We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Biosolids for soil, not soil for biosolids?
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewing biosolids management highlight that while applying sewage-derived biosolids as agricultural soil amendments offers carbon and nutrient benefits, the same material is a primary pathway for PFAS and microplastics entering farmland — arguing for a principled distinction between beneficial reuse and indiscriminate soil disposal.
Biosolids are derived from wastewater treatment process. Globally, the volume of biosolids produced is increasing exponentially. Biosolids can be considered as a renewable resource. In agriculture, biosolids can be used as a carbon and nutrient source to improve soil health and agricultural productivity. However, biosolids can contain pollutants, and continuous application can lead to soil contamination, thereby impacting human and environmental health. Currently, in most countries including Australia, there has been increasing concern about two major emerging contaminants that include per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and microplastics. Biosolids are a major source of these two emerging contaminants that reach agricultural soils. This article aims to cover the benefits of innovative approaches of biosolids application (e.g. synthesis of biochar) to soil (biosolids for soil), while also cautioning that indiscriminate approaches to using soil as an ‘easy’ route for the disposal/dumping of biosolids should not occur (not soil for biosolids).
More Papers Like This
Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
AI summary Read the abstract
Farms often spread "biosolids" (treated sewage sludge and animal waste) on fields as fertilizer, but this study shows that practice can also introduce microplastic pollution into agricultural soil, with fields that received sludge showing different plastic contamination than untreated fields. Since crops grow in this soil and microplastics can potentially work their way into our food and water, this raises questions about how common farming practices might be a hidden source of plastic exposure in our diets.
Impact of Microplastics in Biosolids on Carbon Cycling and Food Systems
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed how microplastics in sewage biosolids — which are widely land-applied — influence soil carbon cycling, finding that MP-derived carbon may form a persistent pool that alters microbial decomposition, soil organic matter dynamics, and carbon sequestration, while also creating indirect pathways for human dietary exposure.
Occurrence, spatiotemporal trends, fate, and treatment technologies for microplastics and organic contaminants in biosolids: A review
AI summary Read the abstract
This meta-analysis examines how microplastics and organic pollutants end up in biosolids (treated sewage) and what happens when those biosolids are applied to farmland. The data show that microplastics are among the most common contaminants found in biosolids, raising concerns about long-term buildup in the soils where our food is grown.
Biosolids-derived fertilisers: A review of challenges and opportunities
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examines the use of treated sewage sludge (biosolids) as farm fertilizer and the concern that it introduces microplastics and persistent organic contaminants into agricultural soil. While biosolids provide valuable nutrients for crops, the microplastics they contain can accumulate in soil over time and potentially enter the food chain. The authors discuss thermal processing and nutrient recovery technologies that could help remove contaminants while preserving the fertilizer value of biosolids.
Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
AI summary Read the abstract
Farms sometimes spread "biosolids" (treated sewage sludge) on fields as fertilizer, and this study measured microplastic particles in soil that had received these applications over a decade compared to untreated farmland. Using detailed chemical testing, researchers confirmed that soil treated with sludge contained identifiable plastic contamination, supporting concerns that this common farming practice can be a source of microplastics building up in agricultural land. Since these plastics can end up in the crops we eat and potentially in our food and water supply, understanding where they come from is an important step toward reducing our overall exposure.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.