CALCULATED BIOSOLIDS� APPLICATION IN THE CHESAPEAKE �BAY WATERSHEDS
Brooke Kline, Emily Majcher, & Andrew Seckellick
ABOUT ME
SCHOOL
Rising senior at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
INTERNSHIP
Combined chemistry and environmental science.
A new and different environment.
ACADEMICS
Major: Chemistry and Environmental Biology
Graduating May 2024
POST-GRADUATION
Work for a few years then go back to school
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2023
PER- AND POLYFLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES (PFAS)
ORIGIN
Used to make products that resist heat, oil, water, and stains (MABA, 2022).
Clothing, cookware, and aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) (Buck and others, 2011).
MOBILITY
They do not break down in the environment (Kleinfelder, 2022).
Are able to move through soil into ground waters (MABA, 2022).
WWTPS
Do not treat for PFAS and end up in the biosolids (Wang and others, 2019).
Solid wastes from septage and other organic matter (do Carmo Precci Lopes and others, 2022).
STRUCTURE
Short chain move rapidly and are more soluble in water (ITRC, 2022).
Long chain are less mobile and more likely to be in soils (ITRC, 2022).
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(Blake and Fenton, 2020)
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MY WORK
WHERE
USGS WSC in MD
WHY
There is a presence of PFAS in the Chesapeake Bay
WWTPs produce biosolids which are used as a nitrogen fertilizer and are known to contain PFAS
Little is known about the fate of the PFAS from biosolids in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
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OBJECTIVES
Estimate biosolids applied in Chesapeake Bay watershed and create maps as the first steppingstone
Identify areas with the potential for elevated PFAS
PROJECT METHODS
Literature review of Biosolids
Gathered and reviewed literature to find PFAS concentration ranges in biosolids
Calculated an estimate of biosolids land applied in 2022 and 2002 in CB watershed from CAST (Chesapeake assessment scenario tool)N in biosolids applied by county
Created maps using R Studio
ACTIVITIES
Assisted with laboratory sampling and analysis for ongoing experiments
Went out into the field to take ground water samples at agricultural sites
Learned coding with R Studio to combine data to produce multiple graphs
Drafted a project plan that outlined the objectives and relevance to why my project is important
Visited EPA CBP office to connect with other and gather different data to be mapped
Attended meetings and presenting to the TCW in August
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THEORETICAL PFAS
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1000 kg = 1 metric ton
1 kg = 1000 g
1000000000 ng=1 g
Literature Concentrations of PFAS in Municipal Biosolids ng of PFAS per gram of biosolids (ng/g) | |||||
Sources | Gravesen and others, 2023 | Sepulvado and others, 2011 | Venkatesan and Halden, 2013 | Johnson, 2022 | Schultz and others, 2006 |
| Range | Range | Range | Average | Range |
PFOS | 5.6-803.8 | 80-219 | 308-618 | 12 | 81-160 |
PFOA | 4.9-352.6 | 6-68 | 11.8-70.3 | 0.44 | <3 |
Total PFAS* | 530-3500 | | | | |
*Total of 48 PFAS compounds
ESTIMATED BIOSOLIDS APPLIED BY STATES
NEXT STEPS
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COMPETENCIES
CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY
Providing a framework for the use of biosolids throughout the watershed and the potential for those biosolids to contain PFAS
ETHICAL REASONING
PFAS in biosolids are not well understood in the watershed but have the potential to impact drinking water, crops and other agricultural impacts
SYSTEMS THINKING
Compiled data from cast
Calculated biosolid use by county
Literature review of PFAS
Used R studio to create maps
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Made connections in the USGS and EPA offices, and got a lot of experience in a variety of settings, and learning what I might want from a career in the future
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SOURCES
Blake, B.E., and Fenton, S.E., 2020, Early life exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and latent health outcomes: A review including the placenta as a target tissue and possible driver of peri- and postnatal effects: Toxicology, v. 443, p. 152565.
Buck, R.C., Franklin, J., Berger, U., Conder, J.M., Cousins, I.T., De Voogt, P., Jensen, A.A., Kannan, K., Mabury, S.A., and Van Leeuwen, S.P., 2011, Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in the environment: Terminology, classification, and origins: Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, v. 7, no. 4, p. 513–541.
Chesapeake Bay Program, 2020. Chesapeake Assessment and Scenario Tool (CAST) Version 2019. Chesapeake Bay Program Office, Last accessed [July, 2023].
do Carmo Precci Lopes, A., Ebner, C., Gerke, F., Wehner, M., Robra, S., Hupfauf, S., and Bockreis, A., 2022, Residual municipal solid waste as co-substrate at wastewater treatment plants: An assessment of methane yield, dewatering potential and microbial diversity: Science of The Total Environment, v. 804, p. 149936.
Environmental Protection Agency, 1994, A Plain English Guide to the EPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule.: p. 176.
Gravesen, C.R., Lee, L.S., Choi, Y.J., Silveira, M.L., and Judy, J.D., 2023, PFAS release from wastewater residuals as a function of composition and production practices: Environmental Pollution, v. 322, p. 121167.
ITRC, 2022, Environmental Fate and Transport Process, at ITRC at https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/5-environmental-fate-and-transport-processes/#5_2.
Johnson, G.R., 2022, PFAS in soil and groundwater following historical land application of biosolids: Water Research, v. 211, p. 118035.
Kleinfelder, J.H., 2022, PFAS Chemistry and Naming Conventions, History and Use of PFAS, and Sources of PFAS Releases to the Environment, at ITRC at https://pfas-1.itrcweb.org/2-pfas-chemistry-and-naming-conventions-history-and-use-of-pfas-and-sources-of-pfas-releases-to-the-environment-overview/.
MABA, 2022, Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances (PFAS), accessed June 20, 2023, at https://maba.memberclicks.net/per--and-polyfluorinated-substances--pfas-.
Schultz, M.M., Higgins, C.P., Huset, C.A., Luthy, R.G., Barofsky, D.F., and Field, J.A., 2006, Fluorochemical Mass Flows in a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Facility: Environmental Science & Technology, v. 40, no. 23, p. 7350–7357.
Sepulvado, J.G., Blaine, A.C., Hundal, L.S., and Higgins, C.P., 2011, Occurrence and Fate of Perfluorochemicals in Soil Following the Land Application of Municipal Biosolids: Environmental Science & Technology, v. 45, no. 19, p. 8106–8112.
Venkatesan, A.K., and Halden, R.U., 2013, National inventory of perfluoroalkyl substances in archived U.S. biosolids from the 2001 EPA National Sewage Sludge Survey: Journal of Hazardous Materials, v. 252–253, p. 413–418.
Wang, Y., Chang, W., Wang, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Wang, M., Wang, Y., and Li, P., 2019, A review of sources, multimedia distribution and health risks of novel fluorinated alternatives: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, v. 182, p. 109402.
THANK YOU
Emily Majcher
Andyrew Seckellick
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