Pennsylvania Code
Title 25 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Part I - Department of Environmental Protection
Subpart D - Environmental Health and Safety
Article VIII - Municipal Waste
Chapter 271 - MUNICIPAL WASTE MANAGEMENT-GENERAL PROVISIONS
Subchapter J - BENEFICIAL USE OF SEWAGE SLUDGE BY LAND APPLICATION
PATHOGENS AND VECTOR ATTRACTION REDUCTION
Section 271.931 - Special definitions
The following words and terms have the following meanings and are applicable to §§ 271.932 and 271.933 (relating to pathogens; and vector attraction reduction):
Aerobic digestion-The biochemical decomposition of organic matter in sewage sludge into carbon dioxide and water by microorganisms in the presence of air.
Anaerobic digestion-The biochemical decomposition of organic matter in sewage sludge into methane gas and carbon dioxide by microorganisms in the absence of air.
Density of microorganisms-The number of microorganisms per unit mass of total solids (dry weight) in the sewage sludge.
Land with a high potential for public exposure-Land that the public uses frequently. This includes, but is not limited to, a public contact site and a reclamation site located in a populated area (for example, a construction site located in a city).
Land with a low potential for public exposure-Land that the public uses infrequently. This includes, but is not limited to, agricultural land, forest and a reclamation site located in an unpopulated area (for example, a surface mine located in a rural area).
Pathogenic organisms; disease-causing organisms-These include, but are not limited to, certain bacteria, protozoa, viruses and viable helminth ova.
pH-The logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration
Specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR)-The mass of oxygen consumed per unit time per unit mass of total solids (dry weight basis) in the sewage sludge.
Total solids-The materials in sewage sludge that remain as residue when the sewage sludge is dried at 103° to 105°C.
Unstabilized solids-Organic materials in sewage sludge that have not been treated in either an aerobic or anaerobic treatment process.
Vector attraction-The characteristic of sewage sludge that attracts rodents, flies, mosquitoes or other organisms capable of transporting infectious agents.
Volatile solids-The amount of the total solids in sewage sludge lost when the sewage sludge is combusted at 1022°F (or 550°C) in the presence of excess air.
This section cited in 25 Pa. Code § 271.821 (relating to application for general permit).
