Our Role in Protecting the Environment by Recycling Biosolids

The Truth Behind Biosolids Fertilizers

Maintaining a clean environment is a collective endeavor, demanding the commitment of both individuals and organizations who together share an ethical obligation to act as responsible stewards of our planet. We owe it to future generations. While recycling at home matters, we should also look to larger solutions including the use of biosolids to improve soil health, a remedy often unfairly criticized due to the lack of understanding of the science behind it. What follows are the facts about biosolids fertilizer and the many benefits they provide for our world and the individuals who live here.

What are Biosolids?

Biosolids are a byproduct of the wastewater treatment process. When wastewater undergoes treatment, solid organic matter is separated from the liquid, creating a sludge. This sludge, after undergoing further treatment to reduce pathogens, is called biosolids. Biosolids (as long as they meet regulatory limits) are often used as soil amendments and fertilizer. The use of biosolids fertilizer in farming offers many benefits to the soil, including improving moisture absorption for better drought resistance, recycling of nutrients (both micro and macro), reducing use of manufactured chemical fertilizers, and increasing soil carbon content/sequestration. Healthy soils are more productive, leading to improved plant health and yields.

Concerns or risks with using biosolids include odors, over-application of nutrients, and trace contaminants. Other options for managing wastewater residuals include incineration and landfilling and in some areas of the world ocean dumping is still allowed. All management methods have associated risks. All are highly regulated. Recycling biosolids is the only option to provide the major benefits listed above.

There are 50+ years of research [W4170: Beneficial Use of Residuals to Improve Soil Health and Protect Public, and Ecosystem Health — NIMSS] backing up the benefits of biosolids for soil health.

In a recent article written by University of Washington professor Sally Brown, she observes “Using biosolids to improve depleted soils is not a new concept. Long before we had centralized wastewater treatment, human waste was a prized commodity for agriculture. Its use, in combination with other organic byproducts, kept soils in Asia productive for centuries. With the advent of centralized wastewater collection and treatment, and development of technology to manufacture chemical fertilizers, we’ve had the luxury of forgoing the benefits of these materials. Now as we come to understand soil health, research has shown adding organic matter, which is essentially the carbon biosolids are loaded with, helps soils hold nutrients, retain water, improve drought resistance and much more. At the same time, research has also shown burning or landfilling these materials results in huge emissions of greenhouse gases.”

The Environmental Benefits

Recycling biosolids is a great example of the circular water economy in action. A circular water economy is a system that recycles and recovers resources within the water cycle to maximize value for people, nature, and businesses, according to the Water Environment Federation. But recycling requires vigilance on the part of our members! Diverting biosolids from landfills and other “disposal” options has environmental benefits. Landfills and incinerators are not as sustainable as making biosolids fertilizer and come with their own pollution management issues. By recycling biosolids, we reduce the strain on these disposal systems and minimize the associated environmental impacts.

In addition, biosolids recycling plays a vital role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The compilation of the latest research into the Biosolids Emissions Assessment Model (www.BiosolidsGHGs.org) is informing this discussion. Landfills are a significant source of methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. When biosolids decompose in landfills, they release methane. Producing and transporting chemical fertilizers are energy-intensive processes that release greenhouse gases. Utilizing biosolids as a nutrient-rich fertilizer alternative reduces the demand for synthetic fertilizers, lowering the carbon footprint associated with agriculture.

Unfortunately, I continue to read bad articles in the press that make assumptions about biosolids without understanding the science. For example, a recent news report from New York [Should sewage sludge be used as fertilizer for New York’s farmland? | WXXI News] linked bacterial contamination of private drinking water wells with the application of Class A biosolids from the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, a NEBRA member. Class A means that pathogens have been virtually eliminated from these products through drying or similar processes, so they are not the source of bacterial contamination. More likely it’s related to manure management practices on the nearby farms but it’s easier to blame biosolids.

The Economic Benefits

For the agricultural sector, the availability of recycled biosolids offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to manufactured or mined fertilizers. Biosolids contain essential plant nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and trace elements and organic matter that improve soil structure, water retention, and overall soil health. A reduction in the availability of biosolids for recycling would limit farmers’ options, potentially leading to a greater and potentially exclusive reliance on mined or manufactured fertilizers which come primarily from China and Russia. This increased dependence could have several negative consequences, including higher input costs for farmers, potential imbalances in soil nutrient levels, and the risk of water pollution from fertilizer runoff.

The economic implications of ceasing or reducing biosolids recycling would likely lead to higher costs for ratepayers. Municipalities and waste management authorities would face dramatically increased expenses associated with landfill disposal, including transportation, tipping fees, and the long-term management of landfill sites. The potential need for alternative waste treatment methods could also contribute to increased costs.

For example, in Maine, biosolids management costs for many publicly owned treatment plants (POTP) doubled when the state banned the land application, sale and distribution of biosolids, causing severe and unexpected strains on public utility budgets.

By embracing biosolids recycling programs, communities can often realize cost savings compared to relying on other disposal options, making it a fiscally responsible and environmentally sound practice.

NEBRA Members’s Environmental Commitment

NEBRA’s mission is to cooperatively promote sustainable diversion, recycling, and beneficial use of biosolids and residuals from the municipal and industrial sectors. Our members are doing good work. Synagro, a company committed to providing sustainable solutions for biosolids, organics and residuals, uses biosolids to create Granulite® fertilizer, a Synagro trade name for pelletized fertilizer products. Granulite is made through an advanced heat drying and pelletizing process during which municipal biosolids are heated and dehydrated to create a fertilizer that meets the U.S. EPA’s Exceptional Quality standards.

Synagro operates with the core mission of addressing the critical challenges of wastewater and waste treatment. Its founding was a response to environmental regulations, most notably the Clean Water Act, and the company has evolved to champion beneficial use practices as a primary means of mitigating pollution. By transforming waste streams into valuable resources, Synagro plays a pivotal role in the circular water economy, supporting municipalities in the effective management of their biosolids.

Without Synagro’s capabilities, the volume of landfill waste would substantially increase, placing immense strain on existing disposal facilities. The absence of Synagro’s treatment facilities would inevitably lead to greater pollution of our waterways and land, jeopardizing public health and natural ecosystems.

Companies like Synagro serve as crucial linchpins in the pursuit of environmental sustainability and economic efficiency in waste management and resource recovery.

PFAS: Look to the Original Source

Synagro and all our members prioritize their roles as a responsible employers and environmental stewards. However, the broader industrial landscape includes companies that manufacture substances with greater potential for environmental contamination. A notable example is the class of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS are everywhere in the environment — and even in our blood — due to its long-term and widespread use in commercial products. While high concentrations of PFAS can pose significant health risks, lower levels are utilized in a wide array of common consumer products, including nonstick cookware, cosmetics, microwave popcorn bags, and pizza boxes,

There is PFAS in biosolids because it is being discharged by industry and flushed down the drain by consumers. The central issue is the introduction of PFAS by corporations into products. Accountability for this widespread exposure should be prioritized over concerns about biosolids recycling. The companies that create PFAS have not been good stewards of the environment, and they should take responsibility and stop creating it and adding it to their non-essential products. It must be stopped at the source.

Recently, a handful of landowners in Johnson County, Texas, alleged that one application of Synagro’s Granulite fertilizer on a nearby property caused elevated PFAS levels on their land. This is a false assumption as outlined in an independent third-party study performed by Parsons Engineering and Dr. Linda Lee, a PFAS expert from Purdue University. The Parsons study refutes the findings of a Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) report alleging that the Granulite was the source of the elevated PFAS levels. The Parsons study concludes that the PFAS fingerprint found on the allegedly impacted properties is inconsistent with Synagro’s Granulite product.

There are many documented benefits of recycling biosolids to the land. Unfortunately, PFAS and other contaminants being discharged to municipal treatment facilities can prevent beneficial uses of the biosolids. I encourage you to visit your local wastewater treatment facility to see how your water gets cleaned and learn more about biosolids. What you flush has a direct impact on the “end product”. Get educated about your role in biosolids quality and help us to make a positive impact on the environment by maintaining recycling as the best option!