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Potential for Land Application of Biosolids-Derived Biochar in Australia: A Review
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This review examines the potential for beneficial land application of biochar derived from thermal treatment of biosolids in Australia, evaluating barriers, contaminant risks, and agronomic outcomes. Key findings show pyrolysis and gasification effectively eliminate persistent organic pollutants, microplastics, and pathogens, and immobilize over 90% of heavy metals, though long-term agronomic effects and contaminant fate in soils remain poorly understood.
Thermal treatment in Australia is gaining interest due to legislative changes, waste reduction goals, and the need to address contaminants risks in biosolids used for agriculture. The resulting biochar product has the potential to be beneficially recycled as a soil amendment. On-farm management practices were reviewed to identify barriers that need to be overcome to increase recycling and examine the role of pyrolysis and gasification in effectively improving the quality and safety of biochar. Key findings revealed: (1) thermal treatment can effectively eliminate persistent organic pollutants, microplastics and pathogens, and (2) more than 90% of the total heavy metals content in biosolids become immobilized when these are converted to biochar, thus reducing their bioavailability following land application. While reported research on the short-term effects of biosolids-derived biochar suggested promising agronomic results, there is dearth of information on long-term effects. Other knowledge gaps include optimisation of land application rates, understanding of rate of breakdown and fate of contaminants in soil and water, heavy metal mobility in soil and bioaccumulation or transfer to the food chain. Improved understanding of nutrients and contaminants dynamics in soils receiving biosolids-derived biochar is a pre-requisite for their safe use in Australian agriculture, and therefore it is highlighted as priority area for future research.
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Land Application of Biosolids-Derived Biochar in Australia: A Review
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This Australian review examined whether converting sewage sludge (biosolids) into biochar through pyrolysis or gasification could safely remove contaminants before the material is spread on agricultural land. Key findings show that thermal processing can effectively destroy persistent organic pollutants, microplastics, and pathogens present in biosolids, and can immobilize over 90% of heavy metals. Biochar from treated biosolids is therefore a safer soil amendment than raw biosolids and could reduce microplastic inputs to farmland from a widely used agricultural practice.
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Elimination of microplastics, PFAS, and PPCPs from biosolids via pyrolysis to produce biochar: Feasibility and techno-economic analysis
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Researchers found that heating sewage sludge (biosolids) through a process called pyrolysis at temperatures of 400-700 degrees Celsius removed virtually all harmful contaminants -- over 99.9% of pharmaceuticals and PFAS ("forever chemicals") and 91-97% of microplastics. The process also produces biochar that can be used as a fertilizer, potentially turning a waste disposal problem into a revenue source. This approach could prevent microplastics and other pollutants from spreading to farmland through standard biosolid application.
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