Information on methods, technologies, management practices, and domestic septage for biosolids managers.
On this page:According to the 40 CFR Part 503 sewage sludge standards, before sewage sludge can be applied to land, biosolids must be treated to reduce pathogens using nine methods outlined in the regulation. Alternatively, innovative pathogen reduction processes can gain regulatory acceptance by demonstrating equivalency in a process managed by the Pathogen Equivalency Committee and overseen by the permitting authority. In reviewing an equivalency application, the committee ensures that new processes employed for sewage sludge treatment are robust and effective in pathogen reduction in order to protect human health and the environment. For more information on the PEC, Processes to Further Reduce Pathogens (PFRPs), and Processes to Significantly Reduce Pathogens (PSRPs) visit link.
Specific analytical methods are required in order to meet monitoring requirements and demonstrate compliance with 40 CFR Part 503. EPA has also developed guidance and conducted studies related to sampling procedures.
When wastewater reaches a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) it goes through physical, biological, and chemical processes which clean the wastewater and remove and treat the solids. The following fact sheets are common wastewater treatment train technologies used to treat, stabilize, and dewater biosolids: