How Sludge Can Save The World

Sludge. It’s slimy, filthy, smelly and disgusting – but that’s just what most people think.

On the surface, sludge appears as useless waste in slimy, saturated form, but underneath all these seemingly unpleasant features, sludge is actually quite beneficial, and can even be considered as contributory to helping the earth conserve and preserve resources.

What is Sludge?

But what exactly is sludge? Essentially, sludge is what remains after industrial wastewater treatment or sewage treatment (apart from effluents or treated wastewater). During these treatment processes, wastewater recovered from domestic as well as industrial processes are collected and the solids are separated from as much of the liquid as possible, forming the slurry we know as sludge.

Because of its highly varied composition and the many processes it undergoes including anaerobic decomposition, sludge is packed with all kinds of things, including numerous nutrients, metals, pathogenic organisms and various other chemicals.

Also known as biosolids or compost, sludge is not considered a pollutant though some studies have shown that it can be potentially harmful to human health due to the pathogens, metals and other chemicals present within it.

How Sludge Supports the Environment

Despite essentially being made up of waste, sludge is highly beneficial and can be a very valuable resource that can help save the world in more ways than one. While it’s long been used as landfilling material, sludge is now gaining more recognition as the following:

• All-natural fertiliser – According to a study with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, common sewage sludge generally contains most of the nutrients considered vital to plant growth. These nutrients include nitrogen, phosphorous, magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulphur, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and selenium. These nutrients are released slowly in sludge, and with the addition of sludge soil becomes more able to hold and absorb nutrients. Sludge also helps lessen erosion and natural soil runoff. The application of sludge as plant fertiliser then proves to be most beneficial for it not only enriches the earth and supports long-term and healthy plant growth, it also conserves organic matter; and the bacteria and nutrients present within sludge help to complete the nutrient cycle.


• Source of sustainable power – Another developing use for processed sludge nowadays is as fuel for energy production. In the US as well as in Sweden various groups are actively making more use of sludge as a source of sustainable power by turning it into steam, using it in place of coal, and producing electricity, biogas and other such fuels. This has been proving most efficient in some areas of the world, as these processes, particularly steam production, require less drying of sludge and therefore less energy. Studies have also shown that processed sludge or biosolids had lesser levels of contaminants than coal, making it a better choice for incineration. Because of these developments, more wastewater treatment plants are being set up and working together with communities and governments.

With the amount of wastewater produced and treated every year resulting in hundreds of tons of sludge, it is definitely the ideal time to consider the usefulness of sludge. Though many are still apprehensive about the secondary uses of sludge because of the harmful elements still present in it as well as the many stringent rules regulating its use, modern treatment methods and technologies are constantly being developed to ensure that the reuse of sludge produces limited to no harmful effects to the environment. With these developments, sludge will slowly but surely become a vital resource, quite literally turning waste into valuable and useful materials that can help save the earth.

 

By Debra Wright

Debra Wright is a creative and innovative blogger and online marketing specialist. She uses her wordsmith skills to share her ideas, thoughts, and tips to other people about topics that fascinate her, such as environmental issues. Follow Debra on twitter @debrawrites…

How Sludge Can Save The World

5 Common Characteristics of Eco Friendly Bathroom Designs

Image credit: Wikimedia

One of the best things you can do to make your household sustainable is to redesign the bathroom to be eco-friendly. The bathroom is where you use the most water. You use a range of cleaning products regularly. A bathroom is a small enclosed space that has a big impact. Having a green bathroom will make you and your environment healthier. Here are five common characteristics of eco-friendly bathroom designs.
Reduced Water Use

The best way to make your bathroom more eco-friendly is to reduce the amount of water running down the drain. If your bathroom hasn’t been retrofitted with a low-flow shower head, do that first. An old-fashioned shower head delivers 2 1/2 gallons per minute. A low-flow shower head can cut that amount in half.

Another waste of water is leaky faucets. A sustainable bathroom is one in which all leaks are fixed promptly. Even a dripping faucet adds significantly to the amount of water wasted if left unfixed.
A High-Efficiency Toilet

One-quarter of household water use comes from flushing the toilet. Installing a low-flow toilet is a bigger financial commitment than replacing the shower head, but doing so will cut down on water use significantly. An old toilet can use as much as seven gallons per flush. A high-efficiency toilet can reduce that amount by two-thirds.

If a new toilet isn’t in your budget at the moment, you can reduce water use by displacing some of the water from the tank. Fill a plastic soda bottle with sand or gravel and set it in the tank. Be careful not to interfere with the flushing apparatus. The tank will fill with less water and use less water for each flush.
Eco-Friendly Tile

Many products are now made using some or all recycled materials. When you design your eco-friendly bathroom, look into the kind of tile you are planning to use. Companies now manufacture a variety of tiles from recycled materials. You can get ceramic tile that’s made from 50 percent recycled materials. Glass tiles are being made from up to 100 percent pre- or post-consumer recycled glass. You can even get shower cork tiles made from old wine-bottle corks.
Green Building and Bath Products

An eco-friendly bathroom contains sustainable products. The “new” smell that comes from paint or other building materials indicates the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs like formaldehyde and paraben are toxic. Paint the walls with low-VOC paint. Instead of a vinyl shower curtain, invest in one made of hemp or linen. There are also shower curtains that are made with a chlorine-free vinyl replacement.

Cut down on paper products. Buy recycled toilet paper. Eliminate paper towels entirely. Replace them with rags. The best rags are bar towels, which work for any use and can be washed over and over again.

Use hand and bath towels made with sustainable cotton that is chemical and pesticide free.
Homemade Cleaning Products

Green cleaning goes without saying. Use one of the many sustainable brands out there, or make your own cleaning products. Clean glass and chrome with a little distilled vinegar in water. The surfaces will be shiny and streak-free. Add a little baking soda to the mix, and this becomes a good way to clean and whiten grout. Apply the cleanser and let it sit for ten minutes. Then scrub. As always, you want to check and make sure cleaners are safe for specific types of surfaces (carpet, wood, glass, etc).

Fill a spray bottle with water and add a dozen drops of tea tree oil, lavender oil or citrus oil. Spray the shower tiles after every shower. Clean the sink and tub with this natural disinfectant. You can also use rosemary or eucalyptus essential oils for their antibacterial properties. Eucalyptus is good for the lungs.

 

This contribution comes from Build Guardian, a custom home builder in Idaho Falls.

 

5 Common Characteristics of Eco Friendly Bathroom Designs

Best Ways To Save Energy

 

From Pinterest

Saving energy has never been so important . Energy prices are at an all time high – saving energy will not only reduce the amount of emissions released into our environment but it will also help you save on your energy costs each month.

There is no need to make any drastic changes just yet. There are plenty of ways that you can lessen your carbon footprint and have a bit of extra cash in your account each month just by making some small yet effective changes.

If you’re looking for ways on reducing your energy bills and saving the environment at the same time, then here’s a list of the 5 best ways to save energy to get you started.

 

 

Be efficient with heating

It may surprise you to know that keeping your heating on for longer periods of time at a lower temperature is more energy efficient than using big blasts of heat at a high temperature – which actually uses more energy.

You could install a programmable thermostat, this will control the heating as and when you need it keeping the temperature at a comfortable level. If you’re prone to feeling cold then try and wear more clothes around the house an extra jumper, some woolen socks or an extra blanket on the bed could stop you from feeling tempted to crank up the heating.

 

Energy saving light bulbs

LED lighting is becoming more and more popular amongst homeowners  – LED’s light bulbs and lamps can save you hundred of pounds per year in energy costs. LED lightbulbs may set you back more in the beginning but as a long term investment they could save you hundreds. Switching to LED lighting makes financial sense, LED light bulbs can last up to 50,000 hours of continued use, they lower energy consumptions and decrease carbon emissions.

 

Be wise with your washing

Turning down to 30 degrees is an easy way to shrink those bills as 90% of a machines machines energy usage is from heating the water. Only use your tumble dryer in an emergency, tumble dryers are the second biggest energy user after the fridge – hang your clothes outside or hang your clothes on a clothes airer they may take longer to dry but the money you will save is well worth the wait.

 

Be clever when cooking

It easy to plan ahead when cooking – cook two meals at the same time to get the most out of your cooker, you have more than one shelf so you may aswell use then all. Try and wash your dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher every day, or be sure to fill the dishwasher before turning it on.

Be sure to use energy efficient appliances in your kitchen, Energy Star appliances use up to 10-50% less energy than their counterparts.  Make sure you turn all your appliances off when you’re not using them, in some cases you could unplug them – used be surprised how many appliances use energy even when “switched off”.

 

Insulate insulate insulate!

The government now has a scheme that offer rants to help pay for insulation in your home – especially if you have cavity walls. Insulation can save you up to 15% on energy bills which with or without the grant can save you money in the long run. Loft insulation is also important as heat rises and most of the heat is lost through the loft space.

Best Ways To Save Energy