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Biosolids Composting in the U.S. in 2010 - A presentation given at "Alternative Management Options for Municipal Sewage Biosolids," a workshop of the Water Environment Association of Ontario, June 17, 2010. Download here.

Biosolids Emissions Assessment Model (BEAM) - NEBRA was a member of the team, led by Sylvis, that produced this model and spreadsheet calculator for estimating greenhouse gas emissions from biosolids management for the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. Available free here.

A Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis of Biosolids Management Options for Merrimack, NH (2008) compares composting and landfill disposal using local data, resulting in estimates of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions for each option. Click here to download.

Global Atlas of Excreta, Wastewater Sludge, and Biosolids Management: Moving Forward the Sustainable and Welcome Uses of a Global Resource. NEBRA Director Ned Beecher wrote the summary chapter for this United Nations Habitat publication, and NEBRA contributed a chapter on U.S. biosolids management. Availabe as a free download or in print here.

A National Biosolids Regulation, Quality, End Use & Disposal Survey (2007) provides the most comprehensive information to date regarding how sewage sludge is managed in the United States. Data is from 2004. The report consists of four parts:

A National Biosolids Regulation, Quality, End Use & Disposal Survey

National Biosolids Report, Appendices A, B, C

National Biosolids Report, Appendix D, Alabama - Missouri

National Biosolids Report, Appendix D, Montana - Wyoming

The Science of Biosolids Recycling
The Science of Biosolids Recycling

Official Usage of the Term "Biosolids" provides a short history of the word "biosolids" and a compilation of uses of the term in federal, state, and provincial regulations and guidance and other official documents. Download: Official Usage of the Term "Biosolids"

Saving Soil: Biosolids Recycling in New England (2001) describes the sewage sludge management practices in the six New England states. Includes information on the quality of the region's land applied biosolids. While some of the quantity data and other details are now outdated, this report still provides an accurate general picture. Download: Saving Soil

NEBRA

P.O. Box 422

Tamworth, New Hampshire

03886-0422

USA

Ned Beecher - Executive Director

603.323.7654
FAX 603.323.7666
email: info@nebiosolids.org

NEBRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, registered in New Hampshire, serving the public interest. Organization and financial information available.

Announcing...

The North East Residuals & Biosolids Conference

November 9 - 10, 2010 • UMass Lowell Conference Center, Lowell, MA.

The Call for Abstracts is out. Details here.

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U. S. EPA Proposes Stricter Regulation of Sewage Sludge Incinerators

In late April, 2010, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new regulations clarifying what secondary non-hazardous materials are to be regulated under Section 129 rather than Section 112 of the Clean Air Act. This proposed rule would significantly affect sewage sludge incinerators.

NEBRA has created an Information Update on this matter.

For a copy of EPA's pre-publication discussion, click here.

More information about the proposed rule is available at this EPA website.

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The White House Garden & Biosolids

While the myths about lead (Pb) have been debunked, there remains misunderstanding about biosolids.

This story began in spring of 2009: a single soil test at the exciting new home garden at the White House triggered an online and print discussion of lead in urban soils and its potential impacts. Without fact-checking, many of the writers who took the story "viral" on the internet have assumed that biosolids compost helped cause the somewhat elevated lead level. That's unlikely, as this Information Update demonstrates.

The fact is, biosolids compost is a high-demand product used widely in agriculture, horticulture, and turf care. It is even used to reduce lead bioavailability at significantly contaminated sites. Published guides and research papers on this topic are available; contact the NEBRA office.

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biosolids and residuals - part of keeping water clean

If you like clean lakes, rivers, and groundwater, you should support environmentally sound biosolids management. You can’t have one without the other.

NEBRA and its members are clean water experts who know that recycling biosolids (treated sewage sludge) and other residuals (from paper mill wastewater or wood-fired generators) is often the best solution for managing these resources.

Our mission:

To cooperatively promote the environmentally sound and publicly supported recycling of biosolids and other residuals throughout New England and eastern Canada.

biosolids & residuals - nutrient & energy resources

Biosolids and other residuals contain nutrients and organic matter that, when recycled, build soils, restore barren lands, and help keep northeast landscapes open and growing. Biosolids also contain energy that can be extracted through anaerobic digestion and thermal processing.

Water clean? Plants & energy green?

Must be biosolids recycling.TM