A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies
The increase in world population growth and its resultant increase in industrial production to meet its need, have continued to raise the volume of wastewater received by treatment plant facilities. This has expectedly, led to an upsurge in the volume of sewage sludge and biosolids generated from wa...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023069967 |
| _version_ | 1797646563919527936 |
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| author | Lekan Taofeek Popoola Theophilus Ogunwumi Olawale Lukumon Salami |
| author_facet | Lekan Taofeek Popoola Theophilus Ogunwumi Olawale Lukumon Salami |
| author_sort | Lekan Taofeek Popoola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The increase in world population growth and its resultant increase in industrial production to meet its need, have continued to raise the volume of wastewater received by treatment plant facilities. This has expectedly, led to an upsurge in the volume of sewage sludge and biosolids generated from wastewater treatment systems. Biosolids are best managed by application on land because of their agronomic benefits. However, this usage has been discovered to negatively affect humans and impact the environment due to the accumulation of minute concentrations of contaminants still present in the biosolid after treatment, hence the need for government regulations. This review article examined the fate and effects of pollutants, especially persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) of concern and emerging contaminants found in biosolids used for land applications, and also discussed government regulations on biosolid reuse from the perspectives of the two major regulations governing biosolid land application-the EU's Sludge Directive and USEPA's Part 503 Rule, in an attempt to draw attention to their outdated contents since enactment, as they do not currently meet the challenges of biosolid land application and thus, require a comprehensive update. Any update efforts should focus on USEPA's Part 503 Rule, which is less stringent on the allowable concentration of biosolid pollutants. Furthermore, an update should include specific regulations on new and emerging contaminants and persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) such as microplastics, pharmaceutical and personal care products (P&PCPs), surfactants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, flame retardants, pathogens, and organic pollutants; further reduction of heavy metal standard limits, and consideration of soil phosphate-metal interactions to regulate biosolid agronomic loading rate. Future biosolid research should focus on the concentration of TCS, TCC, and emerging pharmaceuticals, as well as Microplastic transport in biosolid-amended soils, soil-plant transfer mechanism, and metabolism of PFAs in the soils; all of which will inform government policies on biosolid application on land. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:04:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-16daa2fbd74b4da599e102bc455e3267 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T15:04:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-16daa2fbd74b4da599e102bc455e32672023-10-30T06:05:20ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402023-10-01910e19788A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policiesLekan Taofeek Popoola0Theophilus Ogunwumi Olawale1Lukumon Salami2Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria; Corresponding author.Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos State, Nigeria; Environmental Engineering Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lagos State University, Epe, Lagos State, NigeriaEnvironmental Engineering Research Unit, Department of Chemical Engineering, Lagos State University, Epe, Lagos State, NigeriaThe increase in world population growth and its resultant increase in industrial production to meet its need, have continued to raise the volume of wastewater received by treatment plant facilities. This has expectedly, led to an upsurge in the volume of sewage sludge and biosolids generated from wastewater treatment systems. Biosolids are best managed by application on land because of their agronomic benefits. However, this usage has been discovered to negatively affect humans and impact the environment due to the accumulation of minute concentrations of contaminants still present in the biosolid after treatment, hence the need for government regulations. This review article examined the fate and effects of pollutants, especially persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) of concern and emerging contaminants found in biosolids used for land applications, and also discussed government regulations on biosolid reuse from the perspectives of the two major regulations governing biosolid land application-the EU's Sludge Directive and USEPA's Part 503 Rule, in an attempt to draw attention to their outdated contents since enactment, as they do not currently meet the challenges of biosolid land application and thus, require a comprehensive update. Any update efforts should focus on USEPA's Part 503 Rule, which is less stringent on the allowable concentration of biosolid pollutants. Furthermore, an update should include specific regulations on new and emerging contaminants and persistent organic pollutants (PoPs) such as microplastics, pharmaceutical and personal care products (P&PCPs), surfactants, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, flame retardants, pathogens, and organic pollutants; further reduction of heavy metal standard limits, and consideration of soil phosphate-metal interactions to regulate biosolid agronomic loading rate. Future biosolid research should focus on the concentration of TCS, TCC, and emerging pharmaceuticals, as well as Microplastic transport in biosolid-amended soils, soil-plant transfer mechanism, and metabolism of PFAs in the soils; all of which will inform government policies on biosolid application on land.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023069967BiosolidLand applicationAgronomic loading rateEffect of contaminantsGovernment regulation |
| spellingShingle | Lekan Taofeek Popoola Theophilus Ogunwumi Olawale Lukumon Salami A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies Heliyon Biosolid Land application Agronomic loading rate Effect of contaminants Government regulation |
| title | A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies |
| title_full | A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies |
| title_fullStr | A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies |
| title_full_unstemmed | A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies |
| title_short | A review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land: Hazards and government regulatory policies |
| title_sort | review on the fate and effects of contaminants in biosolids applied on land hazards and government regulatory policies |
| topic | Biosolid Land application Agronomic loading rate Effect of contaminants Government regulation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023069967 |
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