authority, and Hermitage, PA). Landis Sewerage Authority in Vineland NJ is arguably the “greenest” WRRF, with zero effluent discharge and wholly onsite biosolids use.

The narrative also sets the stage for understanding how Pennsylvania, producer of significant biosolids, is also a destination for biosolids from other states. The nature of Pennsylvania’s “accommodative” regulation of biosolids, and similarly restrictive rules in New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland, ensures that the transport of biosolids regionally and in the direction of Pennsylvania is a significant part of the story of biosolids management regionally. This role is only indirectly revealed in the NBDP. That is because the survey was structured to discuss for each state the mass of biosolids production and the utilization outlets for those state-generated biosolids.  

Though the NBDP is the latest information source available to us biosolids practitioners, in a way it is already outdated. Since the 2018 target year for data collection, pressures on two major categories, landfill disposal and land application, have increased.  Important issue areas of PFAS contamination worries, risks of new regulations of soil phosphorus, and the experience of inadequate seasonal storage have underscored the challenges of maintaining farmland for biosolids applications.  But landfill owners have tightened access by biosolids generators to municipal landfills. This is not only a challenge to Pennsylvania agencies, but more widely to agencies in adjoining states in the mid-Atlantic, which have been reliant on Pennsylvania destinations.  

The other side of this “challenges” coin with biosolids in the MABA region is the opportunities for development of merchant facilities and innovative technologies. These include existing innovative facilities, such as  regional composting (A&M Composting, Burlington Co-Composting and Rockland County Composting), thermal hydrolysis combined with mesophilic digestion (DC Water and HRSD), co-digestion plants (e.g., Hermitage Food Waste to Energy Facility) and drying processes (Synagro in Philadelphia and Baltimore).  Indeed, the MABA region is a landing place for emerging thermal biosolids solutions, such as pyrolysis (BioForceTech), hydrothermal carbonization (SOMAX Bioenergy ), PA and gasification (EarthCare, EcoRemedy and Aries Clean Energy) --  solutions that seem to be particularly urgent in this time of PFAS.

The National Biosolids Data Project demonstrates that the mid-Atlantic region, responsible for nearly a quarter of the nation’s biosolids generation. It is your foundation for understanding future opportunities for biosolids management. Go use it: http://biosolidsdata.org. And, we who helped to assemble the database also will welcome corrections and updates as you find them worthwhile for keeping the information current and accurate, and you can do so by contacting Mary Firestone at  [email protected].

 
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