Processing options for organic materials
Organic waste comprises up to 70% of any given waste stream in an urban situation and in some instances, it can be even higher. This will vary greatly in some remote circumstances.
The greatest disadvantage of organic waste is that it generally contaminates other things it is mixed with. So, the best way to handle it is to ensure that it is not mixed with other materials in the first place. Source-separation is the optimum first step to successful and beneficial management.
However even when materials are mixed the situation is not necessarily irrecoverable. There are many options for the processing of organics.
One process or a combination of processes can be used to change the nature of the organic product to a different form depending on intended end use. A solid can be converted to compost and compost or other high nitrogenous waste can be converted into vermicast using worms. Vermicast is a water soluble biostimulant. This means a solid can be converted to a liquid much of higher value.
What is required first is to identify the maximum value that can be obtained from the organic product. So, to begin with, the question is can it be made into a product of higher value and quality to fit back into the food chain? How do you intended to use the end product? What is the cost of the process in terms of time? Is it better to simply mulch the product for general use? What is the optimum use of that product, given a specific cost?
Many soils around the world would benefit from the addition of high-quality organic material. Most soils have a great need for organic material – 75% of our agricultural land has less than 1% organic material – so the beneficial uses of organic materials as mulch or compost for projects, in the community or for business, are extensive.
Can the output you have be used as a replacement for something the community is currently paying for? If the organic waste can be converted by mixing with grain and sea water, the result can be a balanced pig or aquaculture feed.
The application of any organic product to soil as a quality, source-separated product, which has been processed to create a biologically active biostimulant will decrease chemical input requirements and increase soil organic levels and soil carbon when managed correctly.
It must be remembered that any collection, transportation and processing system must comply with regulations and standards, no matter how remote the location. Having said that it is not that difficult to comply, provided you select the appropriate processes. Complying with standards helps in the production of quality food – so they are in everyone’s interest.
Remember before you make any decisions or any commitment to purchase equipment for a specific process, check with your local EPA office in regard to regulations and exemptions.
Organic waste can be treated by one or more of the following means:
Organic treatments and associated processes:
The following are a range of organic products and their possible treatment:
Sewage waste general
Depending on the sewage treatment works, primary, secondary, tertiary and associated industrial connections, the quality can vary greatly. However, treating the product with respect for its end use can deliver good outcomes.
Despite the connection to the sewage system of many processing industries sewage treatment can still produce a high-quality product – In Australia Bathurst and its Bathurst Box process is a fine example of this. The process to be applied will depend on the product quality. Tests should be undertaken to determine process and use and compliance with EPA exemptions.
There are a broad range of smaller scale composting toilet systems, many of which come under discussion on the SuSan Forum which is overseen by the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance: www.susana.org
Another group with a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene is Water Aid Australia: http://www.wateraid.org/au
A number of sanitation organisations deal with this issue from a community health perspective so the focus can sometimes be on an engineering solution to a problem rather than developing a process, which gives safe access to the residual biosolids.
Regardless of the system however, biosolids are a substantial asset, that with correct handling, especially in areas which have little or no contamination, can be put back into soils which considerable benefits.
Processes:
Note: Some communities such as the New Zealand Maori will not permit the use of biosolids in food production but it may still be possible to use them in agroforestry.
Food waste – restaurant
This depends on size and nightly production – material must be removed regularly to ensure compliance with health standards.
Processes:
Food waste supermarket
Depends on size and scale of outputs. Near out-of-date material can be turned into something beneficial by cooking and/or freezing.
Processes:
Food processing waste
There are as many food output types as there are processes. Thick, thin, fatty, oily, acidic, alkaline, lumpy, brittle, salty, cold and hot.
It is a question of achieving a balance, which can provide a reasonable carbon to nitrogen ratio, enabling one or more processes to thrive. This can be achieved by exchanging your outputs with another output or at least part thereof. Once you have a satisfactory ratio the processes are relatively straightforward.
Processes:
Stable waste
Many stables give away manure. However, in most instances if they used the SPICE compost process they could stay within license requirements and make a high quality product which could be sold for profit.
Processes:
Dairy Farm Waste
The average dairy cow produces 1400 kg dry weight of manure per year. Dairy farmers buy thousands of tonnes of fertiliser each year to build protein in their cows, yet the average cow manure output will produce 6.9 kgs of worm protein every year. This opportunity is often lost because manure is seen as a problem not an asset.
Worms could be fed to eels to create a second on-farm industry. The long-finned eel sells readily in Australia to the Japanese market.
Every dairy farm has dams. Is it possible to develop a second use for a water supply that can also generate additional profit for the farm, without a large amount of additional cost?
An added benefit of the worm farming process is that once the cow manure is processed through worms it becomes a water soluble, nutrient rich foliar fertiliser, which can be applied with standard farm equipment to the local property, eliminating the problems associated with manure management at little cost.
Processes:
Pallets
Depending on what they are made of and how they are treated, wood pallets can be rebuilt if broken, sold if rebuilt, shredded to make bedding, shredded to make compost or perhaps formed into pellets for fuel.
Make sure the original pallet is not dangerous to use in the application you choose. Some from overseas locations are treated before sale, use and import.
Processes:
Wood Chip and Timber Waste Clean
Any wood, pine or Australian native hardwood can be composted using the SPICE compost process.
In the Kosciusko National Park, very old native sawdust from the Snowy Mountains Scheme was composted into high quality compost product that was used in on-site restoration.
Processes:
Notes on processing of organic waste.
There are a great number of processes used to turn organic waste into a high-quality product. However, it should be remembered that all composts are not the same.
A large number of mechanical processes now exist which can turn your organic waste into a brown ‘compost like’ product. Many of these use large amounts of electricity to change a product from ‘waste’ to ‘compost’.
However, the cost of the machine purchase, the ongoing input costs for energy and the poor-quality output may not make the process worthwhile.
Your objective should be to produce a high-quality product at minimal cost. Remember this is not waste this is a valuable soil input.
If you are not feeding it directly or indirectly to another animal for benefit then the best outcome is to produce a high quality, biologically-active material with high Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and high humus levels which will give you far better organic levels in the soil in which it is used and at the same time raise you soil carbon levels.
Compost processes
Windrowed compost processes are generally first stage aerobic. In other words, they use air. However, the secondary phase of composting is where you should get the most benefit.
This phase is best serviced by a process, which builds humus and the best way to do this is through fermentation. This is described in Sir Albert Howard’s 'An Agricultural Testament' first published in 1930 – pages 48 and 49.
Fermentation uses a range of facultative biology, which as Sir Albert demonstrated, will give a much better, quality end product with higher levels of humus.
A similar process was used by M. E. Bruce before and during World War II in the ‘Dig for Victory’ program which used a herbal inoculant based on the work of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer developer of biodynamic agriculture, using information from the lectures of Rudolf Steiner. The full book on Bruce’s Quick Return Method of composting is available here:
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/QR/QRToC.html
Inoculant controls
An inoculant is simply a means of introducing a broad group of biology into the compost process at the first aerobic stage. With this in place, the compost process will then readily go into a secondary fermentative stage, which builds humus and CEC based on Sir Albert Howards process mentioned previously.
The advantage of the inoculant is that it will allow you to totally control odours on your compost site. You can also use the same inoculant product to control process and site odours in a range of other biological processes including toilets.
The greatest disadvantage of organic waste is that it generally contaminates other things it is mixed with. So, the best way to handle it is to ensure that it is not mixed with other materials in the first place. Source-separation is the optimum first step to successful and beneficial management.
However even when materials are mixed the situation is not necessarily irrecoverable. There are many options for the processing of organics.
One process or a combination of processes can be used to change the nature of the organic product to a different form depending on intended end use. A solid can be converted to compost and compost or other high nitrogenous waste can be converted into vermicast using worms. Vermicast is a water soluble biostimulant. This means a solid can be converted to a liquid much of higher value.
What is required first is to identify the maximum value that can be obtained from the organic product. So, to begin with, the question is can it be made into a product of higher value and quality to fit back into the food chain? How do you intended to use the end product? What is the cost of the process in terms of time? Is it better to simply mulch the product for general use? What is the optimum use of that product, given a specific cost?
Many soils around the world would benefit from the addition of high-quality organic material. Most soils have a great need for organic material – 75% of our agricultural land has less than 1% organic material – so the beneficial uses of organic materials as mulch or compost for projects, in the community or for business, are extensive.
Can the output you have be used as a replacement for something the community is currently paying for? If the organic waste can be converted by mixing with grain and sea water, the result can be a balanced pig or aquaculture feed.
The application of any organic product to soil as a quality, source-separated product, which has been processed to create a biologically active biostimulant will decrease chemical input requirements and increase soil organic levels and soil carbon when managed correctly.
It must be remembered that any collection, transportation and processing system must comply with regulations and standards, no matter how remote the location. Having said that it is not that difficult to comply, provided you select the appropriate processes. Complying with standards helps in the production of quality food – so they are in everyone’s interest.
Remember before you make any decisions or any commitment to purchase equipment for a specific process, check with your local EPA office in regard to regulations and exemptions.
Organic waste can be treated by one or more of the following means:
- Composting with an aerobic process
- Composting with an aerobic/fermentation process
- Processing anaerobically to generate gas and power then processing the residuals for fertiliser use
- Mulching
- Vermicomposting – worm farming – applied as a solid or seed coat or biostimulant
- Maceration and inoculating to create a fermented hydrolysate foliar fertiliser
- Recovering the residual proteins for use in feed rations
- Manufacturing an emulsion for fertiliser or foliar spray
- Shredding without pre-processing to capture proteins or create fertiliser
- Wood pelletizing for energy generation
- Wood processing into biochar
- Processed with grain to separate out packaging, mixing the food and fibre with grain and use as a pig feed or other uses
Organic treatments and associated processes:
- Composting with an aerobic process Standard aerobic process (loses bulk to atmosphere as gas)
- Composting with an aerobic/fermentation process SPICE compost (retains up to 25% more than fully aerobic process?
- Processing anaerobically to generate gas and power then processing the residuals for fertiliser use Residual solids can be put through a KIX machine for use as fertiliser
- Mulching Material with high carbon levels used for soil moisture retention
- Vermicomposting – worm farming – applied as a solid or seed coat or biostimulant See Biocast or Nutrisoil websites for details
- Maceration and inoculating to create a fermented hydrolysate foliar fertiliser Details on this website: latest news & resources page
- Recovering the residual proteins for use in feed rations AKT-KIX machine processing
- Manufacturing an emulsion for fertiliser or foliar spray Charlie Carp as example
- Shredding without pre-processing to capture proteins or create fertiliser AKT-KIX machine processing
- Wood pelletizing for energy generation Cobber power plant - https://www.uniflowpower.com/the-cobber/
- Wood processing into biochar International Biochar Initiative website: https://biochar-international.org
- Processed with grain to separate out packaging, mixing the food and fibre with grain and use as a pig feed or other uses AKT-KIX machine processing
The following are a range of organic products and their possible treatment:
Sewage waste general
Depending on the sewage treatment works, primary, secondary, tertiary and associated industrial connections, the quality can vary greatly. However, treating the product with respect for its end use can deliver good outcomes.
Despite the connection to the sewage system of many processing industries sewage treatment can still produce a high-quality product – In Australia Bathurst and its Bathurst Box process is a fine example of this. The process to be applied will depend on the product quality. Tests should be undertaken to determine process and use and compliance with EPA exemptions.
There are a broad range of smaller scale composting toilet systems, many of which come under discussion on the SuSan Forum which is overseen by the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance: www.susana.org
Another group with a focus on water, sanitation and hygiene is Water Aid Australia: http://www.wateraid.org/au
A number of sanitation organisations deal with this issue from a community health perspective so the focus can sometimes be on an engineering solution to a problem rather than developing a process, which gives safe access to the residual biosolids.
Regardless of the system however, biosolids are a substantial asset, that with correct handling, especially in areas which have little or no contamination, can be put back into soils which considerable benefits.
Processes:
- Composting with green waste
- Direct toilet worm farming
- Worm farming with green waste
Note: Some communities such as the New Zealand Maori will not permit the use of biosolids in food production but it may still be possible to use them in agroforestry.
Food waste – restaurant
This depends on size and nightly production – material must be removed regularly to ensure compliance with health standards.
Processes:
- Provide to an individual or organisation which can directly use the food.
- The restaurant buys directly from a farmer who takes back all vegetable waste.
- Worm farming on site – Worms Down Under or New Zealand designed Hungry Bin – Worm Tower – Reln worm bins – styrene boxes, stacked car tyres
- Give to a chicken farm – or build a chicken farm
- Compost in a vermin-free system at home
Food waste supermarket
Depends on size and scale of outputs. Near out-of-date material can be turned into something beneficial by cooking and/or freezing.
Processes:
- Process in the AKT KIX machine with a suitable grain to make pig feed – (paper and plastics are removed without damage)
- Many supermarkets provide fresh green waste to farmers and horse owners
- Some take dated meat and freeze it the day before it goes out-of-date. It is then given it to local charities to make meals.
- Provide specific items to charities
- Source-separate in house, remove packaging and deliver to a licensed compost site
- Supply to a large-scale worm farmer
- Inoculate with lactobacillus and bury directly in food production area
Food processing waste
There are as many food output types as there are processes. Thick, thin, fatty, oily, acidic, alkaline, lumpy, brittle, salty, cold and hot.
It is a question of achieving a balance, which can provide a reasonable carbon to nitrogen ratio, enabling one or more processes to thrive. This can be achieved by exchanging your outputs with another output or at least part thereof. Once you have a satisfactory ratio the processes are relatively straightforward.
Processes:
- Process in the AKT KIX machine with a suitable grain to make pig feed – (paper and plastics are removed without damage)
- Mix and match with other waste then compost or worm farm
- Compost on farm in a partnership
- Compost with shredded paper which has been used as animal bedding
Stable waste
Many stables give away manure. However, in most instances if they used the SPICE compost process they could stay within license requirements and make a high quality product which could be sold for profit.
Processes:
- Compost with other materials on site – sell as bagged compost
- Worm farm product with high manure levels
- Inoculate animal bedding such as straw with lactobacillus – this will reduce odour and prepare product for later composting after the animal has mixed it for you
- Purchase shredded paper for animal bedding – inoculate to control odour and illness and compost later
- Give it away to gardeners
Dairy Farm Waste
The average dairy cow produces 1400 kg dry weight of manure per year. Dairy farmers buy thousands of tonnes of fertiliser each year to build protein in their cows, yet the average cow manure output will produce 6.9 kgs of worm protein every year. This opportunity is often lost because manure is seen as a problem not an asset.
Worms could be fed to eels to create a second on-farm industry. The long-finned eel sells readily in Australia to the Japanese market.
Every dairy farm has dams. Is it possible to develop a second use for a water supply that can also generate additional profit for the farm, without a large amount of additional cost?
An added benefit of the worm farming process is that once the cow manure is processed through worms it becomes a water soluble, nutrient rich foliar fertiliser, which can be applied with standard farm equipment to the local property, eliminating the problems associated with manure management at little cost.
Processes:
- Compost with local council green waste
- Compost with on-farm weeds – under covers and inoculated – heat generated will kill weed seeds
- Compost with shredded paper used as animal bedding
- Vermicompost to produce on-farm foliar fertiliser and worms
- Start an eel farm
Pallets
Depending on what they are made of and how they are treated, wood pallets can be rebuilt if broken, sold if rebuilt, shredded to make bedding, shredded to make compost or perhaps formed into pellets for fuel.
Make sure the original pallet is not dangerous to use in the application you choose. Some from overseas locations are treated before sale, use and import.
Processes:
- Start a pallet rebuild business – many examples
- If clean - dismantle, cut up and sell the timber as bagged kindling
- Shred and compost using the SPICE compost process
- Finely shred and use as animal bedding – let the animals contaminate with manure and urine then compost
- Pelletise for use as fuel in a closed, licensed combustion system.
Wood Chip and Timber Waste Clean
Any wood, pine or Australian native hardwood can be composted using the SPICE compost process.
In the Kosciusko National Park, very old native sawdust from the Snowy Mountains Scheme was composted into high quality compost product that was used in on-site restoration.
Processes:
- Compost using the SPICE compost process
- Use as animal bedding – let the animals contaminate with manure and urine before composting
- Pelletise for use as fuel in a closed, licensed combustion system.
Notes on processing of organic waste.
There are a great number of processes used to turn organic waste into a high-quality product. However, it should be remembered that all composts are not the same.
A large number of mechanical processes now exist which can turn your organic waste into a brown ‘compost like’ product. Many of these use large amounts of electricity to change a product from ‘waste’ to ‘compost’.
However, the cost of the machine purchase, the ongoing input costs for energy and the poor-quality output may not make the process worthwhile.
Your objective should be to produce a high-quality product at minimal cost. Remember this is not waste this is a valuable soil input.
If you are not feeding it directly or indirectly to another animal for benefit then the best outcome is to produce a high quality, biologically-active material with high Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC) and high humus levels which will give you far better organic levels in the soil in which it is used and at the same time raise you soil carbon levels.
Compost processes
Windrowed compost processes are generally first stage aerobic. In other words, they use air. However, the secondary phase of composting is where you should get the most benefit.
This phase is best serviced by a process, which builds humus and the best way to do this is through fermentation. This is described in Sir Albert Howard’s 'An Agricultural Testament' first published in 1930 – pages 48 and 49.
Fermentation uses a range of facultative biology, which as Sir Albert demonstrated, will give a much better, quality end product with higher levels of humus.
A similar process was used by M. E. Bruce before and during World War II in the ‘Dig for Victory’ program which used a herbal inoculant based on the work of Ehrenfried Pfeiffer developer of biodynamic agriculture, using information from the lectures of Rudolf Steiner. The full book on Bruce’s Quick Return Method of composting is available here:
http://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/QR/QRToC.html
Inoculant controls
An inoculant is simply a means of introducing a broad group of biology into the compost process at the first aerobic stage. With this in place, the compost process will then readily go into a secondary fermentative stage, which builds humus and CEC based on Sir Albert Howards process mentioned previously.
The advantage of the inoculant is that it will allow you to totally control odours on your compost site. You can also use the same inoculant product to control process and site odours in a range of other biological processes including toilets.
AKT-KIX Drying Technology - A food recovery revolution
After 40 years of refinement and research, processing the byproducts of industrial organic systems throughout the world, AKT International of Australia has set it sights on the organic discards of the domestic and commercial world, where close to 100% of material streams are recoverable.
The AKT process utilises a 5 second drying technology, supported by a unique fluidised circular bed. The product, in process, is only exposed to heat for a minimal period so none of the feed and nutritional value of the materials is lost. Two or more inputs from a range of sources can be mixed to create a final product for a very different market.
An example of this is the combination of rice and crab processing discards, mixed with seawater to make a savoury instant noodle, suitable for the gluten-free and healthy fast-food markets at a very competitive price.
AKT have completed trials on mixed supermarket wastes where the protein in pre-packed meat and vegetables is simultaneously processed and combined with packaged bakery products to produce a high-quality animal feed. The residual packaging is only in the heat process for the maximum 5 seconds and as a result, the extracted plastic or cardboard packaging is recovered for recycling.
This drying technology has the potential to radically change to total outputs of both domestic and commercial systems, both pre and post-consumer, where all the organic outputs are reusable food products and the packaging is 100% recycled. No other technology has this capability!
As humanity struggles to feed populations into the future, AKT has a technology which guarantees maximum recovery of discarded organic materials while retaining the full nutrient and commercial value.
The economic value of this process will drive the recovery of lost proteins and nutrients and prevent their wasted disposal to landfill or incineration. These processes, in combination with new and refined animal feeds will open many doors into the world’s carbon markets.
The objective is to utilise superior production techniques and ethical marketing practice, combined with 40 years of R&D as a spearhead for real food sustainability in a world starving for innovation.
The AKT process utilises a 5 second drying technology, supported by a unique fluidised circular bed. The product, in process, is only exposed to heat for a minimal period so none of the feed and nutritional value of the materials is lost. Two or more inputs from a range of sources can be mixed to create a final product for a very different market.
An example of this is the combination of rice and crab processing discards, mixed with seawater to make a savoury instant noodle, suitable for the gluten-free and healthy fast-food markets at a very competitive price.
AKT have completed trials on mixed supermarket wastes where the protein in pre-packed meat and vegetables is simultaneously processed and combined with packaged bakery products to produce a high-quality animal feed. The residual packaging is only in the heat process for the maximum 5 seconds and as a result, the extracted plastic or cardboard packaging is recovered for recycling.
This drying technology has the potential to radically change to total outputs of both domestic and commercial systems, both pre and post-consumer, where all the organic outputs are reusable food products and the packaging is 100% recycled. No other technology has this capability!
As humanity struggles to feed populations into the future, AKT has a technology which guarantees maximum recovery of discarded organic materials while retaining the full nutrient and commercial value.
The economic value of this process will drive the recovery of lost proteins and nutrients and prevent their wasted disposal to landfill or incineration. These processes, in combination with new and refined animal feeds will open many doors into the world’s carbon markets.
The objective is to utilise superior production techniques and ethical marketing practice, combined with 40 years of R&D as a spearhead for real food sustainability in a world starving for innovation.