[USCC] Biosolids

[Helane Shields]

The US Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory makes clear that billions of pounds of toxic industrial pollutants are discharged to sewage treatment plants every year,  where the wastewater treatment process reconcentrates the chemicals in the sewage sludge "biosolids".

To protect against any further loss of US jobs to countries with weak labor and environmental laws, the US government is no longer strictly enforcing industrial pretreatment programs.   US companies are allowed to dump in the sewers, rather than being required to spend large sums of money for hazardous waste recycling or  disposal programs for their toxic chemicals.

Therefore, I congratulate Neal Van Milligen for recognizing that the controversy and potential liability of land application of sludge/biosolids can be mitigated by using this renewable resource to create energy.    Europe is way ahead of the US in utilizing sludge to cleanly and  efficiently produce biogas, heat and electricity.

Helane Shields, Alton, NH  

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In view of the controversy and potential liability involving biosolids we  
have cut back on the projects we are willing to become involved in with  them. 
We are investigating high intensity anaerobic digestion to extract energy  from 
biosolids as part of the waste water treatment process. 
 
But more interesting is the potential to short stop the wastewater  treatment 
process and pull the biosolids from the liquid as soon as possible  without re
gard to pathogen control or volume reduction.  The solids can be  dried by 
surplus heat from a process which uses the biosolids as combustion  fuel. No 
pathogens would be likely to survive 2500F combustion.  Odor  control, reduced 
processing costs, disposal reduction and energy production are  all worthwhile 
byproducts.
 
Regards,
 
Neal Van Milligen
cavm at aol.com