Ganoderma Posted February 8, 2007 Report Posted February 8, 2007 Composting anything is fairly easy to do, but what I am more interested in is composting feces, specifically dog/cat, into a compost that is low in chemicals and can be used for food crops (I mean SAFE to eat food crops :D). I guess it’s hard to say because so many foods have varying amounts of chemicals, so I suppose the best way is to buy the best, perhaps organic food (expensive!). There are lots of systems that simply compost the poo into useable dirt, usually via worms. But frankly I don’t want to plant carrots in that. Does anyone know of any reliable, yet affordable ways of composting to break down chemicals? I was thinking perhaps exposure to UV rays (here in Taiwan they are rather fierce) as a starter. I was then thinking of mixing it up with some random garden/kitchen waste (grass, twigs, veggies, fruits etc). Then I would mix in some fungi spores, not sure what to use...I usually start with molds around here then try oyster mushrooms. Then after the fungi has done its bit, perhaps this is useless, I was going to let the other decomposers move in. Worms, sow bugs, soil millipedes etc. The other thought I had was use a similar procedure as waste treatment for humans use, a poopy sludge with bacteria. But this is pretty stinky and much more costly. One problem I have with “traditional” composters are they work in an up and down fashion, good for space saving. But I notice that they like to poo on the surface and this is a little inefficient. I think a sideways working composter would work better, like the worm poo manufacturers use, just smaller scale. What are your thoughts? Here are some links to various methods. I tend to always start out thinking mushrooms and worms will do it all, but that is rather short sighted… Simple worm composter for poo.http://www.tumbleweed.com.au/pages/default.cfm?page_id=19692 a slightly better versionGreen Tips Humanure….i have not read much yet but it seems interesting…weblife.org: Humanure Handbook: Contents About wormsCity of Toronto: Solid Waste Management - Composting Quote
maikeru Posted February 8, 2007 Report Posted February 8, 2007 Take care with composting cat/dog feces, because, IIRC, they have some diseases which are transmitted through feces and may be infectious and harmful to people. I think if compost was to be safe for food crops, it'd have to be heated to a sufficient point to break down most harmful chemicals and kill most parasites and disease organisms (through its own process, by aeration, turning, and heat-loving microbes which make the pile cook). Off the top of my head, I'm not sure what temps would be required. Come to think of it, you could try some type of solar oven/cooker to fry the germs/parasites (at like 100-200 C) and break down harmful chemicals in the poo. Then let the worms and natural decomposers have at it. For my gardening, though, I stay clear of poo. Quote
Cedars Posted February 8, 2007 Report Posted February 8, 2007 Heres a simple breakdown of the composition of the cat/dog feces and its comparative value vs cattle manure, and some other questions regarding its use as fertilizer are covered some: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h238manure-dog-cat.html As long as you know your animal is free of the diseases mentioned (and explore other pathogens that might be relevant) I cant see any reason why you couldnt use this. The issue seems to revolve around heat for sterilization. You might want to look up Turtles thread on the solar powered charcoal thingy. I believe the temps reached in that invention exceeded what would be needed to sterilize this manure. Quote
Ganoderma Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 That link showed a few parasites whose eggs/equivelant are passed through feces. i would think they are easy to kill no? i know worms are rather easy, via heat as mentioned. are there any bacteria, viruses etc that can be spread? or is the concern mainly with parasites? i was looking for that thread by turtle, but that guy has a lot of posts! I will take another gander tonight. Quote
Michaelangelica Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 Composting anything is fairly easy to do, but what I am more interested in is composting feces, specifically dog/cat, into a compost that is low in chemicals and can be used for food crops (I mean SAFE to eat food crops ;)).]Pyrolysis can be used to turn human wastes into charcoal(then see Terra preta thread) I believe there is a composting toilet available for home use. Quote
Ganoderma Posted February 9, 2007 Author Report Posted February 9, 2007 interesting i have to recap on that thread, its grown a lot. i was planning to build in a waste managment system when we build our house in teh next few years, lot sof research ahead, but i am looking for ways that are a:little to no "man made" power used, clean/safe, and of course if possible cheap. although with that i will likely have a place in the distant part of the yard to discard teh "finished" product. call it green space. any other links would be supoib!!! Quote
Michaelangelica Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 interesting i have to recap on that thread, its grown a lot. any other links would be supoib!!!The Permaculture forum may have some links (The Clivus system looked interesting.)Here are some other links:- Nature Loo | Composting Toilets and Grey Water TreatmentNature Loo provides environmentally positive and cost effective waterless composting toilets and grey water treatment for homes, weekenders and worksheds.Nature Loo | Composting Toilets and Grey Water Treatment - 6k - Cached - Similar pages Your Home Technical Manual - 2.7 Waterless ToiletsA Composting Toilet that is working well and is correctly maintained does not ... But composting toilets can be an elegant addition to a modern bathroom. ...Your Home Technical Manual - 2.7 Waterless Toilets - 20k - Cached - Similar pages[PDF] Your Home Technical Manual - 2.7 Waterless ToiletsFile Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTMLtoilet. But composting toilets can be an elegant. addition to a modern bathroom. ... COMPOSTING TOILETS. These consist of a single container in which ...http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/technical/pdf/fs27.pdf - Similar pages Rota-Loo composting toiletsAustralian manufacturer of composting toilets and waterless urinals. Information about product and company, and listing of distributors in Australia and New ...Rota-Loo composting toilets - 13k - Cached - Similar pages Clivus Multrum Waterless Odourless Composting Toilet Treatment systemThe Clivus Multrum is a self-contained, waterless, odourless composting toilet treatment system. It uses no chemicals, heat or water and has no polluting ...Clivus Multrum Waterless Odourless Composting Toilet Treatment system - 12k - Cached - Similar pagesThe Trouble with Composting ToiletsTogether with the composting toilet this cut our total water usage by about ... Another problem with composting toilets is that, despite the advertising, ...users.bigpond.net.au/d.keenan/TheTroubleWithCompostingToilets.htm - 15k - Cached - Similar pages Quote
Cedars Posted February 9, 2007 Report Posted February 9, 2007 That link showed a few parasites whose eggs/equivelant are passed through feces. i would think they are easy to kill no? i know worms are rather easy, via heat as mentioned. are there any bacteria, viruses etc that can be spread? or is the concern mainly with parasites? i was looking for that thread by turtle, but that guy has a lot of posts! I will take another gander tonight. Heres the link on the Turtle reference: http://hypography.com/forums/science-projects-homework/6465-solar-parabolic-trough-charcoal-oven.html The cat disease listed in the link I believe is a bacteria, but I might be wrong. I would think the heat achieved by Turtles invention would be high enough to kill off the bacterias/parasites and the dehydration of the stuff would clear up the stink as the internal bacterias would die off and stop producing their gasses. Ganoderma 1 Quote
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