FROM THE PREFACEThe main objective of composting is to transform organic materials into a stable usable product. Often organic materials which may have limited beneficial use in their raw state or have regulatory disposal constraints can be transformed by composting into marketable products. The limits on beneficial reuse may be regulations or they may be due to the potential for materials to be putrescible or pathogenic. Composting can be a solution for each of these.The implementation of composting on a large scale (in contrast to home or backyard composting) involves materials handling....

Over 50 percent of the 6,900 million dry tons of sewage sludge generated each year in the United States is land applied. The principal controversies surrounding the land application of biosolids involve heavy metals and pathogens. Land Application of Sewage Sludge and Biosolids is a comprehensive, scientific text providing a complete review of various aspects of this controversial subject, from an extensive discussion of heavy metals and pathogens to the fate and effects of organic compounds. Consideration is given to crop removal of metals and organics, soil erosion, and leaching, as well as...