After taking a good look at the image above, try guessing what was in the image. What do you think it was? The material that was in the hand is called biosolids otherwise known as sewage sludge. If you're wondering, biosolids are mostly organic solids resulting from the treatment of wastewater that underwent further treatment to kill pathogens. Biosolids have been approved by the EPA for land application as a fertilizer and soil amendment. They also contain nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus as well as other micro nutrients that can aid with plant growth. I think that its really amazing that we're coming up with new and unconventional ways to fertilize our plants. However, are biosolilds safe? Does its disadvantages outweigh its advantages? After doing more background research, I found out that biosolids are generally safe to the environment. However, if not handled properly, they can become a hazard to our health.
Advantages of biosoilds:
- - Creates jobs
- - It is a cost effective method of disposal
- - Recycles versus filling landfills
- - Promotes farming
- - Reduces emissions from transportation to landfills
- - Good free fertilizer
- - Land Reclamation
- - It’s regulated according to the EPA law 503
- - Improves crop production
- - Reduces soil erosion and protects water quality
- - Provides economic incentives
- - Potential health hazard
- - Effects irreversible
- - Contamination resulting from accumulation of industrial waste
- - Its true composition is unknown
- - May contain hazardous chemicals
- - Possibly transferable to crops
- - Decreases property value
- - Not sufficiently regulated
- - Has a foul odor
- - Presence of certain metals [especially in large quantities]
- - Concerns about pathogens
- - There is a potential of over-application of nutrients
As you can see, the advantages of the use of biosolids are generally around conservation of land and money while its disadvantages mostly dealt with environmental and health damage -- both of which can be avoided. From my point of view, these biosolids are most suitable for experienced farmers. While every farmer could dream of having free fertilizers, its disadvantages may even outweigh most, if not all, of its benefits. Inexperienced, or relatively new farmers may not be able to handle the material well, thus causing more harm than good. This is why I believe that biosolids are better used by the more experieced farmers who could handle the materials while causing no - or very little - damage. Although there are risks involved with this new type of fertilizer, it can still be used by everyone as an alternative due to its very cheap cost as well as its other benefits.
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