Suchergebnisse

AbstractIn 1996, the Water Environment Federation of the USA, the European Water Pollution Control Association (now the European Water Association), and the International Association of Water Quality (now the International Water Association) produced a Global Atlas of Waste‐water Sludge and Biosolids Use and Disposal. Various ideas have been proposed to interpret the comparisons of international practices; from these, propositions have been derived for policies on sustainable management which, in the UK, would (a) comply with the recent agreement between the water industry and food retailers, and (b) not reach soil metal limits in less than fifty years. Comparisons are made between Europe and the USA, and the differences are found to be less than were previously assumed. However, changes are imminent, which might alter this situation.

Provides an explanation of the federal regulations defined by The Standards for the Use or Disposal od Sewage Sludge which was developed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency after the Clean Water Act Amendments of 1987 were enacted.

International audience ; This study looked at how the media framed biosolids, or treated sewage sludge, from 1994 to 2004 by analyzing the 13 media frames found in 286 biosolid-related articles from newspapers in Florida, Virginia, and California. The researchers found the articles framed biosolids as a regulatory or legal issue most often, and most of the frames' tones were neutral (1,958). However, negative tone (507) happened three times more often than positive tone (149), and environmental, management, and public nuisance framing tended to be more negative than any of the other frames. Neither the frames themselves nor the tones had statistically significant changes over the past decade. Regarding the sources used in the stories, the most frequent source was local government officials, which were used twice as frequently as any other source, followed by corporations (16 percent) and citizens (14 percent). These findings should help biosolid producers and officials in developing a media strategy that is proactive toward shaping public opinion rather than reactive to an issue that makes its way to the media and spurs public concern.

This study looked at how the media framed biosolids, or treated sewage sludge, from 1994 to 2004 by analyzing the 13 media frames found in 286 biosolid-related articles from newspapers in Florida, Virginia, and California. The researchers found the articles framed biosolids as a regulatory or legal issue most often, and most of the frames' tones were neutral (1,958). However, negative tone (507) happened three times more often than positive tone (149), and environmental, management, and public nuisance framing tended to be more negative than any of the other frames. Neither the frames themselves nor the tones had statistically significant changes over the past decade. Regarding the sources used in the stories, the most frequent source was local government officials, which were used twice as frequently as any other source, followed by corporations (16 percent) and citizens (14 percent). These findings should help biosolid producers and officials in developing a media strategy that is proactive toward shaping public opinion rather than reactive to an issue that makes its way to the media and spurs public concern.

Soils of Mediterranean drylands are characterized by a low fertility and organic matter content because of past land use and disturbances regime. The restoration of these degraded lands faces at the same time problems related to water scarcity and the unpredictability of precipitations with problems with soil physical, chemical, and microbiological properties. Organic amendments may help to improve soil properties and, consequently, enhance planted seedling establishment and performance. In this study, we assessed the C balance of 3 Mediterranean areas planted with Pinus halepensis Mill. seedlings with different treatments of biosolid application. The assessment was conducted at different times after the establishment of treatments and the C dynamics are discussed. We considered 3 biosolid types (air‐dried, fresh sludge, and composted sludge) in application doses ranging from 10 to 320 Mg (d.w.) ha−1. We quantified basal area, pine biomass, biomass of spontaneous vegetation, litter, root density, and soil organic matter. All 3 experimental restoration studies improved restoration success in terms of basal area (ranging from 15% to 300%), especially in composted biosolid at 30 Mg (d.w.) ha−1, whereas litter and, especially, root biomass increased with all biosolid treatments and times since application. Soil organic C was higher in application doses above 30 Mg (dry weight) ha−1 due to the organic matter applied with the sludges. The increment in C sequestration rates associated to these restoration treatments ranged between 0.046 and 0.293 kg C m2 yr−1. These results confirm the suitability of organic amendments as restoration technique in Mediterranean degraded drylands. ; This research was conducted within the framework of research projects funded by the Spanish Ministries of Environment (BIOMET‐608/2006/1‐4.4), the European Commission FP7 (CASCADE/GA283068), and the Government of the Valencia Region (DESESTRES‐PROMETEUII/2014/038).

ABSTRACTResearch in the UK on the beneficial aspects of biosolids additions to land has primarily concentrated on nitrogen and phosphorus supply. Biosolids have other beneficial effects on soil through the addition of organic matter and other plant nutrients such as sulphur, magnesium and sodium. This study evaluates the effects of biosolids additions on soil quality and fertility at seven established field experimental sites where biosolids have been applied for at least four years. These additions influenced several physical properties of the soil, increasing topsoil water‐infiltration rates, plant‐available water supply on a light sandy soil, soil porosity and bearing strength. There were also increases in the level of plant‐available sulphur, magnesium, copper and boron. Liquid digested biosolids applications also increased the concentrations of major nutrients in grass.

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) ; Brazilian company Celulose Nipo-Brasileira S/A (Cenibra) ; Brazilian government National Council of Science and Technology (CCT) ; Biosolids are residues from the treatment of urban fluids used as a source of nutrients for agricultural and forestry crops. The organic matter contained in this residue and its chemical characteristics may interfere with the behavior of herbicides in the soil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of biosolids on the potential for leaching herbicides mimicking auxin. Two simultaneous experiments were performed: a leaching test of picloram + 2.4-D in soil column with addition of thermally treated biosolids or solarized biosolids and another one to evaluate the effect of leachate application from the leaching tests under inert material. Each type of biosolid was incorporated in sandy soil in the proportions of 0%, 50%, 100% and 150% of the maximum recommended dose for subsurface fertilization for eucalyptus. The soil was conditioned in PVC columns and the herbicide columns based on picloram + 2.4-D ( Turuna (R) Commercial Formulation), corresponding to 240 g L-1 of 2.4-D + 64 g L-1 of picloram at a dose of 3.5 L ha(-1) of the commercial product. The columns were submitted to rain simulation and the resulting leachate was collected, followed by its application in sand-filled pots. The Cucumis sativus was sown along the profile of the soil columns and in the pots. The incorporation of the biosolid, independently of the type and dose tested did not interfere in the leaching potential of picloram + 2.4-D. Symptoms of intoxication were observed along all soil columns and pots. Therefore this residue is not very effective for the resolution of environmental problems caused by the leaching of auxin-mimicking herbicides in the soil.

Summarization: Governmental agencies, municipalities and industries around the world have been seeking viable alternatives for disposing of biosolids generated from wastewater treatment since landfill capacity diminishes and waste disposal costs increase. Biosolids are composed of compounds valuable for agricultural use (organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and micro-nutrients such as calcium, sulphur and magnesium), and pollutants that include heavy metals, organic compounds and pathogens. While they can be a valuable resource, potential risks associated with the nutrients, disease causing microorganisms, chemical contaminants and unstabilized material that biosolids include need to be appropriately managed. Alternative disposal methods for biosolids that have been used in the past include dumping at sea, landfilling, incineration and land application. The amount of generated sludge that needs to be disposed of in EU is exceeding 10 M dry tons per year while the US has to dispose approximately 7 M dry tons per year. Given that approximately half of the operating cost of waste water treatment plants is related to the treatment and disposal of sludge, the magnitude of treatment and disposal has promoted regulatory actions during the past 20 years focusing mostly on land application of biosolids and spurred the development of composting and other lower cost technologies that ensure not only their disposal, but also their reuse. The objective of this manuscript is to provide an overview of the potential benefits and risks of land application of biosolids with special emphasis on rural environments as well as on the management cost of disposal. Special focus will be given to sludges produced in rural areas such as the island of Crete and on closing the nutrient loop between urban and peri-urban areas. Sewage sludge has to be treated (dewatered and stabilized) before land application either in terms of soil fertilization or land reclamation. There are several treatment methods available: lime ...