Large Scale Composting

[KaiB]

I am looking for ideas to handle large compost piles (manure, chips, clippings from the town and slaughter offal). As I see the operation, we are considering piles of say around 75 to 100CY which would need to be turned on a regular basis, perhaps with a long set of forks on the loader.

Another idea would be to cut trenches (like a silage trench) and backhoe into it...but these would have to be covered during wet months, I think.

Wide open for suggestions. Thanks.

 

[OldMcDonald]

You have the materials to follow a similar system to that known as Indore compost - named after a place in Inida where it was first developed. I suggest you read as much as you can about this before commencing operations. It will make good compost, and you can always jiggle the ratio of the different materials. Do a search for Sir Albert Howard, Indore and compost and you will get all you need. Probably best to download some of his books because I am sure you will conisder it time well spent. You might have to pay a small fee, but again I think that is worth the money. Howard's system was very labout intensive, but then he had cheap labour and there is no reason why it should not be mechanised. Turning and controlling moisture content are both extremely important, but easily managed. I cannot give you any US references of people who have used the system, but it was quite popular in the UK in the late 1940s/50s when bagged fertiliser was very scarce. Old McDonald.

 

[Grrrr]

You have the materials to follow a similar system to that known as Indore compost - named after a place in Inida where it was first developed. I suggest you read as much as you can about this before commencing operations. It will make good compost, and you can always jiggle the ratio of the different materials. Do a search for Sir Albert Howard, Indore and compost and you will get all you need. Probably best to download some of his books because I am sure you will conisder it time well spent. You might have to pay a small fee, but again I think that is worth the money. Howard's system was very labout intensive, but then he had cheap labour and there is no reason why it should not be mechanised. Turning and controlling moisture content are both extremely important, but easily managed. I cannot give you any US references of people who have used the system, but it was quite popular in the UK in the late 1940s/50s when bagged fertiliser was very scarce. Old McDonald.

It is interesting you bring this up about the UK in the 40's and 50's.

Sitting on my desk now is a book called 'The Waste Products of agriculture'

This was written by Sir Albert Howard and goes through his system in detail.

Some info can be found here

Back to your question

The way I have seem compost made in bulk in the UK is in big long rows of compost.

Like this


There are machines available that can turn the rown for you. I think these would be very expensive.

One idea I just had would be to make the rows about the same size as a rotovator and run this up and down the rows at low revs as not to make too much mess. This would fluff it up quite well.

I think that it would have to be covered when not being turned to speed up the process and to keep as much of the goodness as possible. You would need some sort of sheeting for this.

You might be able to make some sort of attatchment to unwind the sheeting over the rows like this



I dont know how well you would be able turn the heap over with a FEL if it was in one big pile.

How much space do you have to work in?


Some more photos of compost manufacture

 

[barkingfish]

I do a couple of hundred yards of compost a year and make lots of loam mixes. I use a Allu bucket on my small excavator. Windrows are the way to go. You can just use the tracotr and bucket to turn the piles but the composting os more efficient if you chop the material periodically. Some folks use manure spreaders to make the windrows but you need a way to load the trailer.

 

[Grrrr]

Welcome to TBN Barkingfish

 

[KaiB]

This project ties into one of three feasibility studies we are performing at the moment (a meat processing facility, slaughterhouse and a mobile slaughter unit). We have long talked about large scale composting, but really given it no thought beyond normal farm manure and chip composting. We currently use the loaders to turn; ain't the best system.

Typical of this board are the responses above. Thanks, much to learn here. It may very well be that specialized equipment becomes necessary; at times though, group thought is a wonderful tool.

Land space is not an issue. I'm sure permitting and the rest will be, but without a concept and a study, nothing can happen.

 

[jeffinsgf]

Maybe I should read the referenced writings, but until now, everything that I have seen on the subject specifically says to keep meat scraps and offall out of your compost.

 

[Grrrr]

Maybe I should read the referenced writings, but until now, everything that I have seen on the subject specifically says to keep meat scraps and offall out of your compost.

I don't think he means composting the animal offal, just the manure the animals produce

I did wander the same thing when I first read this thread though and in the first post it says clipping from the slaughterhouse?

 

[KaiB]

Yep...offal gets included in the mix.

 

[Onthesauk]

Might try to find the book "The Complete Book of Composting by Rondale Books, Inc. Goes back to the 60's, out of print, sometime found in used book stores. It has a section on large scale and municipal composting.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Grrrr, Do you really have a hardbacked copy of Howard's book lying on your desk, or just the same as me - an electronic copy from Steve Solomons? If you do have an original, please advise the condition, and how much do you want for it? Old McDonald.

 

[Grrrr]

Grrrr, Do you really have a hardbacked copy of Howard's book lying on your desk, or just the same as me - an electronic copy from Steve Solomons? If you do have an original, please advise the condition, and how much do you want for it? Old McDonald.

Yep, I do But I had no idea it is rare and worth anything. My grandad has a lot of old farming books that he used or was given to him from his dad. It is old but in good condition. I don't think I will be selling it though The old books are very interesting to read.

My grandad also has Fream's Elements of Agriculture going back donkeys years. It is interesting to see how things changed over the years.

Also, most of the tractor stuff is relevant to our ancient tractors

 

[6sunset6]

Our local municipal sewer plant composts the solid matter left over at the end of the anerobic process. They mix it with wood chips and aireate it with pipes with holes for distribution. I got a tour when they were building the plant but I cannot remember how they turned the piles. They were under cover in a big building. Maybe the aireation eliminates the need for turning. I know they cannot use the final material for crops. The local gravel plants like it for reclaimation.

 

[Grrrr]

Our local municipal sewer plant composts the solid matter left over at the end of the anerobic process. They mix it with wood chips and aireate it with pipes with holes for distribution. I got a tour when they were building the plant but I cannot remember how they turned the piles. They were under cover in a big building. Maybe the aireation eliminates the need for turning. I know they cannot use the final material for crops. The local gravel plants like it for reclaimation.

That sounds smelly to me

Lots of poo in a building

 

[6sunset6]

Actually the piles don't smell . The tanks did till they covered them HMM maybe it was not an anerobic process . But it's like the MooDO stuff in the bags .That does not smell.

 

[barkingfish]

we get some composted human manure at times. It is turned and chopped and screened to 1/2 " minus. It is wonderful compost and will make a flower bed grow like crazy as well as grass. AS far as crops go it is up to the individual state to monitor the tests. It is much safer than organic types lead you to bleieve, and does not smell a bit.

 

[KaiB]

Been off on another project (restoration of a 1906 barn...will shoot pics tmrw),

I've had just enough time to learn a bit about in vessel composting. Looks very (very) interesting and seems to be a great way to avoid some permitting issues.

 

[Toiyabe]

I once had a job that had me walking around on the top of waste water treatment plant compost piles taking gas samples. These piles were out in the open. Didn't smell much unless you broke through the crust and went up to your waist in the stuff. After the first time that happened I wore chest waders. Still was much better than the work we did at landfills.

The amazing thing was the plants growing on the piles. Especially tomatoes. Those seeds went through someone's digestive system, down the sewer, through the treatment plant and still germinated in the compost pile.

 

[MLinOleMiss]

Try this []Advanced Composting System from Midwest Bio-Systems -- Equipment I cannot figure out how to link to it, so if anyone can please edit my post.

 

[MLinOleMiss]

I guess I did figure out how to link it