Biosolids; The Greener Way to Handle Human Waste

In other parts of the world, biosolids (human waste) from sewage treatment plants are treated and used as sustainable agricultural fertilizer. Research the pros and cons of this method and take a stand as to whether this can be a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices. Who are the potential stakeholders in this issue? Are we influenced by the western view of human waste as an unsanitary and disgusting nuisance?

Biosolids being used as a plant fertilizer? It doesn’t seem like this would be a good idea, but there are various pros as well as cons to this new development. Throughout the world, numerous countries are turning to this inexpensive all natural fertilizer for crops and plants to give them the required nutrients to germinate and grow. However, many view this practice as dirty and unsanitary, but which side wins in this debate; cost efficient and all natural, or dirty and unsanitary?

From the Sewer to the Farm

To really understand the affects of biosolids on our environment, we should first gain a better understanding of the process that occurs when the human waste travels from sewage plants to agricultural farms. Biosolids are first received in treatment systems which receive the solid waste as well as all other household matter that is disposed of into a cities major sewer system. The organic matter from food, water used for cleaning and washing, and of course human waste is taken into a facility which pre-treats the matter to reduce the concentration of the number of pollutants in the waste. Next, this treated matter is settled and biodegraded by microorganisms and bacteria which feed on the waste matter. Once all of the matter is consumed, they microorganisms release a stable residual material, which is of course biosolids.

In other, lesser developed countries, human waste matter is not treated which is highly discouraged since there could be a spread of infection and disease at a quick rate.

Other Disposal Methods

In countries that do not recycle human waste products, they must find other means of disposing of this matter. The only other two options of getting rid of accumulating biosolids are incineration or landfill disposal. Incinerated biosolids are a method that is highly preferred in most North American cities. It can be a positive means of disposal since the energy produced can be captured in converted into electricity which can be used for multiple purposes. However, the incinerators require the use of unique technology which prevents the release ofparticles and pollutants into the atmosphere. After the bio solids have been incinerated, it has been reduced to a small amount of ash, which is later buried in a landfill. This method seems to be working well for some cities; however there is still an end product which needs to be buried.

Another method of disposing bio solids, would be land disposal. With land disposal, bio solids are mixed and/or layered with municipal waste in landfills where it is buried for a decided amount of time. Usually land burial is completed when an agricultural area is not quite ready for an all natural fertilizer. In the past, ocean disposal was used as well, but was later outlawed when sanitization issues were brought up.

You can see that reusing biosolids is an ingenious way of recycling human waste matter and using it in a positive way. Biosolids provide many nutrients and minerals to soil that they would not receive ordinarily. Most people have a viewpoint which is influenced by the western view of this being unsanitary and a disgusting nuisance, but really there doesn’t seem to be anything unsanitary about it. The waste matter is all treated and tested so that it is found to be clear of all harmful bacteria and organisms that would potentially harm someone.

I think that people have a disapproving view on this topic because they do not understand what precautions and measures are taken to make sure that there it is as sanitary as possible. I’ll even admit that once I first heard about it, I plainly thought that human waste matter was simply being dumped into fields and used as fertilizer without any treatment. After researching the process that waste matter undergoes before being used in the environment, I now know that there is a large amount of care taken to make sure that there are no pollutants entering the environment and that the soil can truly benefit from this added minerals and nutrients.

Possible stakeholders that would benefit from the use of biosolids would be the sewage treatment facilities since they could sell the biosolids to different companies to use on their farms. They would of course have to work it out with the Canadian government that they would be using the sewage waste and selling it to make a profit.

I think that we are definitely influenced by the western view of human waste as unsanitary when it doesn’t have to be once it goes through the proper treatment. This is a good example of how to turn something that can be seen as a negative into a positive. The world can benefit from technology like this and a field like this should be explored to minimize the amount of waste produced by cities and reduce the amount of sewage dumped in lakes and rivers. This is a positive way to a cleaner, greener, future!

Sources:

http://www.pollutionissues.com/A-Bo/Bio solids.html

http://www.perc.ca/PEN/2001-02/s-mills2.html

http://findarticles.com/p/news-articles/columbian-vancouver-wash/mi_8100/is_20100329/proposed-biosolids-stink-ridgefield/ai_n52991654/

http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Sewage-Sludge-Pros-Cons.htm

http://www.synagro.com/recycling/use.html

www.ccme.ca/ourwork/waste.html?category_id=138

www.internationalbiosolidsnetwork.org/