C. P. Gerba, M. J. Goss and A. Unc, In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment (Second Edition), edited by M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Volume 1, 2023, Pages 567-577, Academic Press
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822974-3.00286-X
On-site – mainly septic systems – and centralized wastewater treatment systems treat vast volumes daily. Most wastewater from septic systems reaches soils via covered leaching beds. Municipal biosolids are applied to cropland for their nutrient value after receiving treatments of various intensity but the soil is relied on to act as a treatment medium by adsorbing and degrading contaminants, inactivating viruses, and reducing viability of other pathogens. The efficacy of soil treatment depends on climate, hydraulic loading which is managed to induce fast or slow infiltration, the hydraulic properties of the soil, and the functional state of the soil biology.
