Frequently Asked Questions

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Biosolids are the solids resulting from the treatment of wastewater at a wastewater treatment plant (also known as water resource recovery facility). Biosolids are a beneficial resource that contain essential plant nutrients and organic matter. When treated and processed, these residuals can be recycled and applied as fertilizer to improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth. Biosolids that are beneficially used must meet federal and state quality requirements. 

Yes, biosolids are regulated at both the state and Federal (40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 503) levels.

To ensure safety, biosolids management practices incorporate various protective measures, including:

• Pathogen Reduction: Biosolids are treated to reduce pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, through processes like digestion, composting, or heat treatment.
• Monitoring and Testing: Regular monitoring and testing of biosolids are conducted to verify compliance with regulatory standards and ensure the absence of harmful substances.
• Application Guidelines: Specific guidelines dictate the appropriate rates and methods for biosolids application to minimize potential risks and maximize benefits.
• Site Restrictions: Biosolids are applied to suitable land areas while adhering to setbacks from water bodies, wells, and sensitive environments to prevent potential contamination.

Biosolids have various beneficial uses, including:

• Land Application: Biosolids are commonly used as a nutrient-rich soil amendment in agriculture, horticulture, and landscaping. They improve soil fertility, structure, and water-holding capacity, promoting plant growth and crop productivity.
• Energy Generation: In some cases, biosolids can be used as a renewable energy source through anaerobic digestion, a process that converts organic matter into biogas for electricity or heat generation.

• Total Nitrogen (water soluble, and water insoluble)
• Phosphate (P2O5)
• Potassium
• Total Calcium
• Total Magnesium (Mg) 
• Total Iron (Fe)

- Biosolids can provide essential amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus to crops in place of expensive and unsustainable chemical fertilizers. 

- The nutrients in biosolids are bound with organic molecules, and they take time to release into the soil and become available to plants. Nutrients in this form are less susceptible to loss through leaching, volatilization, and run-off, making them a better choice for the farmer and the environment. 

- Additional benefits of biosolids recycling include: 

• Building soil health - Many Florida soils are notoriously sandy and low in organic matter. Biosolids application can improve the physical structure of these soils as well as their ability to support crops by improving nutrient retention and water holding capacity. 
• Recycling local nutrients – Anytime biosolids are used in place of chemical fertilizer, nutrients that would otherwise be lost forever are utilized to grow crops. This also results in a reduction of chemical fertilizer use, which offsets greenhouse gas emissions from the production and mining of chemical fertilizers. 
• Carbon sequestration – The organic material in biosolids contains carbon and has the potential to produce greenhouse gases. Applying biosolids to the soil mitigates this potential. Sending biosolids to be landfilled guarantees that they will produce greenhouse gases. 
• Strengthening farm economies – Farmers use biosolids worldwide because they are often affordable and improve their crop yields. In many municipalities, farms are partnered with their local wastewater plant and are guaranteed a certain amount of fertilizer every year. This reduces uncertainty for the farmer regarding volatile chemical fertilizer markets. Chemical fertilizer prices change continuously and sourcing them in large quantities can be difficult. 
• Restoring degraded land and soils – Biosolids are often utilized when reclaiming mines or gravel pits. These projects require enormous amounts of organic materials to replicate a natural soil, and in many cases would be impossible to complete without the use of biosolids. Using biosolids in these projects also prevents topsoil from being stripped from the land and trucked in from elsewhere. To learn more about mining activities related to chemical fertilizers in the state of Florida, please see this link