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Effects of multiple annual biosolids applications on the soil concentrations of metals, organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls in a field trial in Victoria, Australia
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Despite its title referencing biosolids and soil contaminants, this paper studies the accumulation of heavy metals, organochlorine pesticides, and polychlorinated biphenyls in agricultural soil after four annual applications of sewage-derived biosolids — not microplastic pollution. It examines traditional chemical contaminants in a pasture setting in Victoria, Australia, and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Biosolids are organic solids derived from sewage treatment processes with one of the common reuse options for biosolids being application to agricultural land as a soil amendment for fertiliser value. However, biosolids often include relatively high concentrations of potential contaminants. While there have been many studies investigating the risks of contaminants in biosolids after one application to soil, there have been far fewer studies researching the risks from multiple biosolids applications on working farms. Thus, the aims of this study were to assess the potential for soil contamination after four annual applications of biosolids to a pasture used for grazing cattle and silage production in Victoria, Australia. The study was the first to investigate the effects of multiple biosolids additions on soil concentrations of organochloride pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls. The results demonstrated that Cu and Zn were the limiting contaminants measured, with soil concentrations above some Australian soil guidelines, but not Receiving Soil Contaminant Levels, after four biosolids additions. In addition, despite being required by government policy, all soil and biosolids concentrations of organochloride pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls were very low with almost all measurements below detection limits. As such, rather than concentrating on organochloride pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, we suggest measurement and risk assessment efforts may be better directed towards emerging contaminants in biosolids, for example, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, pharmaceuticals, chemicals in personal care products, and microplastics.
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Researchers reviewing land application of biosolids found that agricultural soils receive between 18 and 690,000 microplastic particles per kilogram of soil, with retention increasing in soils rich in organic carbon and metal oxides, and that biodegradation alters plastic composition but proceeds slowly.
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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.
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Biosolid amendments as drivers for microplastic pollution in soil: Measurements and insight from multiple analytical methods in an agricultural field study
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