Compost Successes, Failures and Opportunities:

Growing Better Plants

by

Thomas R. Halbach Department of Soil, Water and Climate

University of Minnesota SROC’s Season Extension Day

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Learning Objectives

p What is Composting?

p Reviewing Successes.

p Learning from Failures.

p Developing Opportunities.

Compost Definitions p Composting is the accelerated biological

oxidation of organic matter.

p Composting takes time, planning, effort, and resources to do.

p Compost operations must be economically viable if they are to continue.

p Both site and off-site effects must be addressed.

Objectives of Composting p Reduce: volume; weight; odors; & pathogens

p Reduce weed seeds p Stabilize organic matter p  Provide plant nutrients p  Provide beneficial microorganisms p  Increase organic content of soils p  Increase water holding capacity of the root zone

The Ancient History of Composting

p China 6,800 years ago (Catton, 1984)

p Peru 4,600 years ago (Ross, 2002)

p India 3,500 years ago (Frawley, 1991)

p Ethiopia 3,000 years ago (Poe, 1997)

p Romans 2,168 years ago (Cato, 153 BC)

Banpo, China 6,800 years ago?

Caral, Peru compost 4,600 years ago

Kerala, India Farm 2009

The Last 110 Years of Composting

p Sir Albert Howard started the modern age of composting 1905-1924, Indor, India.

p  T. Van Maanen of Wijster, Netherlands large scale composting 1931-1959.

p Clarence G. Golueke at the University of California- Berkeley 1950-2004.

p  Jerry Goldstein began publishing the Compost Science journal 1960-2012

Microbes do most of the work!

Making compost always involves the same principles

Microorganisms p Bacteria

n  Fast growing, Grow on easy accessible carbon n  actinomycetes n  Potential pathogens (Klebsiella, Salmonella,

E.coli, etc.)

p Fungi n  Slow growing n  Can use less accessible carbon

Bacteria p  The most numerous biological component

of compost is the bacteria. They often can exceed 1 billion microorganisms per gram of soil.

p Associated with the consumption of easily degraded organic matter. They are the dominant population throughout the entire composting process, whereas the actinomycetes and fungi typically proliferate in the later stages.

Actinomycetes p Actinomycetes are visually similar to fungi in

that they have networks of individual cells that form filaments or strands, they are a type of bacteria.

p Actinomycetes number between 0.1 and 10 million per gram of soil.

p Are responsible for the release of “geosmin”.

Fungi p  Fungi form their individual cells into long

filaments called hyphae.

p  Fungi number between 0.01 and 1 million propagules per gram of soil.

p  70,000 different species of fungi have been described worldwide, but an estimated 1 million additional species remain Un-described/defined.

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus with Glomalin

Biotechnology: Solid-State Fermentation

Gas Phase: air in large pores

Liquid Phase: aqueous Films Water filled small pores

Solid Phase: particulate substrate

The Composting Process

Organic Matter Minerals

Water

Micro- organisms

Organic matter, minerals, water, microbes

Raw Materials Finished compost O2

Water Heat

CO2

Compost Pile

Analyze Markets

Prepare Materials sort, grind, chip, shred, Mix

Bulking Agents

Amendments Determine

Recipes

Active Composting

Low Tech High Tech

Curing Screening

Compost Quality Assessment

“overs”

Product Refinement Blending

Additives

Bagging

Storage

Compost Process Flow Chart Feedstocks

Basic Items to Manage to Make Compost

p Feedstocks p Bulk Density p Oxygen p Water p Vertical Height & Mass p Heat p Time p Zonation

PN 1635

Compost Successes 1 1.  Use of the Scientific Method. 2.  International Information

Availability. 3.  Improved “scientific” and “popular”

publications. 4.  Improved storm damage processing

systems.

Compost

Compost Successes 2 p Better equipment p Some examples of “good” operations.

n  Mississippi Topsoils, Inc. Cold Springs, MN

n  WLSSD Duluth, MN

n  Specialized Environmental Technologies, Eden Prairie, MN

n  Sustane Natural Fertilizer, Inc. Cannon Falls, MN.

n  Schroeder's Fox Valley Greenhouse, Green Bay, WI.

Compost Successes 3 p Jiangsu Key Lab. for Organic Utilization

Nanjing Agricultural Univ. Nanjing, China. p International Solid Waste Association

(ISWA) Vienna, Austria. p Clean and consistent feed stocks and good

process control results in consistently uniform end products.

Learning from Failures 1 p Pembroke Pines, FL Sept 1991. $50 million to build. Operated by Reuter

of Florida using Buhler equipment. Poor: engineering, design, construction,

location, operation and economics. Closed 14 months after opening.

Learning from Failures 2 p MN mixed municipal solid waste composting

1988-1998.

p >$108 million to build 9 facilities.

p  Poor: engineering, design, construction, location, operation and economics.

p  Economics, odor and contaminate problems.

Learning from Failures 3 p Rules need to be based on real world

data.

p  You must know your actual costs and income to stay in business.

p  Experience and a commitment to “continuous improvement” fixes many problems.

p  Every “compost” is different!

Developing Opportunities 1 p Know the Rules!

p Know your markets better than anyone else.

p Look for a special position or activity that particularly suits your talents, skills and services.

Developing Opportunities 2 p Making “specific” products for “specific” customers, markets and uses.

p Becoming “information and service“

driven.

p Accurate Measurement

p  Economic opportunities to expand

Developing Opportunities 3 p  Expand your network of knowledgeable

people.

p Hire professional people.

p Develop a good on-going educational program for all of your key people.

p Develop a system to a identify trends.

Getting Started

p Start with the “End” in Mind

p  Increase your understanding of microbial web that exists in aerobic composting

p Use the knowledge that we already have about the biology and the environmental conditions of the compost process and how they are tied together to improve your composting operation

p  Plan, monitor, measure and make adjustments to improve product quality

Questions How should organic materials best

be utilized? Should compost be governed by “Solid Waste Rules” or “Soil Amendment Rules?” Current MPCA goals want a 14 times

increase in compost tonnage made in MN. What would be required?

Questions?

Thank You.

References p Carl J. Rosen, Peter M. Bierman, and Roger

D. Eliason. Soil Test Interpretations and Fertilizer Management for Lawns, Turf, Gardens, and Landscape Plants.

p  http://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/49265/01731.pdf?sequence=1

Midwest Extension Compost School 1995-2015

The Midwest Composting School

June 2-4, 2015, Wauconda, IL 60084

p Duane Friend, University of Illinois Extension 104 North Westgate Jacksonville, IL 62650 friend@illinois.edu phone: 217-243-7424

Compost Basics: Initial Conditions page 1

1)  Interconnected Free Air Space 55% - 75% of volume.

2)  The ideal bulk density range for a compost recipe is 750 - 840 lb/yd3.

3)  O2 above 6.0 % - 15 % everywhere in the pile. > 16 % for lowest odors

4)  H2O keep the compost moisture between 44% and 60%. (10% less than WHC.)

5)  Compost Organic Materials. 6)  Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio 25:1 - 30:1

Compost Basics: Initial Conditions page 2

6) Mass min. is 1 yd3 to as large as you need to reach temperatures

7) Pile Height > 39 in. < 84 in. 8) Particle Size < 2.75 in. > 1/8 in. 9) Microbes from mature compost is best

~0.5% 10) Temperature 131 F - 150 F ( > 150 F cool the pile!)

Compost Basics: Initial Conditions page 3

11) “Zonation” is the colder 35% of the outside of the pile.

12) turn the pile 3 - 7 times. 13) pathogen reduction: > 131 F for 15

days or longer, daily log required. 14) time shortest = 112 days (to years) 15) pH 6.0 - 7.7 16) With experience fine-tune your

management program.

Nutrient Requirements/Supply

An Example

Turf grass needs 2 – 6 lbs. N/1000 sq. ft. Topdressing turf areas 1 ton compost (at 50% H2O), each 1% N = 10

lbs. N

n ½ inch (34 tons) layer of compost/A = 340 lbs./N

n  at 25% available N (1st year) = 85 lbs./N/A or approximately 2 lbs./1000 sq. ft.

Compost Application Rates

p Depth Yards3/acre Tons/acre p  1/8 inch 16.9 6.8 p ¼ inch 33.8 13.5 p ½ inch 67.5 27.0 p  1 inch 135 54.0 p  2 inches 270 108.0 The depth of compost application should not be more than 20% of Tillage Depth.