Sludge Watch ==> Siren song of sludge pellets - " treated, nutrient rich, free"

[Maureen Reilly]

Sludgewatch Admin:

Ok - this is a classic.

Read the 'news story' below.  It is the siren song of sludge.  The public is 
told that drying sewage sludge into pellets will make a great 'fertilizer' 
that people will buy.

Claims:
Its" treated" - um....treated how exactly? Its still chock full of toxins.

It is "nutrient rich" - What they don't say is that the drying process 
causes the volatilization (escape into the air) of much of small amount of 
nitrogen in the material - usually leaving an over abundance of phosphorus - 
which many fields are already overloaded with.

"organic" - The public is supposed to think this fertilizer will meet the 
strict standards for use on certified organic farms.  These pellets don't 
meet organic standards and are not allowed to be used on certified organic 
farms.  The industry means 'organic' as in 'organic chemistry'. It contains  
'organic compounds' with a carbon ring - like gasoline, or dioxins and 
furans.

Oh and they think they will sell it and make money?  LOL....The US and 
Canada are overun with sewage sludge pellets that are so low in nutrient and 
so high in toxins that no one in their right mind would pay for them.  So 
there isn't much market.  In Toronto they had to pay haulers to dispose of 
their pellets.

And the story fails to mention the risk of fires and explosions at these 
sludge pelleting facilities.
Milwaukee (yup - Milorganite), Toronto, Windsor, Bronx, and three facilities 
in Quebec are just a few that have had very serious explosions and fires.

This pap is the lullabye of the sludge industry.  Drowse into their arms at 
your peril.

.......................................................................



FPUD will recycle sludge into fertilizer



4/26/2007 6:47:51 PM

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Public Utility District will soon begin recycling 
its nutrient-rich, organic sludge from the wastewater treatment plant into a 
safe and renewable resource: fertilizer. The equipment that will recycle the 
material is currently being installed at the district’s treatment plant off 
Alturas Road. The machinery may be up and running by summer.

The environmentally conscious decision to turn sludge into fertilizer came 
about as the cost of hauling the sludge out of the county is expected to 
skyrocket in the near future. FPUD currently spends $150,000 per year to 
haul its sludge to Riverside County, but that location will soon close and 
the nearest site will be Kern County or out of the state. But the cost of 
trucking the heavy, wet sludge to those sites would be exponentially higher, 
and those costs are expected to continue rising.

By heating the sludge, killing all harmful pathogens, the end product is a 
sterile fertilizer that can be safely returned to the soil. FPUD can 
eliminate the transportation costs and is even looking to sell the product, 
at a bulk rate, to a fertilizer packager or local grower.

Sludge is the biosolid, or organic material that remains after wastewater 
has been treated. District officials and the board of directors are excited 
it will be used to produce a safe, renewable resource. And odor is not an 
issue. The district ascertained this fact in a two-week trial run operation 
last year. Visitors who came to observe and share their opinion were 
enthusiastic about the process and didn’t notice an odor.

“It’s all about being a good neighbor to the community and especially the 
homes near the treatment plant, all the while, keeping our costs down,” said 
General Manager Keith Lewinger. “This is really a win-win situation. It’s 
good for the environment and it’s good for our wallet.”

The $1.7 million sludge drier should pay for itself within seven years, or 
even sooner if the district is able to market the fertilizer. Here’s how the 
process works: Thermal fluid heated to 480 degrees produces enough heat to 
dry the sludge and kill all harmful pathogens that could be present. The hot 
air produced from the heating process is then cooled and thoroughly filtered 
to meet California’s strict emissions standards and prevent odor from 
impacting the community.

Farmers interested in entering into a contract to purchase the fertilizer 
may call Lewinger directly at (760) 728-1125, ext. 1107.