Biosolids and Sludge Management

Abstract

This literature review covers journal articles related to biosolids and sludge management that were published in 1999. The main topics covered include regulations and planning, reduction of biosolids and sludge production, biosolids and sludge characteristics, thickening, conditioning and dewatering, thermal processes, land application, alternative uses for biosolids, disposal, and articles relating to overall biosolids programs. REGULATIONS AND PLANNINGEpstein and Wu (1999) described proposed revisions to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) guidance document "Environmental Regulations and Technology: Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewage Sludge". Proposed changes relate to additional information on pathogens in the environment; site restrictions; meeting VAR regulations; composting guidelines; storage and product mixing; testing frequency and methodology; and the role of the Pathogen Equivalency Committee. Baturay (1999b) stated that the U.S. EPA has recently been considering further regulating biosolids incinerators under Sec. 129 or 112 of the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, or imposing additional regulations under 40 CFR 503. The strictest proposal would require facilities to implement the maximum achievable control technology, or the average emissions from existing incinerators would have to be no more that that achieved by the best performing 12% of all incinerators. Thus, there are concerns about the

Histopathological changes in the perivisceral fat body of Rhinocricus padbergi (Diplopoda, Spirobolida) triggered by biosolids

“…and canola; it has also been used in forestry (USEPA 1999;Vanzo et al 2000;Baldwin et al 2001;Currie et al 2003;Bañuelos et al 2004;Granato et al 2004). …”

“…However, biosolids may contain persistent toxic organic compounds and trace metals because the treatment processes employed are not always capable of removing such compounds (Baldwin et al 2001;Hébert 2010;Shinbrot 2012). According to Camargo (2006), even sludge from households contains higher trace metal concentrations than those normally found in the soil.…”

“…This may be subject to several processes that generally aim to increase the solid content, reduce the load of microorganisms and pathogenic organisms, and reduce its attractiveness to vectors; the result of this process is a residue called biosolids, which are considered more innocuous than raw sewage sludge (Artuso et al 2011;Bertelli 2007;Baldwin et al 2001;Vanzo et al 2000).…”