Post from Random Musings:
Poo Power The Saga Continues....
| By sean - Jul 17, 2008 11:27:42 AM ET |
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More news of Poo peeps. There was a great interview on N.P.R (National Public Radio for our friends to the north and south) from BBC about the new trend in fertilizer. That's right Guys...... Human waste as fertilizer. Now just to clarify I DON'T mean the kinda stuff that the Granola heads are doing with dry composting toilets but rather a great new addition of the huge problem of sewage treatment. It appears that after it has been treated what is left over, from the huge amount of poo and pee we generate each day, makes excellent fertilizer that is 99% sterile (that's the same as the organic fertilizer the granola heads tout.)
Now there does appear to be one small drawback..... It stinks. A problem that is easily rectified by immediately turning it into the soil according to one British farmer that uses it. It's so popular with brit farmers that apparently the waste treatment plants have sold all they have on hand this season....But the real problem appears to be us. The stigma attached to human waste is huge. Well for me pile it on them tomatos I got no issue with it....
world without end,
sean
Now there does appear to be one small drawback..... It stinks. A problem that is easily rectified by immediately turning it into the soil according to one British farmer that uses it. It's so popular with brit farmers that apparently the waste treatment plants have sold all they have on hand this season....But the real problem appears to be us. The stigma attached to human waste is huge. Well for me pile it on them tomatos I got no issue with it....
world without end,
sean
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To clarify things...what so-called granola heads do with dry composting methods, and what the municipal sludge from treatment facilities do, is completely different than thermo-composting humanure. Once completed, it is safe, pleasant smelling, and thoroughly useful as a soil amendment and fertilizer. Remember, everything flushed down the toilet in a city goes to the treatment center. This includes industrial drains as well. The levels of heavy metals and toxins can be very dangerous.
The solution is to utilize thermophilic composting methods (just like we use for cow, chicken, etc.) and keep industrial effluent separate. It may even be easier to remediate as well, once the massive volume of human excrement is removed from the stream. I'm thinking Paul Stamets work here in particular. This is doable.