The Mid-Atlantic Biosolids Association (MABA) is hosting a webinar on January 18th from Noon to 1:30 pm EST following on the 26th “Conference of the Parties” -- COP26, the 2021 United Nations climate change conference.  MABA’s Biosolids and COP26: Responding to Climate Change will feature NEBRA’s Carbon Trading Committee Chair Bill Brower with Brown & Caldwell and a presentation about updating of the Biosolids Emissions Assessment Model (BEAM). BEAM is a tool for making decisions based on calculated carbon compound emissions from various biosolids processes and management methods. NEBRA is leading the project with the Trading Committee serving as part of the advisory group. 

According to MABA’s webinar invite, “water resource recovery facilities are the single largest investment municipalities across the US have made in environmental infrastructure, so it stands to reason the public ought to expect that every facility will be managed today and in the future in consonance with the urgent global commitment”.  That commitment is to reduce carbon emissions in all its forms and “decarbonize” the economy. The webinar promises to explore the connection between choices of biosolids programs and the COP26 commitments.

In addition to the presentation about BEAM, there will be one titled “Soil Sequestration of Biosolids Carbon – What Have We Learned?” by PhD candidate Mike Badzmierowski. He will report on a meta-analysis he conducted, funded by the Virginia Biosolids Council, and part of his doctoral dissertation, that examines the science of the carbon cycle in soils amended with organic residuals.  NEBRAMail reported on this study when it kicked off back in April and researchers were looking for help with the comprehensive literature review. Virginia Tech set out to collect carbon sequestration data for biosolids. Specifically, they were looking to provide quantitative values to land-applied biosolids and potential carbon sequestration rates.

The last presentation of the webinar is a “Survey of Nature-Based Carbon Actions in the MABA Region” by Bill Toffey, outgoing MABA Executive Director, also with Effluential Synergies.  He will show how biosolids can be a tool for communities to take local action to “decarbonize” through incorporating biosolids into degraded lands, anaerobically digesting food waste, and replacing fossil fertilizers with the recycled nutrients in biosolids.

The cost for MABA members is $20; $35 for nonmembers. To register, go to: MABA January Webinar (memberclicks.net).