Unregulated Organic Chemicals in Biosolids: Prioritization, Fate and Risk Evaluation for Land Application

This project will produce a prioritized list of unregulated organic chemicals (UOCs) that have the greatest potential to pose elevated risks to human health and the environment, and standard rapid assays to measure mobile and bioavailable fractions of UOCs in biosolids. These outcomes will be informed by field data from across the United States to support a national scope for robust validation of the rapid assays and assessment models of potential risks of biosolids-borne UOCs following land applications. The study findings will have immediate and broad implications for the scientific community, agriculture, and water sectors, and the broader community in ensuring the safe reuse of biosolids through land applications in the United States.

This $1.49 million project is a collaboration of work and tasks conducted by Dr. Jay Gan, University of California Riverside (CA); Dr. Linda Lee, Purdue University (IN); Dr. Drew McAvoy, University of Cincinnati (OH); and Maile Lono-Batura, Water Environment Federation (VA). It also involves a key collaboration and engagement component of WRF Utilities, key water quality stakeholders, and partners. Research partner: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.