Justine's Bio Blog

BIAS OF ARTICLE

This article is bias. The article leans toward a pro biosolid, like how i stated in earlier posts. The reason i say this is because only good statements are being seen in the article.

The article talks about how biosolids can benefit agricultural wise, land application and environmentally wise. If a another person were to read this article, they would see that biosolids can only produce good results. Not to mention, that the article does contain charts that can seem positive to a readers eye.

Finally, the article states that biosolids seem to be improving and can make a difference in today’s environment.

This article is biased because it states facts that are only positive about the idea of using biosolids as a fertilizer. The article was meant to influence readers to consider biosolids as an organic alternative.

CREDIBILITY OF ARTICLE

This article is credible, for one reason.

Their sources are back up by environmental agencies. The EPA or FDEP. The EPA is the U.S’s Environmental Protection Agency. I researched about this agency and it turns out that the EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Since the article based many of their facts from the EPA’s findings about biosolids, i myself as a reader can rely on sources like that. The whole point of the EPA is discover the problems in every aspect of the environment and how to fix it so that it doesn’t harm people. Readers can rely on sources from the EPA, considering they actually did experiments on biosolids and have a solid decision about the using biosolids as an alternative to agricultural practices. Not to mention that their statistics also showed up on the article, which can solidify a person’s decision about using biosolids. The FDEP is the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This agency focuses more on Florida’s conservation of it’s natural resources and they also enforce environmental laws. The only contribution that this agency has had on the article was the classification between the two different biosolids used in Florida. Although, these sources are from America, the idea of biosolids is all the same. Their results are rock solid because they’re main motto is to protect the environment to protect the people.

These agencies contain people who live to learn about the environment and how to make it better for us. They’re facts are built from hard evidence of experiments and statistics. Therefore, since the article used many of their statements from those agencies results, the article can be considered credible. 

ACCURACY OF ARTICLE

The accuracy of the article is completely accurate. The article did have many facts about biosolids, that it gave me a general idea about the topic. When i researched about biosolids even further, i noticed that every fact the article stated came into a close match with what i’ve researched as well. Such as the definition of biosolids or the way they’re being used, like the besides the use of agricultural practices, biosolids can be used in forestry or mining.

In earlier posts, i mentioned exactly what the article was stating. The only difference is that the article went into the more statistical side of the uses biosolids (which is still useful to know), while still able to define the uses of biosolids. What i researched went into more detail about the reasons why biosolids are useful to us as a society.

Basically, the accuracy of the article does in fact seem accurate. Besides the fact of my research which solidified the accuracy of the article, the article did based their facts on from the results of various environmental agencies, such as the EPA.

Finally, there are charts in this article that back up their stated facts, which can be shown as proof to a reader, that they aren’t joking around, they’re only stating the truth. 

SUMMARY OF ARTICLE

I found an article about biosolids as a fertilizer from TheBioenergySite. This whole article was about the various uses of biosolids, what they are and why they’re useful.

According to the article, “Biosolids are solid, semi-solid or liquid materials resulting from the treatment of domestic sewage sludge.”

They also describe the various types of Biosolids, such as Class AA and Class B residuals. However, the most important fact stated in this article was the points of the Land Application of Biosolids to Agricultural Lands.

According to the article, “Biosolids is an environmentally sound management practice for disposal and recycling of waste water residuals.” The article describes how in certain cities, biosolids is the main fertilizer for agricultural uses, mainly because it is benefiting those in the agricultural field.

The article also states that biosolids do in fact contain essential nutrients as stated in earlier posts. And, it is an organic matter that can improve crop production. The article does state that nutrients in biosolids aren’t usually available to plants and are released slower than commercial fertilizers, which can in turn reduce risks.

Finally, the article has a summary of the application rates of biosolids. Here, the sections is stating that biosolids are applied to pastures at rates that meet nitrogen needs of the forage. However, since biosolids have been proven to exhibit unbalanced nitrogen to a phosphorus ratio, there can be improper biosolid application, which can lead to harmful situations.

is it really that disgusting?

physically, biosolids may be the most repulsive thing that you’ve seen so far. However, if you’re able to look past the physical appearance you can see that biosolids is a beautiful thing that has ever happened to the environment.

But no, the western view of human waste as an unsanitary and disgusting nuisance does influence the way we see biosolids. After all, we do know that biosolids is in fact waste. When we see waste, all we think about is probably this one word,”ew”.Don’t say you’ve never used that word whenever you see or even think about waste.

But that’s how people see biosolids, just one huge dump. Then, if we even start thinking that our own waste goes onto the food that we would eventually eat…well it does sound disgustin and highly unsanitary.

I think society needs to get over that. Society needs to realize that biosolids improve and maintain the stimulation of crop growth and can benefit the environment and everyone.

Let’s face it, our own waste can make the environment even better.

Who are the Potential Stakeholders?

Farmers is one of them. Mainly because biosolid price ranges from free to very cheap than regular agricultural fertilizers. Plus, farmers benefit the most from biosolid, considering they’re the ones using it majority of the time in their own crops.

The government because they wouldn’t have to pay a lot of money for the disposal of biosolids

Finally, the last potential stakeholder would be us. The People. We can benefit from biosolids, but the main reason is because it creates more job oppurtunities for the population.

Are biosolids a potential alternative to our current agricultural practices?

As i continue to research about the uses of biosolids, i am leaning towards pros rather than cons. In my opininon, i see biosolids as an environmentally friendly, efficient and free agricultural practice that should be used worldwide.

From what i’ve discovered, biosolids seem to be an effective technique for all farmers that have used it. According to the EPA, “Biosolids are the treated residuals from wastewater treatment that can be used beneficially”. Personally, the EPA tends to be a reliable source when it comes to topics such as the use of biosolids. If the EPA doesn’t seem to find any fault with biosolids, then i don’t think anything can be wrong with the use of biosolids as an alternative to agricultural practices.

In my opinion, biosolids give us an oppurtunity to put our human waste into a better use, rather than cluttering up landfills, that we so claim to “fix immediatley”. There are many who are against the fact of using biosolids as an alternative, however there are many people who talk about making the world “greener”. But how can we do that if even our own waste, is being toxic to the environment? We should put our waste to good use. Besides, wouldn’t that be a huge step to making the world “greener”? With biosolids we can reduce pollution, and landfill. Not only does it benefit the environment, but it can also benefit us. With biosolids we can excelerate in the agricultural field. Since it has been proven that biosolids can be an efficient use to growing crops.

I personally think that biosolids should be an alternative to agricultural practices. I think biosolids should be used everywhere. However, that isn’t the case nowadays. The state of Arizone has used biosolids as fertilizers since 1960s, It estimates that only 50% of available biosolids are used on 1% of the total agricultural land in the US. Why only 1%? Can’t we make that 100%? Based on my research, it is proven that biosolids benefit farmer’s the most. Biosolids improves crop production, promotes farming, contributes to a sustainable farming practice. Literally, farmer’s can get biosolids for free! It can benefit everybody, considering farmer’s are an important part of society, they’re the one’s who grow the food. Not to mention that biosolids contain many nutrients and elements that are essential for crop growth. Why not use biosolids as an alternative because they are effective and still a contain the mandatory requirements to grow crops, rather than use something that can chemically damage a crop, which can be harmful to us as well.

Basically, we keep talking about preserving the environment now, but how can we do that, if we’re so scared of minor disadvantages of just one part of the plan. Biosolids can make a difference in our environment, so far it’s done a lot of good. Sure there are some minor set backs, but if we know for sure that biosolids can improve the environment, then why not use it as an alternative.

It’s a start isn’t it?

The Cons of Biosolids

• potential health hazard
• effects are irreversible
• isn’t sufficiently regulated
• there are odors
• decreases property value
• contamination resulting from accumulation of industrial waste.

The Pros of Biosolids

• cost effective way of disposing human waste
• recycles waste rather than filling landfills with it
• promotes farming and works as a free fertilizer
• reduces chemical fertilizers
• contributes to a sustainable farming practice
• can be used as a composter
• improves crop production
• reduces soil erosion
• protects water quality
• provides topsoil for recreational uses
• enriches forestland
• reclaims strip-mined lands
• conserves landfill space
• provides economic incentives

You wanna know more about Biosolids?

Here’s a little more you should know about biosolids and farming:

• biosolids are currently being used by farmers and gardeners. This has been going on for ages. They can promote growth of agricultural crops, fertilize gardens and parks, and reclaim mining sites.
• even though there is regular fertilizer, farmer’s prefer biosolids. Mainly because it reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
• currently about 50% of all biosolids are being recylced to land.