After visiting the DC WATER’S Bloom BiosolIDS team Ear sustainabilityWe invited Chris PEOT, director of resource recovery. flowerExplain how to produce safe bio solids for agricultural purposes.
Reduces farm production, reduced carbon storage in the soil, energy and fertilizer expenses, and droughts increases in the soil. What if some of the solutions for this problem are just flush?
Bio -solid is a residual residue rich in wastewater treatment, and is designed to prevent carbon and nutrients from angry with the delicate balance of the US waterway. But carbon is energy and nutrients are fertilizer. The restoration of these resources can reduce the environment and economic costs of utility. BIOSOLIDS offers numerous environmental and economic advantages through sustainable solutions for waste management and agricultural productivity.
What is Bio Solid?
Bio -solid is a by -product of the wastewater treatment process. After the wastewater is treated to remove contaminants, the remaining solids are further processed to reduce or remove pathogens and odors to deform fertilizers rich in carbon, micros and fabric nutrients. Depending on the level of treatment, the biosolite is classified as class A’s excellent quality, class A or class B in the Environmental Protection Bureau. Excellent quality biosolites, such as DC Water’s Bloom, can be used to meet strict standards for reducing pathogens. Grow everything from food to flowers.
Recycling of wastewater to improve soil fertilizer is not new. When Lena Zeldovich writes in her book Other dark substancesThe sophisticated market for “night soil” goes back to Japan’s Imperial and other parts of the world. Milwaukee’s Bagged BiosolIDS product, Milorganite, is in the market for more than a century. This product is the favorite place for lawn enthusiasts and is often sold in garden stores nationwide.
Bloom, DC water bulk soil modificationIn addition, since 2022, we have developed the next local next year, which sells an average of 60,000 tons. Class A EQ designation allows the public to buy flowers directly from DC water or landscaping shops and garden centers. A study conducted at Virginia Tech and Maryland University with partners such as Maryland Expressway authorities shows the use of Blooms on the efficacy in various environments from the soil conditions next to the road to the newly established wetlands of Bloom’s soil and crops. I gave you. .
Improving soil health and reproduction
One of the bio -solid superpower is the ability to improve soil health. Bio -solid, rich in essential nutrients such as nitrogen, serves as a natural fertilizer to replenish the depleted soil. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, bio -solids slowly release nutrients and provide steady supply over time to reduce the risk of leaking nutrients. Bio -solid organic matter (carbon) also has a myriad of advantages. Increasing the amount of nutrients and water retention of soil, increasing drought resistance, supplying food for beneficial microorganisms, and reducing erosion.
By using bio -solids, farmers and other cultivators can reduce their dependence on expensive and unexpected fertilizers, and close the nutrient loop and recycle natural materials in landfills or incinerators.
Solve concerns about contaminants
Naturally, there are some public concerns about the potential pollutants of biosolite, and the most reset is PFA. This ubiquitous group, consisting of more than 3,000 artificial chemicals, is found in various consumers and industrial products, including fire, oil, grease, water, and stain resistance, including stick cooking utensils, paper, stains, dental floss, and cleaning products. Food packaging and cosmetics.
PFAs are ubiquitous in our society, and as a result, small concentrations end in sewers and bio -solid products. In industries and communities related to the use of PFAS, wastewater residues can have a much higher concentration. There is no such industry in our Metro DC area. Flowering PFA levels are not higher than the background level. It is found in the rain itself, much less than dust in our own house and our daily products. We share concerns about the existence of these chemicals in our society, and we believe that the nation’s efforts should focus on source control with sustainable solutions or removing the products we purchase.
Reduction of waste and environmental impacts
Adopting biosolites as resources greatly reduces the amount of organic waste sent to landfills and incinerators. The wastewater treatment plant creates millions of tons of biosolite every year and converts this material from traditional disposal methods to save valuable landfills. In addition, landfill organic substances can produce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. In DC Water, the process of anaerobic digestion captures the methane released in the process to create 8 megawatt power, and about one -third of the energy needed to operate the facility is the largest green energy project in the US capital. It is. The carbon footprints of DC water have been reduced by 40% after the deployment of heat hydration, which acts as a huge pressure cooker to kill all pathogens and cuts half of the wastewater soil to reduce the need for energy -intensive truck transportation.
DC Water’s system upgrade High -quality biosolite products, carbon footprints have been reduced, and the pure zero -steps have been reduced, but also helped to reduce the cost of utility, reduce the future of the metropolitan area, and to preserve resources to upgrade older infrastructure and other priorities. Many wastewater treatment facilities generate energy through anaerobic digestion of biosolites and produce biogas that can be used for electricity or heating. This process reduces the dependence on fossil fuels and supports the transition to renewable energy.
Bio -solids are amazing examples of how they can recover waste for their valuable resources.
Editor’s note: January 2025, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) We have announced a draft risk assessment In biopolids, we assess the potential human health risks associated with polyfluoro alkyl material (PFA) associated with purple luoro octane (PFOA) and purple luoro octane sulphon acid (PFO).
