Land Application: An Acceptable Alternative for Textile Biosolids Disposal

Each step along the textile-finishing process requires extensive use of chemicals and large quantities of water to ensure proper preparation of the fabric or fibers. Other components of the textile-factory waste stream include fibers, small percentages of sanitary waste. Also, in some cases, the waste contains sewage from neighboring communities. (Many wastewater treatment plants are located in small communities and serve as the wastewater and water utility for residents in the surrounding area.)

Just as with municipal biosolids, textile biosolids contain essential nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur--plus traces of copper, zinc, iron, and molybdenum. Crop farmers and livestock producers alike use textile biosolids to supplement their normal fertilizer programs. Textile biosolids can provide a significant cost saving to farmers when applied at proper agronomic rates.

Many states in the Southeast either prohibit or disdain the disposing of textile biosolids to landfills. Therefore, textile firms across the Southeast are moving toward land application as an environmentally safe and beneficial biosolids-management option. In North Carolina, textile biosolids are suitable as a supplemental fertilizer to aid in the production of forage land when applied in accordance with state regulations and permits. In fact, one could make a case that most textile biosolids would qualify as an exceptional quality (EQ) biosolid under 40 CFR 503 due to the low inorganics and limited pathogen sources. The salt issue is not a concern in the U.S. Southeast because adequate rainfall moves soluble salts to below rooting depth to prevent problems with soil and plant growth. (Groundwater-monitoring data gathered over five years from one site do not indicate nitrates above the drinking water standard.) Compared with current fertilizer prices, textile biosolids are worth more than ($100 per acre). Livestock producers who are using textile biosolids claim they realize improved yields and save thousands of dollars on their fertilizer bills as a result of participating in their respective land-application projects.

The preceding article is adapted from the paper "The Beneficial Use of Textile Biosolids in North Carolina" by David J. Wanucha. Wanucha is the technical services director at Environmental Waste Recycling, Inc. (Advance, NC), This article was adapted, by permission, from his technical paper titled

Edited by Paul Hersch