Biosolid: A Good Alternative or Not?

Is biosolids a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices? Let’s see...

What is a sewage biosolid? A sewage biosolid can be defined as term that is used by waste water industries to identify the by-product of domestic and commercial sewages and the waste water treatment.  They are nutrient-rich materials which have resulted from treatment of municipal wastewater. This sewage biosolid contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and other organic matter. It also contains essential micro-nutrients which include: copper, iron, zinc, and molybdenum which are all important for the plant growth and the soil fertility.

What are sewage treatment plants? The sewage treatment plants job is to remove any toxins or industry effluent that is left from wastewater in efforts to protect the environment. If wastewater is cleared without treatment this could lead to extreme water pollution. Sewage treatment plants include the physical, chemical and biological process of removing contaminants. Its overall goal is to produce a secure, environmentally safe fluid waste stream as well as a solid waste that is suitable for reuse or disposal. Advance technology has now made it possible use sewage effluent for drinking water, but Singapore is the only one who has used this method.

So what are the pros to this? The pros to this method are:

·         It is an excellent source of nutrients and overall very safe

·         Biosolids to agricultural land benefit urban and rural communities

·         It is a cost effective method for disposal

·         Instead of filling up landfills it recycles and goes back into the earth

·         Promotes farming

·         It is a safe and free fertilizer

·         It has become regulated under the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) law

^54% of Biosolids are recycled!

What are the cons of this method? The cons of this method are:

·         It is a potential health hazard

·         The effects of this are irreversible

·         Contamination can become a result from the accumulation of industrial waste

·         True composition is not known

·         May be containing harmful chemicals

·         Chemicals could be transferred to crops

·         Decreases the value of property

·         Overall odor

^ ???

The potential stakeholders in this issue are farmers as biosolids are cheap and so far is known to be good agricultural fertilizer. The government is another potential stakeholder as this is a cheaper and more affordable method.  This method can also create jobs for us.

After taking into consideration some of the pros and cons of biosolids I think that it is a great environmentally friendly product that is very effective. Although I do believe that it could possibly lead to some problems to us humans and to the crops as it does contain chemicals. Before we can jump to any conclusions though, about whether it is bad, I think this issue needs to be studied some more. But in my opinion I think that it is an effective solution and very beneficial. 

Work Cited List:

1. "Water Treatment." Welcome to Waterloo Science | UW Faculty of Science. Web. 05 June 2011. <http://www.science.uwaterloo.ca/~cchieh/cact/applychem/watertreatment.html>.

2. "CWWA - FAQ - Biosolids." CWWA/ACEPU. Web. 05 June 2011. <http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp>.

3. "A Perspective on Biosolids Management." Web. 05 June 2011. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2094821/>.

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Hey Technology!

It’s a huge part in our day to day lives and helps us greatly with our health and medical issues, yes I am talking about technology! There are many different types of technology and all help us with our understanding of the internal body systems. Technology has come so far and has basically become essential to our lives. Without technology there would be a lot of unknown diseases and symptoms that would not be able to be treated, because we would not be able to take x rays or any type of scan to see what and where things are happening. Technology has given us the option to see inside the body and locate many parts necessary to helping benefit human life. Some forms of technology is so advance that it also labels or highlights in different colours to show what is what in our body. Without technology in our lives I do not think survival rates would be very high.

A Canadian inventor who helped with the technological aspect of cardiac issues, and is known as the "father of biomedical engineering in Canada" is John Hopps.  John Hopps invented the pacemaker which is a device used to keep the heart at the normal pulse rate. This device kicks in whenever the heart rate is abnormal and shocks it in hopes to make it go back to normal. I think that this invention is one of the top forms of technology that has been created to better someone’s life.  There are many people with this device and the surgery has become more common, without this technology survival rates again with decrease, as there will be nothing to help a person with cardiac issues.

 

The ultrasound machine is another form of technology that has become very common and is vital to medical issues. This form of technology is mostly used for pregnant women to see and check on the baby’s health and to make sure everything is going as supposed to. This technology has grown to where it has become portable, and is merely the size of a cellular phone. The ultrasound machine does not pose any known risks to the patient. I think that this technology is very essential to the medical field and is used greatly, to an extent where it has become a vital part in several procedures. 

The X-Ray Generator is also an important part in medical technology. The X-Ray Generator allows us to take a picture and be able to see inside of the body as to what is going on. This technology allows us to see things growing from start to end, and also gives us the opportunity to take care of things in the body that is not supposed to be happening. This technology also colour co-ordinates different parts of the body to make it easier to be understood.

Therefore, I think that technology plays a huge part in our lives today and is a vital part to medical explorations. Technology has lead to the saving of many lives and allowed many to understand the way the body works. Technology has given us a better understanding of our body and how everything works. 

Work Cited List: 

1) "Discovery Health "How X-rays Work"" Discovery Health "Health Guides" Web. 01 June 2011. <http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/tests-treatment/x-ray.htm>. 

2) "Ultrasound - General." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information Resource for Patients. Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=genus>.

3) "Pacemaker - Electronic Device for the Heart Conditions on MedicineNet.com." Web. 01 June 2011. <http://www.medicinenet.com/pacemaker/article.htm>.

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Feeding a Growing Population vs. Conserving Biodivestiy

Every year the human population is increasing around 90 million people each year. As we all need food, water, housing and health care, we also put out a lot of waste. This puts a strain on the environment and the variety of species we have living in our world.

The above diagram shows how fast our population is growing in both developing and industrialized regions.  Developing regions, which have a low standard of living, has a population that is increasing more rapidly than industrialized regions.  Industrialized regions have a high level of development and would more likely be able to sustain the growing population. But as the numbers of humans keep increasing it is becoming harder and harder to find and replace the environmental resources needed to survive.  As the population increases we are being forced to find more and more food to feed them. This is decreasing the amount of resources for the future generations and is also decreasing the variations in biodiversity. Soon we will not have enough resources to feed this population and it will start to decrease. This will make our society unstable as we don’t have people to help sustain and grow more resources for our needed population.  

 

The above picture shows that sustainable agriculture is the better option because instead of just focusing on the need to feed the population, it also focuses on the need for biodiversity. Industrial agriculture refers to the form of modern farming that is the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish and crops. Sustainable agriculture follows the practice of farming using the principles of ecology, and the study of the relationships between the environment and organisms. Sustainable agriculture came into practice after problems had risen from industrial agriculture. Sustainable agriculture focuses on three main goals of environmental stewardship, farm prosperity, and successful farming communities.

Biodiversity is the amount of variation of life forms within a specific ecosystem, biome, or the entire planet. Biodiversity has a major impact on human health. As the human population grows the need to conserve biodiversity seems less important. People are just more worried about surviving and finding food to feed them.  

 

In the above picture the known causes of animal extinction is: Habitat Destruction, Species Introductions, Hunting and Other.  Out of these four reasons humans are responsible for two and possibly three (Other). AS humans we are becoming less considerate about biodiversity and are just worrying about surviving.  There are six specific human actions that threaten the ecosystems and the species. These six actions are: Over Hunting, Habitat Loss, Degradation and Fragmentation, Invasion of non-native species, Domino Effect, Pollution and Climate Change.  Over hunting has become a significant cause of the extinction of species and more for the endangerment of several species. Habitat Loss, Degradation and Fragmentation are also an important cause of extinction as deforestation continue in tropical forests which are also a cause from humans. Invasion of non-native species is an often overlooked cause of extinction.  The African Great Lakes are known for their great diversity which now is becoming extinct mainly because humans are eating all of the species. The Domino Effect occurs when one species is added or removed from the ecosystem. This affects the whole biological system. Pollution is the most known cause of extinction and has become very aware. Even though humans know that pollution is endangering our species and natural resources, we continue to do this not really caring.  Climate Change threatens species and ecosystems. Species distribution is determined by climate as well as vegetation. Climate change is shifting the distribution also making species unable to adjust easily and also migrate.

I think that humans should become more aware of the different things going on in the world, with hope that after they will learn to conserve the biodiversity in our world.

Work Cited List

Conservation, Biodiversity Sustainability Environment Issues, Automated Lobbying Database at Information for Action. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://www.informaction.org/index.php?main=population_gen&s=Population growth>. 

 

"Biodiversity: Threats and Protective Measures." Fathom :: The Source for Online Learning. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fathom.com/course/21701785/session2.html>.

"Impacts on Biodiversity." Index. Web. 06 Feb. 2011. <http://redpath-museum.mcgill.ca/Qbp/3.Conservation/impacts.htm>

 

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