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- Просмотров 122 284
Transform
Канада
Добавлен 10 дек 2013
These videos provide some of our experience and stories with composting and the use of compost. There may also be personal stories and reflections among the videos.
Adding Dried and Ground Food Scraps to our Garden
While we may love to believe that dried and ground food scraps from our kitchen composters are proven to create greener lawns and abundant gardens, let's also consider the practical. They create a flush of microbes that may temporarily change some of the characteristics of the soil. We may be inviting unexpected guests to our gardens - animals both small and large! Yes, the dried and ground food scraps contain organic matter and nutrients, and should be returned to the soil. After observing this product in my garden, I think composting the dried and ground food scraps optimizes its value.
Просмотров: 736
Видео
Composting Dried and Ground Kitchen Scraps
Просмотров 37521 день назад
How can I compost the dried and ground food scraps from my kitchen "composter"? They are packed full of energy, but there are no microbes left in it. We need to add the microbes and create the right conditions for them to thrive - including moisture and especially enough oxygen! This video shows how we created compost that looked and behaved much differently after a 5 week composting process. I...
Kitchen Composters May Miss An Opportunity
Просмотров 1902 месяца назад
I love my kitchen "composter" but calling it a composter is not only incorrect, it misses an opportunity to produce renewable natural gas! We found that the methane generation potential of these dried and ground food scraps is similar to fresh food scraps per kg of volatile solids. The benefits include a dry and stable product, free of contaminants and having 4 times the energy per kilogram com...
Making Compost is not like Making Wine
Просмотров 4533 месяца назад
I used to suggest that making good compost is like making wine - it gets better with age. I was wrong. With composting food waste, why do I have four-week old compost that is just as mature as another 1 year old compost. Why does this 1 year old compost have a more pungent odour than my two week old compost? I explore some of the factors impacting potential odor and time to maturity. Perhaps co...
Measuring Compost Maturity Using a 1 L Thermos
Просмотров 7194 месяца назад
Compost maturity can be easily measured with a 1 L Thermos and a thermometer! Its an opportunity for smaller composters or composters in remote areas to easily and cost effectively measure compost maturity. We are getting similar results as the Dewar self heating test. Its not an official test, and its not quite as sensitive as the Solvita test, but it gives composters and compost users a reall...
Compost Maturity Tests That I Like Using
Просмотров 1,3 тыс.4 месяца назад
Regulations in Canada define compost as being mature but don't explain what mature is, or how to test for it. I like using the Solvita test or the Dewar self heating test as long as the instructions are followed. We can do these tests ourselves. We know how we have prepared the compost and we are responsible for its quality. Although third party testing may be a regulatory requirement, we alrea...
Forced Aeration May Produce Stable Compost That Is Not Mature
Просмотров 2 тыс.6 месяцев назад
Most of us appreciate and expect compost to be mature. We assess maturity using a stability test. Our compost may be stable but not mature! Forced air compost systems in particular, allow us to stabilize the compost by drying it, but it may not be mature. Dry immature compost may heat and create odor when its rewetted. It also may contain high fecal coliform that survive the high temperatures e...
Compost Can Be Stable But Not Mature
Просмотров 5 тыс.6 месяцев назад
Is compost maturity important? Its important for microbial diversity that help plants with disease resistance. We normally use a stability test to estimate compost maturity. A stability test works when there is adequate moisture, and there are microbes! We must understand the limitations of stability testing so that we don't confuse stability with maturity.
Water Loss During Composting Impacts
Просмотров 1,9 тыс.8 месяцев назад
Approximately 400 L or more is evaporated from every tonne of composting material. When we compost outdoors, we hardly notice. When we compost indoors, we may be surprised, perhaps because we can’t see anything, or because its raining inside, or because our building is corroding. We will calculate the water loss, then discover what may be in that water!
Too Much Air Dries Compost
Просмотров 2,5 тыс.9 месяцев назад
When we compost high energy wastes like food waste, the compost dries quickly. Its a tricky balance - we can optimize the compost process, which then includes managing the moisture and mixing the material. Or we can provide less air, have a less efficient process, risk a lower pH in the compost, and risk potential odor. We have a choice, depending on how efficient we would like our compost to be!
Celebrating a Class Act in our Soil
Просмотров 28910 месяцев назад
On World Soil Day, we celebrate a class of soil microbes that help us flourish. They participate in sustainable food production, they provide hope in some of the ways that we harm our planet, and they provide antibiotics that keep us healthy. Actinobacter are a class of microbes that we can see and smell. We are only starting to learn the incredible diversity and function of soil microorganisms...
Limiting Aeration to Control Temperature
Просмотров 2,4 тыс.10 месяцев назад
I can give six reasons why we should limit aeration of our compost to keep it from getting too hot. I will then give four reasons why this may be a terrible idea. When organic matter decomposes, it produces heat. How we manage that heat impacts the activity of the microbial community. My observations are that we are slowing the composting process if we limit aeration. If our goal is to have our...
Is Low Oxygen Composting a Thing
Просмотров 1 тыс.11 месяцев назад
Composting at very low oxygen concentrations goes against every fiber of my knowlege and experience with microbes and composting. It was promoted by a compost expert, so I thought I would try it for fun. Wow, was I ever disappointed. After three months and three mixings, this compost looks nice, but is not nearly mature. And to think that I achieved Canadian maturity guidelines in three weeks w...
Composting Outdoors in a Rainforest - Surprised by Mature Compost
Просмотров 33611 месяцев назад
We expected that attempts to compost foodwaste outdoors in a rain forest climate would be disastrous - we were wrong! We expected saturated and smelly material that would have to be recomposted during the summer months. We found the compost to be very mature - despite the very high moisture content. This demonstrates the importance of adequate air-filled porosity.
Claystone Waste - Composting Effectively and Efficiently
Просмотров 9 тыс.Год назад
Claystone Waste began composting a few weeks ago - highlights of the facility and process include thorough and efficient blending using a Supreme 900 stationary mixer, aerated composting with timer and temperature feedback, and screening to 1" before curing. The mixing thoroughly coats the wood chips with the organic material, creating an optimal environment for the aerobic microbes during the ...
Composting on the West Coast of Vancouver Island Establishing Priorities
Просмотров 185Год назад
Composting on the West Coast of Vancouver Island Establishing Priorities
Removing Plastic at Small Food Waste Compost Facilities
Просмотров 4,5 тыс.Год назад
Removing Plastic at Small Food Waste Compost Facilities
Evolution of composting in Whitehorse, Yukon
Просмотров 1,5 тыс.Год назад
Evolution of composting in Whitehorse, Yukon
Aerating Compost Impact on pH and Volatile Acids
Просмотров 605Год назад
Aerating Compost Impact on pH and Volatile Acids
Drying and Grinding Food Scraps as a Waste Diversion Option
Просмотров 2,2 тыс.Год назад
Drying and Grinding Food Scraps as a Waste Diversion Option
My Aerated Static Pile is Dry and Lumpy
Просмотров 3,4 тыс.Год назад
My Aerated Static Pile is Dry and Lumpy
Chimney Effect Not Working in My Compost Windrow
Просмотров 5 тыс.2 года назад
Chimney Effect Not Working in My Compost Windrow
As always thank you for sharing your knowledge. I always try to recommend your channel to other people whenever I see the opportunity. 👍
Thank you John Paul! This was a great summary of your findings, very helpful! I realized a couple of months into my own trial that I didn’t account for the fact that the dried food scraps are super concentrated. I guess that you can imagine what happened 😂 I will try again with that in mind, as well as your numbers. Many thanks!
So people, this is 2/3rds manure, waaaay to hot. 60% woody brown, 30% green, 10% high N is an average, depending on the climate
How about using sludge to create liquid and gas forms of fuel?
That is beyond my expertise, so it would be difficult for me to comment on that.
Thanks! What would be the cheapest materials to DIY it? A self made composter would be nice❤
There are lots of ideas and plans for DIY composting bins available. I really like the insulated bins with a suspended aerated floor because they allow air flow and hold the heat much better. Its a bit more complicated to build that as a DIY project
Always thankful for your videos, as they provide certainty. I'm from the UK so have no idea what screened yard waste overs are. Could you let us know please?
Yard waste include tree and shrub trimmings including leaves and branches. May also include some lawn clippings. This is shredded and composted. The screened overs is the woody bits that are screened out after the composting process. In this case, they include everything that did not make it through a 1/2" screen. Hope that this helps.
Great video on composting 🇳🇿
Can the scraps be fed to animals?
Apparently it can, but may not be allowed commercially in certain areas. See also an article from 2020 that discusses this: www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/15/5959
Hi John Paul, and thanks for these fantastic videos! I'm also experimenting with composting the residues from these machines, because I agree with you that their product should not be called compost. I'm doing small static aerated piles.
Thanks for your comment, and I would love to hear about how your composting trials have gone! I will be posting a video on composting dried and ground food waste in the next couple weeks!
Feeding the machine residues to my worms worked well, though only in a thin layer otherwise it warmed up significantly. I’m not sure what the resulting salt content is, I’ll have to send a sample for testing sometime. I guess it depends on what went in to the machine. As for the ASP trial, I mixed the machine residues in with too many other feedstocks to get a good sense of how it composts. I will try it sometime with just one carbon feedstock and see how it goes. I got the impression that the stuff seemed to reduce the porosity of the mix… the pile has stayed above 60C for over two months now, the first month with aeration, second month without. Unfortunately I no longer have an oxygen meter. But I could see that the feedstock material had not broken down much after the first month.
Thank you for this excillent information. I want to know, incase of chicken manure, is it possible to decompose within 3 weeks to get odorless mature compost? Thus, chicken manure contain several times ammonia than cowdung or kitchen waste. I use compost turner in composter pile every alternative day.
It's not likely very easy to achieve with just chicken manure by itself. If you would wish to speed up the process, it would require actively aerating it, mixing it at least 2 x weekly, and adding water or other liquid material. Chicken manure contains so much energy, and hence requires a lot of air, which dries out the product quickly. Hence the need for adding water and mixing it at least 2 x weekly. Just turning the product with a compost turner works, but it takes a much longer because the oxygen drops to 0 within minutes after turning. I hope that this is helpful.
Thank you.
hi John, I am grateful for this short video - I am sharing it on our Facebook page :-)
you are very welcome!
Hi Mr.john I really appreciate your efforts on this content and it's 100 % benfit to my I'm very interested in wast management so thank you so much , may Allah bless you ❤
You are very welcome! Its great to hear that this is helpful!
What about bokashi? It's more like pickling.
Yes, bokashi is an anaerobic process that stabilizes the food waste by lowering pH. We don't get significant weight reduction, and I am curious whether the methane potential changes.
The idea at first with methanisers was good. But the problem with industrial methan plant is that it they act like the whole agro-industrial mafia; importing trashes full of plastic from HUNDREDS of KM away, and work even more by growing even more corn for this said "clean" energy. Everithing agro-industrial big owner touches become toxic and bad for everyone. It works only because of european subsidies they stole from honnest small scale farmers. They pollutes our rivers and take all water, lands, subsidies, governance for themself and gonna put humanity at risk of extinction for the short therm profit of a minority of heritocrates.
Thank you for sharing.
So how do you get ground a dried compost from you kitchen scraps ? In my case, what i found the best to do with my kitchen waste (after giving it to the chickens that gives eggs) is to lift mulch anywhere i need to feed a garden plant, dump the fresh food waste of the day under, and cover the much back. Each times, i do it somewhere different. In this way, all the potential of the foodscrap is super valuated by the microfauna that you just favorize its habitat, so they work the soil well each time.
There are appliances, sometimes called "kitchen composters" (you can google this), that produced dried and ground food scraps.
Great video 🇳🇿🌱
As always thank you for sharing your knowledge. I have a new idea for aerating my next compost pile with an aquarium pump. Instead of using a solid PVC pipe I was thinking about using a plugged flexible air hose with very small pinholes. This way I can coil the hose with the pin holes through the entire pile, maybe even in multiple patterns at different heights, while I am building up the pile. And then the air will be somewhat evenly distributed through the entire pile. Maybe the hose will get squeezed by the weight, but there is only one way to find out. So I am going to try that with my next pile. A big 👍
Sounds interesting, but remember that hot air rises, so generally we just need to provide air in the bottom, and as long as the mix is porous enough, it should breathe just fine!
There’s so much experience derived wisdom here! Coating surfaces, remixing and perhaps wetting after 1 week, ideal temperature zones, specific oxygen % ranges, specific measured maturity tests, yeehaw! Thanks for sharing! Come hang out at USCC please! I, and many others I’m sure, would like to buy you a beer.
Thanks for the kind words, if I come to the USCC, you may not recognize me without my hat!
Great insight
What size blowers are you using to move the air
These are 7.5 hp centrifugal blowers
@@TransformCompost what’s the CFM and pressure of this fan if you don’t mind me asking trying to set up something similar, or the model on those 7.5hp
@@TransformCompostalso how long do yall let your pipes cure
@@ChandlerBrooks not sure of your question - how long do the pipes cure?
@@TransformCompost the piles
Great video always 🇳🇿❤️
Thanks!
magnificent speaking voice...
Cheers! 👍
It all sounds good ! But check out the revelations in Australia with the dispersal of ASBESTOS in composted products ! Impossible to remove all plastics and these products should not be allowed to find there way back into the human food chain .
Thanks for sharing. Indeed a challenge and concern when including construction and demolition waste in the compost process.
Excellent video, straightforward practical to the point no b/s 🇳🇿
Thanks!
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing. This test is very doable.
Great video 🇳🇿❤️
Great explanations with excellent photos!
Thanks!
John Paul: Great comments as well as great explanations and nice photos ! What exactly is the initial biomass that you are composting ? (leaves, branches, garden clips) I am impressed as I saw no foreing matters (plastics, etc.) I am curious to know... 20 pads to process 20 000 tons per y ... what is the main limiting factor to operate efficiently the proposed system ? Is it the initial blending step (300 t/d) that prevents you to blend and spread the biomass onto the pads or is it the TIME of the year you collect the biomass to be composted ? Or is the collection strategy adopted by the city ? ... Denis, from Montréal, Qc, Canada
Thanks for your comments/questions. The material being composted is the source separated organics from the City of Edmonton. It goes through some preprocessing at the City before it comes to the facility. The material varies from mostly food waste during the winter and mostly grass and food in the spring/early summer, and leaves and food during the fall. One of the limiting factors is loader operation.
Thank you, John, for creating and sharing such useful videos related to composting. For day-to-day operations, I concur that Solvita and Dewar Tests for the compost maturity are practical given the financial constraints of a small community/producer. However, for industrial or municipal composting, I would recommend the O2 uptake or CO2 evolution tests whenever there is a change in their composting recipe, or to cross-check sometimes the results of the Solvita/Dewar test with the O2 uptake/CO2 evolution tests. All you did was great!! I look forward to watching the video on the self-heating test. It was a pleasure working with you. Thank you very much for providing me with that opportunity. I look forward to working with you in the area of biodegradability/composability of bioplastics in Saskatchewan.
Hi Abu, thank you for your kind words. I hope that your new job is going well! I really enjoyed working with you and meeting your family!
So we are regulating compost now
Great video as always 🇳🇿❤️
Thank you for sharing friend. I look forward to trying both methods.
Thanks!
Am dead sure you are not using tags while uploading videos. If you did your viewership and subsciber counts bot would have gone up significantly. I think you are just uploading and then giving the title.
Thanks again. Looking forward to more on the self heating test.
Thank you I would welcome the opportunity to chat about a simple method we can use in Mali, West Africa, to test compost for maturity. Distilled down to basic principles. Thanks
Thanks - I have been working on this for a few years, details to come within the month!
Thanks for sharing, very useful. 👍
Thanks!
This is awesome👍👍👍
Thanks!
Ok how to compost stabilized dry grinded kitchen and garden waste. Adding microbes converts dried food/garden waste into compost? If yes which microbes.
Composting dried and ground kitchen waste is not as simple as just wetting it up and turning it. Its best mixed with yard waste or wood chips at about 10-20%. I used 10% dried food waste with 90% screened yard waste and added water to make a mix with 60% moisture, and an air-filled porosity of 450 kg/m3. The yard waste adds the microbes and the porosity, and the food waste adds the energy!
John Paul I got some organic commercial compost like this and spread 2" over my garden rows. I have drip tape watering and neither that nor surface watering wets this compost well. My seeds aren't germinating!! Any advice? Thank you.
Thanks for your question. If the seeds are planted in the soil underneath the compost, they may be a bit deep, its best to remove the compost from around where the seeds are. Its not recommended to put seeds directly in the compost layer, as the electrical conductivity in soome composts may be high.
V true and less people know it.
Indeed, so much to learn!
Interesting
Thanks!
Thought you should use distilled water
Yes, its great to use distilled water if available. It also depends on the quality of water available.
I teach Horticulture, and your videos are super! Thank you so much!
You are welcome!
I found your videos by searching compost too dry. I am subscribing and liking hopefully more people will find you a different way! I will be adding another video to my interesting by others playlist which is a library for gardening information. Thanks!
You are welcome!
Greetings from south east Asia. Thank you so much for making these videos so scientific and evidence-based. There are many videos about composting out there that provide simple principles, techniques, and tips from experience but not many explained the science behind it in such a compelling way that you did. I have watched a few videos of yours and wish that I have found them earlier. 😂 Can’t promise I won’t aerate just to feel like optimizing is done, but I will fight the urge
You are welcome - so happy to hear the videos are helpful!
This is a great video intro but I wish there was more information shared. Some questions: What is the "cleanliness" of the final output (eg: 99% plastics free, or completely clean) of the Compost Liberator? What is the process used to seperate plastics (especially micro-plastics) from food waste? Where can we follow-up to learn more?
you are welcome to check out more information at www.borealcompost.ca
In the UK we have windrows 15ft they still compost you should try leaving the compost longer between turning we do every 9 weeks
Thanks Paul. I understand that over time the temperatures and oxygen will increase. Because of the cost of composting real estate in a high rainfall climate, my goal is to obtain mature compost in a maximum of 4 weeks. I don't have the luxury of waiting 9 weeks!