How can we create a sustainable biosolids strategy?
Challenge
Water and Sewerage companies across the UK produce over 3 million tonnes of Biosolids each year, with around 95% begin deployed to agriculture as a nutrient rich fertiliser. This practice aligns with the UK Government’s strategy for beneficial recycling which is seen to be a valuable alternative to other forms of alternative pathways that would have considerably impact upon the sectors carbon footprint and net zero objectives.
The biosolids to land model currently aligns well with the waste hierarchy, and has historically been viewed as best practice, as well as gaining accreditation under the Biosolids Assurance Scheme (BAS). However, there are currently many external influences and upcoming regulatory changes which pose considerable risks to biosolids to agriculture as a final outlet.
Regulatory uncertainty within the organic materials to land industry remains at this moment in time, with pending changes to Farming Rules for Water expected to impact upon Water and Sewage Companies activity of deploying nutrient rich biosolids to land throughout the full calendar year.
In addition increasing public and political perception of emerging contaminants such as microplastics and PFAS contained with biosolids continues against a background of minimal UK targeted evidence.
The sector has mobilised to address these concerns under the guidance of Water UK to provide a structured understanding of how the sectors future Bioresources Strategy could evolve in the medium to long term horizon; however what can we do now to continue the valued application of Biosolids to agriculture.
How might the sector continue its biosolids deployment to land throughout the year at the required volumes mitigating the need of energy consuming alternatives? What is the sectors biosolids strategy?
Proposal
This sprint will look at how we can continue to utilise biosolids within agriculture, whilst remaining economically efficient, environmentally friendly and align with our core values. We aim to answer the following questions:
- How can we continue with the current operating model? What needs to change?
- How can we reduce the product volume, and maximise the final value?
- What are our alternative land options and markets?
Description
Sponsored by AtkinsRealis, this sprint will bring together a pool of industry experience, technical knowledge and engage stakeholders to determine our strategy for sustainable biosolids use for today and in the future.
Target Audience
- Universities and research fellows
- Technical experts
- Regulators- OFWAT, EA, DEFRA
- Agricultural community
- Wider waste industry
- Other Bioresources experts across the Water and Sewerage Industry
What will we do?
- Hear from a number of experts on how this process is currently carried out
- Blow away any myths and mis-understandings about current responsibilities
- Work together to produce a desirable solution, broken into a prioritised list
- Explore and research what has already been done by hearing from …. TBC
- Work with solution providers to develop a number of proposed solutions
- Select at least one of these as a follow-on development project and propose a process
- Create the stakeholder group
