Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials that are acquired from sewage treatment plants and used beneficially, for fertilizer for example. In other words, the wastewater that you send from your toilets, showers, and drains end up at sewage treatment plants where they are treated and then used as sustainable agricultural fertilizer. I think that this can be a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices as human waste is very plentiful so fewer resources would need to be wasted to make agricultural fertilizers. This is just one of the many advantages of using biosolids but there are also some disadvantages to this method.
Once biosolids are treated, they can be recycled as fertilizer and it helps to maintain productive soils stimulate plant growth. Biosolids are filling up the landfills so instead of wasting space, the biosolids can be used as fertilizer. Most of the fertilizers used in Canada are full of chemicals so biosolids would reduce the need to do so. There are many nutrients that are found in biosolids such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and trace elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfur and zinc. All of these nutrients are necessary for crop production and growth. Biosolids also replenish the organic matter which improves the soils ability to absorb and store moisture. Using biosolids would save you a lot of money as all the chemicals needed to grow the plants would no longer be required.
Some people may choose not to use biosolids because of the odour but it depends on the type of treatment it goes through before it becomes fertilizer. Most of the odour is caused by compounds containing sulfur and ammonia, which are both plant nutrients. We are definitely affected by the view that human waste is unsanitary but once it is put through treatment, you would not be able to tell that it is human waste if you were not told so. Pathogens and disease causing organisms can be present in biosolids which is why some people think that biosolids could harm human’s health. In the production of biosolids, they are disinfected to the point where pathogens are reduced to a very low level and the risk of disease is almost no longer present. Another concern with biosolids is metals that can enter the wastewater as it travels through metal pipes in homes and businesses. Metals in wastewater have dramatically improved as wastewater systems and treatment have improved.
There has never been a case reported where biosolids have harmed human’s health. Potential stakeholders in this issue would be everyone who works for sewage treatment plants as they would have greater demands for their products if biosolids were to be used as fertilizer. Many people may choose not to use biosolids because they find it very unsanitary but it is a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices. I feel that biosolids should be used as sustainable agricultural fertilizer.
Sources
"Biosolids - Ministry of the Environment." Ministry of the Environment / Ministère De L'Environnement. Web. 06 June 2011. <http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/subject/nutrient_management/STDPROD_079166.html>. "Biosolids Management." City of Toronto: Toronto Water. Web. 6 June 2011. <http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htm>.
"Biosolids.com | About Biosolids: Common Concerns." _. Web. 06 June 2011. <http://www.biosolids.com/concerns.html>.
"The Burden of Biosolids | Green Halifax | Halifax, Nova Scotia | THE COAST." THE COAST | Halifax News, Events, Restaurants, Coast Mart | CoastMart, Concerts, Free Classifieds | Nova Scotia. Web. 06 June 2011. <http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/the-burden-of-biosolids/Content?oid=2439755>.
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