Bio-solid Compost

[jhenry]

Bio-solid compost is made from wastewater sludge from wastewater treatment plants & hardwood chips which is mixed at a rate of 2 parts wood & 1 parts sludge. The temperatures are monitored every day until it reaches 131 degrees, and must stay above that temperature for 15 days. After 15 days a fecal-coliform sample is taken & sent to an independent lab for testing. If the results are below 1000 ppm, it is classified as a Grade 1 Compost. Also, there is a Heavy Metals Test conducted every 60 days. There are no restictions on Grade 1 compost. In my opinion, bio-solid compost is one of the better compost produced.

[CaptainCompostAL]

Thanks for the info!

I was watching this environmentalist VCR tape the other day that also was describing the way this bio-solids composting is happening today throughout the world.

I don't know about my state Alabama, but I know my original home state SC, is getting big time into producing more bio-solids for commercial use.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

I agree that it is a good material. If you have not already run into them, a majority of the folks I run into on the lists seem to have a very high "Ewwwww!" factor running on the use of human manure for compost. I don't understand it but it's definitely there in abundance.

There is also a lower grade biosolid "compost." It is smelly, rank, and FULL of human pathogens. It is used in agriculture with incredible results. I've seen pictures of desert turned into gardens with one weak application. This low grade material is also the subject of television news specials when entire rural communities turn out against the farmers who use this stuff. Apparently it smells worse after 3 days on the field than it did coming directly out of the sewage treatment plant. But it sure does build soil organic microbial life fast.