Emission rates and characterization of aerosols produced during the spreading of dewatered class B biosolids.
Environ Sci Technol
; 41(10): 3537-44, 2007 May 15.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-17547175
ABSTRACT
This study measured aerosol emission rates produced during the spreading of dewatered class B biosolids onto agricultural land. Rates were determined in multiple independent experimental runs by characterizing both the source aerosol plume geometry and aerosol concentrations of PM10, total bacteria, heterotrophic plate count bacteria (HPC), two types of biosolids indicator bacteria, endotoxin, and airborne biosolids regulated metals. These components were also measured in the bulk biosolids to allow for correlating bulk biosolids concentrations with aerosol emission rates and to produce reconstructed aerosol concentrations. The average emission rates and associated standard deviation for biosolids PM10, total bacteria, HPC, total coliforms, sulfite-reducing Clostridia, endotoxin, and total biosolids regulated metals were 10.1 +/- 8.0 (mg/s), 1.98 +/- 1.41 x 10(9) (no./s), 9.0 +/- 11.2 x 10(7) (CFU/s), 4.9 +/- 2.2 x 10(3) (CFU/ s), 6.8 +/- 3.8 x 10(3) (CFU/s), 2.1 +/- 1.8 x 10(4) (EU/s), and 36.9 +/- 31.8 (microg/s) respectively. Based on the land application rates of spreaders used in this study, an estimated 7.6 +/- 6.3 mg of biosolids were aerosolized for every 1 kg (dry weight) applied to land. Scanning electron microscopy particle size distribution analysis of the aerosols revealed that greater than 99% of the emitted particles were less than 10 microm and particle size distributions had geometric mean diameters and standard deviations near 1.1 +/- 0.97 microm. The demonstrated correlations of bulk biosolids concentrations with aerosol emission rates, and the reconstruction of aerosol concentration based on PM10 and bulk biosolids concentration provide a more fundamental, bulk biosolids-based approach for extending biosolids aerosol exposure assessment to different land application scenarios and a broader range of toxins and pathogens.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Aerosols
/
Particulate Matter
Language:
En
Journal:
Environ Sci Technol
Year:
2007
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States