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Biosolids

In the United States alone, billions of gallons of water are treated each day at water resource recovery facilities. Once the water is clean, a different challenge remains: determining what to do with the solids that are removed during the treatment process. The resulting mixture is often a unique semi-solid blend of organic and inorganic materials, trace elements, chemicals, and even pathogens, so there is no across the board solution for handling and processing the combinations of constituents that may be present.

Because these solids are often rich in nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus—which also happen to be the perfect ingredients for promoting healthy soil and plant growth—many facilities have turned to land application. Before these solids can be put to use for things like fertilizing farmland, however, they must undergo rigorous treatment to meet stringent regulations, at which point they become known as biosolids.

For more information, contact Ashwin Dhanasekar.

Topic Overview (PDF)
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98 Projects 1 Web Tool 1 Webcast
Resource Recovery
Anaerobic Digestion
Odor Control
Project #5042

Assessing Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Release from Finished Biosolids

$266,406
2022
Completed

Project Highlights

The manufacture and common consumer uses of products ranging from non-stick surfaces to aqueous film-forming foams have resulted in PFAS detection in the influent and effluent of many water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), along with detections in waste solids, with...

View more details
Principal Investigator
Charles
Schaefer
Research Manager
Ms. Lola Olabode

Recent Updates

Project #5037
Evaluation of Existing Source Separated Organic Feedstock Pre-Treatment...
Project Update
01/04/2023
Project #5037
Evaluation of Existing Source Separated Organic Feedstock Pre-Treatment...
Project Update
01/04/2023
Project #5107
Understanding Pyrolysis for PFAS Removal

Reporting Period: November 1, 2022 – February 1, 2023

Project Update
03/22/2023
Project #5091
Developing a Framework for Quantifying Energy ...

Reporting Period: June 2021 - August 2021. Project work to date has focused on (1) confirming...

Project Update
12/22/2021
Project #4843
Integrating Sewage Thermal Energy Use (STEU) and Other Emerging...

Reporting Period: January 15, 2021 – July 15, 2021. The team is currently working on further...

Project Update
09/14/2022
Project #5141
Data-Driven Process Control for Maximizing ...

Reporting Period: October 2021 - March 2022. Project work to date has focused on completing the...

Project Update
08/05/2022

News

The Water Research Foundation Funds Utility Research Projects

Press Release
12/15/2022

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) has selected seven new projects for funding through its Tailored Collaboration Program, totaling over $3 million in research value. The projects will focus on various...

The Water Research Foundation Seeks Proposals for 20 New Research Projects

Press Release
09/29/2022

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) is now accepting proposals for 20 research projects, funded through WRF’s Research Priority Program, that will advance the science of water for communities around the...

The Water Research Foundation and The U.S. Department of Energy Announce Webcast Series Highlighting Advanced Water Resource Recovery System Projects

Press Release
07/20/2021

The Water Research Foundation (WRF) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will be highlighting a select group of advanced water resource recovery system projects, recently awarded by DOE totaling...

View all Biosolids News

Resources

Subscriber

High Quality Biosolids from Wastewater

Report
#4823
07/16/2019
07/16/2019
Public Plus

Understanding Impacts of Co-Digestion: Digester Chemistry, Gas Production, Dewaterability, Solids Production, Cake Quality, and Economics

Executive Summary
06/04/2014
06/04/2014
Subscriber

Understanding Impacts of Co-Digestion: Digester Chemistry, Gas Production, Dewaterability, Solids Production, Cake Quality, and Economics

Report
#12R13PDF
06/04/2014
06/04/2014
View all Biosolids Resources

Related Topics

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Resource Recovery

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Odor Control

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Anaerobic Digestion

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Risk Assessment

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Microbes & Pathogens

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