THE JOURNEY TO SUSTAINABLE TREATMENT AND USE OR DISPOSAL OF WASTEWATER BIOSOLIDS

摘要

Sustainable - action today that does not compromise the options of future generations. This goes beyond merely complying with legal obligations but the balance sheets of those that operate the due diligence that is implied by sustainable development are much safer than those whose objective is just to operate within the limits set by regulators. Treating wastewater so as to protect the quality of receiving waters into which it is discharged is an important part of sustainable development, and it results in biosolids. The wastewater collection system is open to a range of chemical and biological hazards. The principle of controlling hazards at source is well established and its operation has resulted in a dramatic increase in the safety of biosolids as regards chemical quality. Attention has turned to biological hazards, especially the emerging ones. In some cases these can be controlled at source and for others a control point has to be operated during biosolids treatment. There are several ways in which biosolids can be treated or destroyed, new methods emerge periodically and there is a continual flow of variations on existing themes. The facility for innovation is important. Biosolids contain organic matter and plant nutrients that have been concentrated out of the wastewater, these can be very beneficial to sustainable use of land. Many believe that having got these constituents (particularly phosphorus) into the anthroprogenic cycle it is imperative that they be conserved. The paper will discuss the whole of the biosolids process in the particular context of sustainability.