Thermophylic composting of humanure

[Guest guest]

"COM: Radha Krsna (das) ACBSP GB (Great Britain)" wrote:

 

> [Text 2705703 from COM]

 

<<Thank you for your inquiry.

<<The title mentioned recently is The Lost Science of Organic Cultivation, by

Sir Albert Howard, who was first mentioned to us by Hare Krsna dasi. We

looked into his work and found out about thermophylic composting which no

one really seems to do these days. The Centre for Alternative Technology in

Wales do not do it, nor does Mr. Jenkins with his Humanure....>>

 

********************************

 

I am a little puzzled that you say that J.C. Jenkins's method is not

thermophylic composting. Here is an earlier post I gave on the subject. Also,

I may send another one including a table telling at what temperatures pathogens

are destroyed.

 

Maybe you could clarify what you mean when you say that Mr. Jenkins does not do

thermophylic composting. If not, I think he would be quite ill with roundworms

after having eaten produce from his humanure-fertilized garden for several

decades. But anyway, maybe I don't understand exactly what you mean, so

hopefully you can clarify.

 

your servant,

 

Hare Krsna dasi

 

************************

 

Unheated human compost management

Thu, 9 Apr 1998 19:06:17 -0400 (ED

 

"Noma T. Petroff" wrote:

 

> Hare Krsna dasi

> Unheated human compost management

> **********************************************

>

> <<If your climate is only warm for three months a year, then you would need

> composting houses, as were built in Japan.

>

> <<The idea being that even the waste is treated with respect and given

> all the attention it needs and by an adequate number of staff. We have

> grown up in a throw away society and this is not good for a true concept

> of self-sufficinecy. In your climate it needs to be kept warm and free

> from the influence of the wind and rain/snow/ice.

> Your cows are also warm and the slurry for instance has to be kept warm

> enough to apply in the winter months. Therefore composting houses would

> be the norm.>>

>

> The system being described appears to be good for warm climates. But,

> Vyasapada, prabhu, if you and the other Canadian devotees want to avoid

> the expense of constructing a special compost house, you could get some

> valuable information from the following book:

>

> The Humanure Handbook: A Guide to Composting Human Manure

> (Emphasizing Minimum Technology and Maximum Hygienic Safety) by J.C.

> Jenkins. Distributed by Chelsea Green. ISBN 0-9644258-4-X U.S.$19.00.

> 198 pages. [Order from Jenkins Publishing, PO Box 607, Grove City, PA

> 16127 USA or from your local bookstore.]

>

> Jenkins successfully composted his family's humanure in Vermont for about

> 20 years without turning the compost pile or applying any artificial heat

> to it.

>

> The key to his method is to rely on thermophilic bacteria to destroy

> pathogens (any microorganism or worm that can cause disease). Unlike the

> old fashioned outhouse, what is composted is not just human manure, but

> it is mixed with ample plant material, as in the method which Radha

> Krishna prabhu describes. Jenkins explains:

>

> <<However, there is a little known alternative method of achieving the

> same result which does not require the separation of urine from feces.

> Organic material with too much nitrogen for effective composting (such as

> urine/feces mixture) **can be balanced by adding sufficient carbon

> material such as cellulose in the form of sawdust or similar material,

> rather than nitrogen.** The extra carbon [plant-based] material also

> absorbs excess liquids and can cover the collected refuse to eliminate

> odor completely.>> p. 87

>

> He built a simple two-chamber compost bin (using *untreated* lumber so as

> not to kill thermophilic bacteria), dimensions about 1.5 m (5 feet)

> square. In his house he used a simple 5 gallon plastic bucket to collect

> his family's humanure, constantly keeping it covered with sawdust as

> frequently as it was used, and emptying it every few days on to the

> compost pile. He describes that by May 10th the pile had heated up to

> temperatures over 120 degree Farenheit (50 degrees Centigrade) for long

> enough for the thermophylic (literally "high-temperature loving")

> bacteria to destroy pathogens:

>

> <<Monitoring Compost Temperature [page 165]

>

> <<The preceding graph shows the rise in temperature of a humanure compost

> pile (feces, urine, and garbage) which had been frozen all winter. That

> particular spring was very cold, so the pile didn't thaw out until late

> March. Until then it was hard as a rock, a large pile of frozen mass,

> nearly filling the 5'x5'x4' bin.

>

> The compost consisted primarily of deposits from the sawdust toilet,

> which contained raw hardwood sawdust (just enough to cover the material

> in the toilet), humanure including urine, and toilet paper {[we devotees

> could use water instead, just adding a bit more sawdust or dirt]}. In

> addition to this material, kitchen garbage was added to the pile

> intermittently throughout the winter, and hay was used to cover the

> toilet deposits on the pile. Some weeds and whatnot may have been thrown

> in now and then, but garden material isn't available during the winter

> except in the form of kitchen refuse, so not much in the way of garden

> weeds was in this pile.

>

> <<The material was collected over a period of about four months from a

> family of four. Nothing special was done to the pile at any time. No

> unusual ingredients were added, no compost starters, no animal manures

> other than human, and no turning whatsoever. The compost pile was

> situated in a three-sided, open-topped wooden bin on the dirt ground,

> outside. Only normal household organic refuse produced by any human

> being was added to the pile including human fecal material and urine.

> The only imported materials (not from the home) were sawdust, a locally

> abundant resource, and hay from a neighboring farm (one or two bales were

> used during the entire winter).

> <<Notice {from the graph} that the outside of the pile was heated by

> thermophilic activity before the inside. The outside thawed first, so it

> started to heat first. Soon thereafter the inside thawed and also

> heated. By April 8th the outer part of the pile had reached 120 degrees

> F (50 degrees C) and the temperature remained at that level or above

> until April 22 (a two week period). The inside pile reached 120 degrees F

> on April 16, over a week later than the outside, and remained there or

> above until April 23. The data suggest that the entire pile was above

> the 120 degree F for a period of 8 days before starting to cool.

>

> <<Two thermometers were used to monitor the temperature of this compost,

> one having a 8 inch probe, the other having a 20 inch probe. The 8 inch

> thermometer came from Real Goods, 966 Mazzoni St., Ukiah, CA 95282-9292.

> The Real Goods thermometer was the best buy.

>

> <<According to Dr. T. Gibson, Head of the Department of Agricultural

> Bioilogy at the Edinburgh and East of Scotland College of Agriculture, **

> "All the efidence show that a few hours at 120 degrees Fahrenheit {50

> degrees C} would eliminate [pathogenic microorganisms] completely. There

> should be a wide margin of safety if that temperature were maintained for

> 24 hours."**

>

> <<...The significance of the aforementioned graph is that is shows the

> humanure required no coaxing to heat up sufficiently to be rendered

> hygienically safe. It just did it on its own, having been provided the

> simple requirements of compost pile needs.>>

>

> Sorry this is so long. But for those of us in the Northern climates, I

> wanted to show that we can follow Prabhupada's instruction to "kick out

> the West" and use humanure for our gardens without any elaborate or

> expensive process - we just have to use adequate plant matter on our

> compost pile to maintain a good carbon/nitrogen ratio. We should not

> consider ourselves at any disadvantage compared to our Southern

> Godbrothers and Godsisters in the matter of composting humanure. No

> extra buildings are needed.

>

> But we do have to conscientiously follow correct procedures. Without

> adequate plant material, thermophilic bacteria cannot do their work

> efficiently. Without the heat they generate, there is a risk of hookworm

> and other contamination, as you will note from my separate text on the

> subject.

>

> your servant,

>

> Hare Krsna dasi