From South Hill, VA Enterprise, 2-10-09. Mecklenburg County, VA Supervisors Pass Biosolids Ordinance. BOYDTON During the regular meeting of the Mecklenburg County Board of Supervisors on Monday, an ordinance approving monitoring of the land application of biosolids was approved, which allows the county more oversight of the applications, officials said.The ordinance will allow the county to work with the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to ensure the application and storage of biosolids is done according to state requirements. The county will work with the DEQ by having its own monitor. The countyys monitor will be paid for through the fees that apply when landowners submit applications for using biosolids, officials said.

Biosolids, otherwise known as sludge, are the end result after treating domestic and commercial wastewater or sewage in a wastewater treatment plant. Depending on their level of treatment and resultant pollutant content, biosolids can be used in regulated applications ranging from soil conditioning to fertilizer for food or distribution for other uses.

Fred Dilella, a DEQ water compliance manager, and Gary Wright, a DEQ water inspector, addressed the supervisors with information on how the state monitors biosolids and how they will work with the countyys monitor.Dilella said, We have a permitting program which outlines very clearly what treatments must occur for the biosolids to be acceptable and what levels of contaminate. Your basic black soil is what it looks like. We have requirements on buffering, for example, 200 feet from a house, 100 feet from a stream and 100 feet from a well. When we go out we make sure that people are abiding by the requirements of the permit. The studies have demonstrated that when applied according to the regulations it is a safe practice. Our job is to make sure that they do apply according to the regulations,, Dilella said. Wright said, The permit has a lot of requirements but it is a general thing. The plants up take the nutrients. Other things in the biosolids that people worry about are the heavy metals they get tested on a monthly basis. If the biosolids donnt meet the specifications it goes to the landfill instead.....ÃWe are onsite to see what they are doing. We are trying to get to every site that does land applications to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing,, Wright said.

Mecklenburg County Administrator Wayne Carter said, This will actually allow us another layer of oversight, ensuring they are applied according to the permit and the guidelines. We will be able to have a local inspector. The person applying has to reimburse us for the cost there is no cost to the county.. The county is not required to have a local monitor..I think an important part is for people having concerns that we as an agency have the staff to check all the sites,, Dilella said. We are probably there during 85 percent of all applications. When we are not there we are checking their storage. We hope this will provide some comfort to the public.. There was no public comment on the ordinance.

Neil Zahradka, manager of DEQQs Office of Land Applications Programs, said Monday, (Virginia) DEQ bacterial content standards limiting the amount of heavy metals present in biosolids are the same as the federal regulations.Biosolids are most often applied to fields where corn, wheat and soybeans are grown. Biosolids can be applied to hayfields and pastures during other times of the year as well..

A panel of experts was convened in 2007 to respond to several questions from the Virginia General Assembly regarding environmental and health effects of biosolids land application, not just odor. The expert panel finished its work in 2008 and the DEQ maintained a website at: www.deq.virginia.gov/info/biosolidspanel.html. The DEQ convened a technical advisory committee to review several aspects of the biosolids regulations, in addition to considering recommendations from the expert panel mentioned above. The DEQ will consider the recommendations of the technical advisory committee as it drafts amendments to the regulations. The State Water Control Board will review, take comment, and the vote on the proposed changes,, Zahradka said.

From Goochland, VA Courier, 2-11-09. Biosolids Cause a Stink in Goochland, VA.  Biosolids, commonly known as sludge, are a form of treated human excrement and have become an increasingly attractive option for farmers who face skyrocketing costs of industrial fertilizer.  However, what can be a quick fix for a farmer in a pinch becomes less attractive for those downwind of their fields. Representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), held a contentious public meeting on February 5 concerning an application to use biosolids on approximately 1,500 acres of agricultural land in the county, some of which borders the James River.

According to Anita Tuttle, biosolids inspector with DEQ, the application and use of biosolids has its pros and cons. Tuttle told the crowd that biosolids are free to the farmer, are a good source of nitrogen and phosphorus and help improve water retention properties in soils. However, if handled incorrectly, the materials can also result in nutrient overload and can introduce pathogens and parasites as well as industrial chemicals into the environment. Tuttle then made the distinction between the different forms of sludge-liquid, semi-solid and solid-allowed for land application under the Federal 503 treatment guidelines.

According to an academic study that DEQ officials referenced for biosolids application, only one in 10 million people who live100 feet away from any biosolids application will become sick with an infectious disease. However, Tuttle delivered no further evidence that biosolids are in fact safe, only that DEQ must notify the public when applications are filed for sludge use. Applications can only be denied if a site is not environmentally suitable for sludge application. "The DEQ is not charged by legislature to oversee health concerns," Tuttle said, adding oversight of public health remained the department of health's responsibility after the biosolids program switched from their control to DEQ's in 2007.

At that same time, the charges to treatment plants rose by $5 to $7.50 per ton and legislation went in to effect allowing the DEQ to perform unannounced inspections. Those inspections include checking the farmer's adherence to set buffers around dwellings and waterways,  as well as the threshold of biosolids allowed per acre.Although DEQ has regulations in place for the use of biosolids, Goochland citizens voiced skepticism that the agency's rules will actually be enforced. "As most of us here tonight know, we've had a problem in the past year with DEQ in that nobody abided by your [citations] to our county," said Anne Rockecharlie, referencing the problems at the Hidden Rock landfill. "My question is, how many inspectors do you have in relation to how many fields you cover?"  In addition, some citizens were upset that localities have no say on whether biosolids should be used in the county.

Because Virginia is known as a "Dillon Rule" state, localities do not have the power to overrule federal or state guidelines. According to Tuttle, the only regulation that the board of supervisors has the power to create is whether a storage facility for biosolids can be located in Goochland. According to the article "Agricultural land application of biosolids in Virginia: Managing biosolids for agricultural use," which was released by the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), biosolids application is governed by the crop and soil needs of the proposed fields.Application rates are usually dictated  by a crop's nitrogen needs, which greatly exceed all other fertilizer needs, according to the article. But because the levels of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are disproportionate in biosolids, VCE warns that the potential for phosphorus runoff is present. "High concentrations of soil phosphorus may increase phosphorus runoff into surface water, which can cause algal blooms that subsequently deplete oxygen for plant and animal life," the article reads.

VCE recommends that since crops require half as much P  as  N, farmers should base their application on P levels for soils already high in that element. The VCE also advises biosolids for use with crops that require high amounts of N, such as corn, soybeans and small grains, but discourages their use with flowering crops such as cotton. The VCE report references that scientists have warned against the use of biosolids on vegetable crops because of the potential that harmful trace elements could be passed from the soil to the consumer. Biosolids also shouldn't be used for growing tobacco or leafy vegetables, which are known to accumulate heavy metals in high concentrations, according to the VCE. During her presentation, Tuttle indicated that farmers must present a nutrient management plan during the application process.She then informed concerned citizens that for their complaints to have any bearing, they must be referred to representatives in Congress or the Virginia House of Delegates.

Classifications of Sludge
For biosolids to be classified as Class A, the pathogens in the material must be reduced to undetectable levels. The requirements for Class B biosolids, are less stringent, requiring only "a significant reduction" of pathogens. Class B waste application also faces extra site restraints and is not permitted for use on fields where products for human consumption are grown.

Treatment of sludge
There are four basic ways to treat sludge: lime stabilization, anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, and composting. In lime stabilization, lime is added to the sewage increasing its PH level and inactivating the pathogens in the process. In the digestion process, microbes are added to the sewage and used to break down the product. Composting combines sewage with wood byproducts and exposes the mixture to prolonged heat to kill off any remaining pathogens.

From The Times of India, 2-5-09. Chenna, India Metrowater Uses Waste for 39 MW Power. CHENNAI: As the state looks for ways to meet the severe power shortage, Metrowater has quietly found itself an economical and eco-friendly solution to generate power - it simply uses the methane generated from sewage to create bio-gas that runs four sewage treatment plants.Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has been using commercial and domestic waste water to generate 39 mega watts (MW) of electricity a day - enough to power a town like Erode - from over 300 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage.

CMWSSB has nine sewage treatment plants (STPs) where around 400 MLD of sewage is treated. Four of these have the capacity to generate bio-gas energy, and there is a proposal to upgrade the other five to add energy generation features. There are also plans to set up three more STPs with similar capabilities. We use only domestic and commercial sewage to generate energy, not industrial waste. We take raw sewage sludge and feed it into equipment that creates bio-gas. This is then run into a gas engine to generate electricity,, said Prakasam, superintendent engineer, STP, CMWSSB.

He said that the Koyambedu STP with a capacity of 60 MLD generates seven MW per day, and uses a few units from Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB). The 40 MLD Nesapakkam plant generates seven MW, which covers all its needs. The 54 MLD Perungudi plant generates 10 MW. The 110 MLD Kodungayur plant generates 15 MW..Sewage contains 70% methane, the rest are other gases. Methane has high energy content and this is purified and imported to the gas engine. During winter, the gas production drops as a temperature of 27 to 34 degrees Celsius is needed to digest the sewage sludge. So during this period alone we use TNEB supply,, said another Metro Water official, adding that they have been turning waste into power for the past five years.

Methane is a poisonous gas and by using it to generate power, the department is also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Instead of letting out the gas into the atmosphere, we are using them to meet our needs. So we may get carbon credits for it,, said the official.He said that the STPs have to be renovated by 2011 as the cityys sewage flow is expected to increase from 400 MLD to 680 MLD by 2021. The estimate for the work is being prepared. The three new STPs are to come up in Perungudi, Koyambedu and Nesapakkam. The Nesapakkam and Perungudi plants are in the tendering stage. For Koyambedu plant, we are preparing estimates,, said the official.

From Earthtimes, London, UK, 2-5-09. Kingston, NY Wastewater Treatment Plant Recognized for Beneficial Use of Biosolids. The city of Kingston received the Beneficial Use of Biosolids Award for 2008 at the 81^st Annual Meeting of the New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), which is being held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel.The NYWEA is the principal organization for professionals working in the water quality industry in New York State. The Beneficial Use of Biosolids award recognizes significant contributions in the development and implementation of cost-effective, environmentally safe, and publicly acceptable biosolids beneficial use practices which recycle nutrients, improve soil conditions, or otherwise conserve valuable natural resources.

Kingston Mayor James Sottile, James Reffelt of Aslan Environmental Services, Inc. (AES), and George Cacchio, of CAMO Pollution Control who runs the Kingston, N.Y., water treatment plant which converts dried sewage sludge into fertilizer pellets, accepted the award. This is the first plant of its size in the world,, Cacchio said. It has been operating 24/7 since April 2007, with only five days of down time. To date, Kingston taxpayers have saved approximately $100,000 and eliminated more than 4,500 tons of sludge in landfills as a result of implementing this system..

This is the second time this plant has been singled out for excellence in its field. Last year, Aslan Environmental Services Inc., headquartered in Fishkill, N.Y., received the New York State 2008 Environmental Excellence Award for its successful adaptation of the sewage sludge drying and pelletizing technology used in the Kingston plant. Previously, the technology was available only for very large scale applications. AES is the only company in North America licensed to handle this design. This is a mature product based on proven technology that requires no up front capital expenditures, is effortless on the part of the municipality to implement, saves money and is completely green,, according to Mayor James Sottile of Kingston. It turns municipal sludge into pellets, and provides a clean, cost-effective and environmentally sound alternative to dumping sludge into landfills. The pellets can be sold as fertilizer thereby providing an additional source of revenue, or burned as fuel, providing additional savings. This system is very attractive to communities,, said James Reffelt, AES vice president of business development. We take a problem disposal material, and turn it into a useful product, in an economical and environmentally sound manner no risk to the community..

Touted to be environmentally friendly, the system is said to reduce landfill loading, remove air emissions, and decrease related transportation costs. In some cases, as in Kingston, the waste methane gas available at the plant is used to run the drying process, and any excess is redirected to a generator to produce electricity, thereby creating additional savings for the community.Founded in 2003, Aslan Environmental Services, Inc., is a technology company providing innovative independent solutions to specific commercial, industrial and municipal problems. The New York Water Environment Association, Inc. (NYWEA) was founded in 1929, by professionals in the field of water quality as a non-profit, educational organization.

From Palm Beach, FL Daily News, 2-7-09. Palm Beach County, FL Plans to Boost Recycling Capabilities.  If you watch local television, you've likely seen ads from the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach County urging residents to place newspapers, glass bottles, aluminum cans, plastic containers and cardboard in the blue and yellow bins. Recycling these materials reduces the demand for raw materials to make new products and extends the life of the county's landfill while the County Commission works to nail down new space in western Palm Beach County. The existing landfill will likely be completely filled with trash by 2021.

The SWA is taking steps this year to recycle more types of materials while working to keep tons of phosphorus from entering the environmentally sensitive Okeechobee and St. Lucie estuaries. Officials say a $40 million recycling facility under construction should be operating by September. It will replace the current, smaller 21-year-old facility. The existing residential recycling facility is on the grounds of the landfill, east of Jog Road between Blue Heron Boulevard and 45th Street in West Palm Beach. The new facility is on the south side of 45th Street, not far from the street's western end."Currently, it's a bit of a struggle for us to handle things like junk mail with the system we have," said Charles Maccarrone, the SWA's chief financial officer and recycling director. "With the new facility, we'll be able to handle junk mail in a more efficient manner, as well as (steel) cans and cereal boxes and things like that made of paperboard."

In 2008, the SWA sold 118,173 tons of recyclable materials to various vendors. Currently, steel cans go into the trash can and are pulled from the trash by a large magnet. Cereal boxes and similar paperboard products are not supposed to go into the recycling bin now, but they should be once the new facility opens. The SWA's $29.2 million regional biosolids pelletization facility is set to begin operating in March. Using methane gas from the nearby landfill as an energy source, that facility will convert biosolids the byproduct of the sewage treatment process into dry, odorless, pathogen-free pellets that are incorporated into commercial fertilizer. The process reduces the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus that can drain into watersheds from minimally treated sewage sludge traditionally used by farmers to enrich the soil, according to the SWA.

From Sunday Times - Columbo, Sri Lanka, 2-8-09. Sri Lankan Scientist Aims for Zero Sludge. A Sri Lankan has come up with a novel proposal to achieve zero sludgee in sewage treatment. Tissa Meepe presented his innovative Zero Sludge Sewage Treatmentt paper at the 13th European Biosolids and Organic Resources Conference and Exhibition, held recently in Manchester, Britain.  Over the past 30 years, Mr. Meepe has been installing treatment plants manufactured by others for small and medium water and waste-water treatment systems.

Most of the sewage and wastewater treatment plants are for hotels, meat and fish processing organisations and the garment industry. Many of these plants are located in metropolitan areas where the neighbourhoods are highly sensitive and the land expensive. Mr. Meepees objectives are to minimise the size of the plants and reduce sludge generation or zeroo. He says the disposal of sludge can be a smelly and cumbersome exercise.. Mr. Meepe is the only Asian to have delivered a presentation at this conference. He is also a nominee for the Lee Kuan Yew 2009 Water Prize.