ABOUT MATERIAL MATTERS
Material Matters, Inc. was formed in 1997 in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to conduct professional consulting services in the area of biosolids and residuals. The initial focus was professional services related to land application of biosolids and residuals in Pennsylvania. In the years since, we have expanded to serve not only municipalities, but also commercial and industrial clients, with diverse expertise and offerings in the areas of odor assessment, master planning, processing improvements, permitting, Class A process evaluation, marketing, data management, bench and pilot studies, demonstration studies, phosphorus management, composting, water quality trading, and Environmental Management Systems (EMS).
In 2004 Material Matters brought the Material Manager™ database to the marketplace, a relational database management application for biosolids and other residuals. This program assists wastewater treatment facilities with managing, record-keeping, and reporting to help assure their biosolids programs comply with state and federal regulations. The program can be easily customized to meet specific state agronomic and reporting needs, and has been modified for use in 11 states nationally.
Recent Residuals Projects Include:
- Development of self-managed beneficial use programs that result in significant savings for municipal and industrial clients
- Management and development of water quality nutrient trading programs for municipal and industrial clients, including inter-basin trading and non-point source to point source trades
- Preparation of marketing studies (local and national) for fertilizer and energy markets, and assisting with implementation of study recommendations for various Exceptional Quality biosolids and ashes
- Conducting biosolids master studies for biosolids that also include energy use and green house gas emission evaluations
- Assessment of sources of waste heat suitable for use in drying biosolids relative to proximity, source, type, and cost
- Assessment of odors at processing sites and land application sites, and biosolids product odor evaluations and recommendation for improvement
- Evaluating biosolids and residual quality characteristics and providing recommendations for improvements
- Data management and analysis, database preparation, and innovative approaches to use of the internet for sharing data
- Acquisition of a broad range of federal and state regulatory approvals related to residuals management
- Offering Environmental Management System (EMS) consulting and auditing
- Conducting bench, pilot, and demonstration studies related to biosolids processing and vegetative growth evaluations
- Development of compost projects from pilot, permitting, design, and implementation
These assignments involve effective interaction and coordination with various regulatory agencies, municipalities, industries, and the agricultural community.
