Residuals and Biosolids Community

The WEF Residuals and Biosolids Community (RBC) shall develop, recommend, and assist in conducting programs to provide information regarding management options, regulatory compliance, and current practices for residuals and biosolids.

The Residuals and Biosolid Community (RBC) develops and promotes cost-effective practices and policies in biosolids and energy technologies associated with municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater residuals for the protection of the environment.

RBC supports scientifically sound and environmentally friendly regulatory practices and policies to improve and standardize carbon emission accounting and tracking practices while promoting cooperation between government agencies, associations, corporations, and the public.

RBC advances the industry through recruiting, mentoring, and developing the residuals and biosolids profession.

View the RBC Strategic Plan

RBC educates the members, public, and policymakers on residuals and biosolids issues through the development of practices and services that assist WEF members in serving the public interest regarding scientifically sound residuals and biosolids environmental practices and regulation.

Access the Residuals and Biosolids Community Plan and learn more about the National Biosolids Partnership.

Access the Residuals and Biosolids Community New Member Welcome Packet

Access the Residuals and Biosolids Community Biosolids Resources Website to learn more about the RBC communication tools, products, and resources.

Chair
Dru Whitlock, 2023 - 2025
Email:  dru.whitlock@stantec.com 

Vice Chair
Natalie Sierra, 2023 - 2025
Email:  nsierra@brwncald.com

2nd Vice Chair
Rashi Gupta, 2023 - 2025
Email:  rgupta@carollo.com

Past Chair
Karri Ving, 2021 - 2023
Email:  KVing@BrwnCald.com

WEF Staff Manager
Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 

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Focus Groups

• Association of Biosolids and Byproducts Associations (ABBA) Focus Group
• Bioenergy Technology Focus Group
• Biosolids Products Use and Communication Focus Group
• Greenhouse Gas Focus Group
• RBC Specialty Conference Focus Group
• Solids Separation Focus Group
• Young Professionals Focus Group

Association of Biosolids and Byproducts Associations (ABBA) Focus Group

Mission: To enable efficient exchange of residuals and biosolids management information in all the regions/states/provinces in the U. S. and Canada with various biosolids groups.

Chair: Ryan Batjiaka
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Resource Recovery
Email: RBatjiaka@sfwater.org

Vice Chair: Nickolas Hines
Material Matters, Inc.
Email: nhines@materialmatters.com

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 

Bioenergy Technology Focus Group

Mission: The Bioenergy Technology Focus Group promotes biosolids and energy technologies associated with municipal, agricultural, and industrial wastewater residuals to sustain a healthy environment.

Goals: 

• To promote bioenergy technologies, both in image and use
• To become the information source for bioenergy technologies
• To be a recognized impartial resource for the public, public officials, and utilities
• To be a technical resource for bioenergy regulations development

 Technology Task Force Activities:

• Biofuels
• High Performance Digestion
• Thermal Drying
• Thermal Oxidation and High Temperature (Pyrolysis, Gasification)
• Combined Heat and Power
• Co-Digestion
• Funding

Recent releases:  

• Biosolids Thermal Dryer Safety (2022) 
• Biosolids Gasification (2022)
• Combined Heat and Power Microturbines (2021)
• Introduction to Bioenergy Funding through Public Private Partnerships (2020)
• High Performance Anaerobic Digestion (2019)
• Introduction to Funding Opportunities: Bioenergy and GHG Reducing Projects (2017)
• Combined Heat and Power: Internal Combustion Engines (2017)
• Dryer Survey Fact Sheet (2017)
• Renewable Identification Numbers: A Guideline for Water Resource Recovery Facilities (2016)
• Biogas to Renewable Natural Gas (RNG): A Guideline for Water Resource Recovery Facilities(2016)
• Air Quality Permitting Fact Sheet (2015) 
• Biogas Utilization: A Regional Snapshot in Understanding Factors that Affect Water Resource Recovery Facilities (2015)
• Thermal Oxidation Fact Sheet (2014)
• Enabling the Future:  Advancing Resource Recovery from Biosolids (2013)  
• Drying of Wastewater Solids (2014)

Chair: Mandy Sheposh, 2023-2025
Johnson Controls
Email:amanda.sheposh@jci.com

Vice Chair: Marcel Pomerleau, 2023-2025
EnviroCare International
Email:marcel_pomerleau@envirocare.com

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 

Biosolids Products Use and Communication Focus Group

Mission:

• To promote the beneficial use of biosolids and other organics through scientific and environmentally sound management.
• To promote mutually beneficial relationships between biosolids and other organics residuals generators
• To promote cooperation between government agencies, member associations, corporations and the public to improve communication and education on the benefit of beneficial use.

Goals:

• To identify stakeholders key to the beneficial use of biosolids and other organics.
• To identify common needs, expectations, and opportunities between stakeholders.
• To identify existing association meetings, conferences, seminars sharing information on the beneficial use of residuals.
• To facilitate workshops and conferences to promote beneficial use of biosolids and other organics.
• To create deliverables with these action goals in mind:
  • To advance environmentally sounds biosolids management practices and serve as an information clearing house on effective biosolids practices. (NBP)
  • Provide Technical Assistance and offer an Environmental Management System (EMS) based continual improvement program that goes beyond regulatory requirements. (NBP)
  • To connect industry leaders and enable efficient exchange of biosolids and organics management information (ABBA)

Technical Resources:

• Land Application of Biosolids - Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents (2017)
• Phosphorus in Biosolids: How to Protect Water Quality While Advancing Biosolids Use (2014)
• Phosphorus in Biosolids One-Page Summary

Chair: Eric Spargimino, 2023-2025
CDM Smith
Email: spargiminoem@cdmsmith.com

Vice Chair: Janine Burke-Wells, 2023-2025
North East Biosolids & Residuals Association
Email: janine@nebiosolids.org

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 

Greenhouse Gas Focus Group

The mission of the Greenhouse Gas Focus Group of the Residuals and Biosolids Community is act as a clearing house for information on carbon emission accounting and to identify additional industry research needs as follows:

Mission: 

• Promote scientifically sound carbon emission tracking and accounting practices and regulation.
• Help develop and promote carbon emission accounting practices and policies that assist WEF members in serving the public interest
• To promote cooperation between government agencies, associations, corporations and the public to improve and standardize carbon emission accounting and tracking practices.
• Deliver high-quality products and services to our members and stakeholders.

Goals:  

• Track carbon emission research and sharing relevant information from regional, national, and international organizations with the Carbon Emissions Focus Group and RBC
• Identify information “gaps” in GHG inventory models that may be addressed through WERF studies
• Coordinate with other organizations with similar interests, including the WEF Sustainability Community of Practice and the NACWA – Biosolids Management and Climate & Energy Committee
• Coordinate with The Climate Registry and ICLEI on potential modifications to the Local Government Operations Protocol 
• Sponsor, organize, and participate in carbon emission accounting information sharing opportunities such as workshops and presentations at the local, regional, and national level.
• Become a technical resource for carbon emissions tracking and accounting information

Fact Sheets:

• Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks for Water Resource Recovery Facilities (2021)
• How are WRRFs Inventorying Greenhouse Gas Emissions? (2020)
• Introduction to Funding Opportunities: Bioenergy and GHG Reducing Projects (2017)

Chair: Emma Shen, 2024-2026
Jacobs
Email: Emma.shen@jacobs.com

Vice Chair: Shannon Cavanaugh, 2024-2026
Brown and Caldwell
Email: SCavanaugh@brwncald.com

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 

RBC Specialty Conference Focus Group

The Specialty Conference Focus Group assists in the planning and implementation of the annual Residuals and Biosolids Conference.

Chair: Alexander Kramer
Harvest Technology, LLC
Email: AKraemer@Harvest.LLC

Vice Chair: Manuel Moncholi
Stantec
Email: Manuel.Moncholi@stantec.com

WEF Staff Conference Contact: Julianne Jones
Email: jjones@wef.org

Solids Separation Focus Group

Mission:

To promote solids thickening and dewatering knowledge transfer through collaboration between the industry and academia to optimize processes and develop technologies that meet the needs of biosolids handling facilities.

Goals:

• To strengthen synergies between academia and the industry
• To promote and advance “real world” application of scientifically sound thickening and dewatering research.
• To become a thickening and dewatering technical resource for the public, municipalities, consultants and manufacturers.

Dewatering Factsheet Series:

• Fundamentals of Thickening and Dewatering (2021)
• Solids Capture in Thickening and Dewatering Process (2021)
• Operator Fact Sheet: Understanding Polymer For Thickening and Dewatering Processes (Updated July 2021)
• Thickening and Dewatering (2019)
• Automation of Dewatering and Impacts on Overall Cost (2019)
• Solids Pretreatment Methods to Enhance Dewatering Performance (2019)
• Solids Capture in Dewatering Processes (2019)
• Polymer/Flocculants 101 (2019)
• Vivianite Impacts on Solids Processes (2019)
• Bench Scale vs Pilot Scale Dewatering Testing (2019)
• Factors Affecting Municipal Biosolids Dewaterability (2019)
• Bench Scale Dewaterability Assessments: How Can We Determine Process Impacts on Cake Solids? (2019)
• Bench Scale Dewaterability Assessments: Methods for Determining an Optimal Polymer Demand (2019)

Chair: Natalia Perez, 2024-2026
NYC Department of Environmental Protection 
Email: nperez@dep.nyc.gov 

Vice Chair: Stephanie Spalding, 2024-2026
HDR, Inc
Email: stephanie.spalding@hdrinc.com

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org 
  

Young Professionals Focus Group

Mission: The RBC YP Focus Group mission is to facilitate the exchange of ideas & knowledge in a multi-generational space by engaging students and young professionals to promote effective collaboration, develop original technical content, and network across WEF’s other YP communities.

Goals

• To promote transfer of knowledge to WEF YP professionals on solids treatment at the student, graduate student, and junior engineer level
• To facilitate curriculum development in environmental engineering programs in the field of Residuals and Biosolids
• Promote YP involvement in the RBC Leadership, Focus Groups, local Member Associations, Student Chapters and social gatherings
• Expose RBC membership to new, alternative communication options and enable leveraging of those options for Community business
• To facilitate community within the biosolids practice group.

Chair: Alex Seidel, 2024-2026
Brown and Caldwell
Email: ASeidel@BrwnCald.com

Vice Chair: Maddy Fairley-Wax, 2024-2026
Jacobs
Email: Maddy.FairleyWax@jacobs.com

WEF Staff Manager: Victoria Weitekamp
Email: vweitekamp@wef.org