A team of Michigan State University researchers has received a nearly $2 million dollar grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, the Great Lakes Water Authority and Colorado-based organizations Brown and Caldwell, Progressive Farms and South Platte Renew according to the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The researchers will investigate the role biosolids play in polluting soil, water and plants.

Biosolids are a product of wastewater treatment. When wastewater is treated, liquids and solids are separated. The separated solids are treated physically and chemically to produce nutrient-rich byproducts known as biosolids, according to the EPA.