From the toilet to the fields.

Fertilizers. Everyone's heard of them and know what they are, but this is one organic source of fertilizer that I personally have never heard of prior to this. Biosolids, also known as sewage sludge, are processed nutrient-rich organic solids resulting from treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment facility. It is essential that this sludge is treated and processed in order to kill any potential pathogenic bacteria, and it must be carefully tested to ensure the safety levels for heavy metals and other contaminants are not exceeded. These solids are recycled and applied as a fertilizer to improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth.

Wastewater biosolids go through several processes in order to eliminate pathogens. I won’t go into a very detailed description of it, but I will give you a generalization of it. Their treatment can begin even before the wastewater reaches the sewage plant. This wastewater would be pre-treated in order to remove many hazardous contaminants before it is sent to a wastewater treatment plant. Then, when it reaches its destination at the wastewater plant, the sewage goes through physical, chemical, and biological processes which clean the wastewater and removes the solids. Then if it is necessary, the solids are treated with lime to raise the pH level. This would eliminate any offensive odours. The wastewater solids would than be sanitized through these processes to control pathogens and other organisms capable of transporting disease.

When it comes down to the pros and cons of using this agricultural practice, there are many for both sides. For now, I will focus on the pros. First of all, creating this fertilizer will create many job opportunities for people, as would almost any job. It could also potentially promote more farming. By treating sewage sludge, it can be turned into valuable fertilizer instead of taking up space in a landfill or other disposal factory. It also reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. The use of biosolids reduces the farmer's production costs and replenishes the organic matter that has been dwindling over time. The organic matter improves soil structure by increasing the soil's ability to absorb and store moisture. The organic nitrogen and phosphorous found in biosolids are used very efficiently by crops because these plant nutrients are released slowly throughout the growing season. This enables the crop to absorb these nutrients as the crop grows. This efficiency lessens the likelihood of groundwater pollution of nitrogen and phosphorous. Lastly, it can also promote rapid timber and plant growth, and regenerates mine sites due to the renewal it creates. An undeniable characteristic of biosolids is that the organic matter and complement of essential nutrients in them can’t be duplicated by synthetic fertilizers. Biosolids beyond question have a lot of benefits, and contribute to waste reduction and nutrient recycling. “Biosolids are like vitamin pills for soil.” - Ken Arnold.

Of course, despite how many pros may be present, there are always cons that follow. The cons are that some biosolids may have a slight musty, ammonia odour. Some may have a stronger smell than others, and this may be offensive to some people. Studies show that chemicals such as lime, which is added during sludge processing, can irritate the skin and respiratory tract and make people more susceptible to infection. Sludge also has traces of household chemicals poured down drains, detergents from washing machines, heavy metals from industry, synthetic hormones from birth control pills, pesticides, and dioxins, which are a group of compounds that have been linked to cancer. Another con is that excessive amounts of this organic fertilizer can also result in nitrate contamination of surface and groundwater. As well, the accumulation of industrial waste can result in contamination. Overall, since its true composition is unknown, its effects are truly unknown. There are some potential health hazards linked to biosolids, and these effects can in the long run end up being irreversible.

This could potentially become a realistic alternative to our current agricultural practices if we become more aware of the true effects of biosolids. As soon as we have any questions cleared, biosolids have a great potential for becoming more popular. Of course, all regulations have to be met before biosolids can be applied as fertilizers. People are split when it comes to this practices. On one hand, it has so many benefits. On the other, it may be seen as juat human waste that is disgusting, unsanitary, and a nuisance. Personally, I think this sewage sludge can be a good thing, if you can get past the potential smell that is! It benefit’s the soil, so why not give this a shot. Yes, it may have came from our toilets, but it underwent many processes to get clean (sort of ). We’re reusing waste for something beneficial. Thus, shouldn’t we be encouraging this? I don’t know where you stand with this situation, but I believe that this is a perfectly fine practice, despite any flaws it may have.
 
 
 
SOURCES:

http://scijourner.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=34:from-toilet-to-table-biosolids-for-fertilizer&catid=13:technology&Itemid=40
 
http://www.epa.gov/OWM/mtb/biosolids/genqa.htm

http://lancaster.unl.edu/enviro/biosolids/fertil.shtml

http://www.aces.edu/crd/publications/ANR-721.html

Technological Advancements

Technology has definitely played a very important role in our understanding of how our internal body system works. Without these advances in technology, we would have to continuously cut open people's bodies in order to study and know how our internal organs look like. This would undoubtedly take a lot of time and effort. Not only does the advances in our technologies allow us to see what's inside of us without making any incisions, it also allows us to live longer lives because we are able to see what is going on inside of us. It would be really tough for us to detect anything that was going on inside our bodies prior to the new technological advances. Tumours, masses, and cancer would go undetected and untreated for long periods of time!

Take x-rays as an example. Though it was founded completely by accident in 1895 by a German scientist named Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen while he was experimenting with vacuum tubes, they have inevitably made a great contribution in the field of medicine and science. He even took his first x-ray picture just a week after his discovery. The picture he took was of his wife's hand, and he noticed that the wedding ring she was wearing wasn’t transparent as the skin was. Meaning it could plainly be seen. This definitely sparked a new interest among scientists in further pursuing the study of radiation. How did it's name came to be, you may be asking? Well, his colleagues believed that he should call it the Roentgen ray, after himself. Yet, he decided to call it the x-ray because he couldn't determine what type of radiation was being produced. The name x-ray stuck, but there are some people in Germany who do call it the Roentgen ray. Basically what x-rays do is that they allow us to take pictures of our insides, which allows us to have a general idea of our functions. They are also the oldest and most common form of medical imaging. How exactly would an x-ray machine work may you ask? Well, an x-ray machine produces a controlled beam of radiation, which is used to produce an image of the inside of our bodies. The reason that bones are seen through x-rays and not skin is because our bones are able to absorb more x-rays than our skin does. That's why our skin appears to be transparent, and only the silhouette of our bones can be seen. Shadows of our bones are projected onto and captured by film. This is how an x-ray functions and allows us to see our internal structure.

There are many other scans that can be performed in order to take pictures of all the organs that are inside of us. CT stands for computer tomography. Yet, it is also called a CAT scan. CAT stands for computed axial tomography. During this scan, a thin x-ray beam is rotated around the area of the body to be visualized. Through a complicated mathematical process called algorithms, the computer is able to generate a 3-D image of a section through the body. For this scan, a person is asked to lay down on a flat surface. They are then passed through the scanner. Once inside the scanner, the machine's x-ray beams rotate around you. Small detectors inside the scanner measures the amount of x-rays that make it through the part of the body that is being studied. A computer then takes these images and uses it to create several individual images called slices. 3-D models of organs can be created by stacking each one of these individual slices together. CT scans definitely create very detailed pictures of our body, including our brain, chest spine, and abdomen. These CT scans are able to identify tumours and masses, and even cancer! This is truly quite an amazing thing.

Through contributions from Canadians and other scientists from around the world, successful technological advances were achieved. Many people have contributed to the understanding of our internal body system and to easy access to studying our health internally. No wonder our population has been greatly increasing from the past! These advancements in technology have definitely benefited us greatly. We are able to detect things that would have gone on unnoticed if it weren’t for these advancements. We don’t only have better health, but a better knowledge of our internal body system as well.






Sources:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003330.htm

http://science.hq.nasa.gov/kids/imagers/ems/xrays.html