Compost Blended with Top Soil

When Green Earth Landworks receives the compost, it is cured in static piles, and, due to the severity of the weather conditions, the piles are inoculated with a microbial package to enhance the final maturation of the compost.  The mature compost is blended with top soil for bulk sales at the nursery.  It is also used for top dressing, erosion control socks filler.  These socks are used by the DOT which requires the compost be certified.  The lab reports show that the compost passes all the tests with flying colors!  Please get in touch if you would like a copy of the report!

Once all the installation and recipe tweeking had taken place, the system nearly runs itself.  There is only one operator who works a total of 3 to 4 hours a day with the entire composting system (including loading, unloading and clean up).  There is minimal maintenance, and the energy requirements are so low because the 10’ x 30’ drum is being driven by only a 5 hp motor.  As an added bonus, the heat off the BioReactor helps heat the building!

Jeff Jessen, the Renewable Resources Program Administrator, says, “the XACT composting system runs on Cruise  Control now…it runs so well and it couldn’t be  easier to operate.”

Alaska Green Waste Solutions sells the compost to a local nursery for $50.00 a cubic yard.  The nursery cures it for a couple of weeks, blends it and uses it for landscaping at housing projects, erosion control for large projects, and as a medium for compost socks.  “They cannot get enough of our compost” Jeff reports.

A new study from The Ohio State University suggests that most modern cities have the potential to grow up to 100 percent of their current needs for produce and other items.  The study, “Can cities become self-reliant in food?,” conducted by Parwinder Grewal, professor of entomology and director of the Center for Urban Environment and Economic Development at Ohio State University, suggests that a city such as Cleveland, OH, could produce most of the food its citizens need.

The report states that “While not trivial, current local food production only accounts for 1.7 percent ($1.5 million) of the $89 million Cleveland spends annually on fresh produce, and 0.1 percent of the city’s total food and beverage expenditures. However, the potential for food self-reliance is significantly higher considering available space in the city.”

The study determined that Cleveland has more than 3,000 acres of vacant lots that are the result of years of manufacturing job losses, the recent economic downturn and a high rate of home foreclosures. He also found 2,900 acres of flat rooftops.

This study indicates that “the city can prevent economic leakage anywhere from $27 million to $115 million annually by increasing its production of fresh produce, poultry and honey. This could boost the city’s economy and lead to increased job creation.”  In addition, local food production has many other benefits, such as boosting access to and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables; cut obesity rates due to consumption of healthy food and increased physical activity; promote a sense of community and decrease crime activity; and raise property values as vacant lots are put to attractive and productive use.

Urban farming can also reduce human impact on the environment. Professor Grewal said food in the U.S. travels an average of 1,500 miles from the farm to the consumer’s plate, requiring large amounts of fuel and energy for transportation and refrigeration. Additionally, increasing green space in the city through farms and gardens can boost carbon storage in the soil, reduce problems associated with stormwater runoff, and curtail the urban heat island effect.

“Just like the organic food movement, where it was about five to six years ago, the local food movement is gaining a similar type of momentum right now, and every city has the potential to at least increase its local self-sufficiency and resilience by producing its own food.”

This study certainly makes sense, and the BioReactor Mini, such as the 510 or 515  makes it a viable economic and environmental business endeavor.  All the features of the XACT BioReactor scream “Urban”.  From the fast throughput to the quiet operation to the odorless processing there is no better composting system for organic waste conversion.  Couple the BioReactor technology with the staggering food waste produced from schools, restaurants, hospitals, and grocery stores and then utilize the finished compost for Urban Farm–it makes cents (lots of them)!

XACT BioReactor Composting Manure

BioReactor can turn your manure into pathogen free compost in 3 to 4 days which can also be used as bedding for the herd as well as a soil amendment. When you start to calculate ALL the savings, the XACT BioReactor offers a return on your investment which out performs any other piece of equipment you will have on your farm.  If this seems hard to believe, just give us a call to check it out for your farming operation.  Many thanks.  D

Nord Bio chose the BioReactor technology because the in-vessel, rotating drum composter technology by XACT offers a sustainable management strategy to reliably and hastily convert solid organic waste to great compost with beneficial properties.  It is an excellent “fit” for Europe where there are millions of people living (and producing waste) on not very much land!  The BioReactor converts tons and tons of waste daily using a very tiny footprint, using very little energy, and controlling odour, VOC’s, vectors to boot!

European companies can rest assured that with Nord Bio backing the BioReactor, all their needs for sales, manufacturing, installation, and service will be met in a competitive and timely manner.   Plus, with the robust engineering of the BioReactor, customers can be confident in the performance and longevity of this technology.  Please feel free to get in touch to learn more.  Many thanks.  D

If you are considering composting with the rotating drum technology and are conducting some comparative analysis, be sure to find what the drum walls are made.  If they are steel, it is important to also know how thick the steel is.   You will find out that some vessels are not even made of steel!   In addition, the engineering of the XACT drum includes steel bars on the inside of the walls that run the length of the drum for added strength.  Why build to such rugged standards?  The answer is easy…we want you to be confident in the performance of the BioReactor when you first press the Start button and for many, many years thereafter.    Please get in touch to learn more about the importance of steel in your next composter.  Many, many thanks.  D

Here are the facts and formulas to calculate the energy costs for a 10’ diameter x 100’ long BioReactor.  This size of vessel is run by one 10 hp electric motor.  The horsepower output for a 10 HP is 746 Watts X 10 = 7460 Watts = 7.46 KW. Accounting for the typical inefficiencies of the motor, let’s estimate it to be about 85% efficient, so the electrical input to the motor would be 7.46 KW / 0.85 = 8.78 KW. Operating for one hour, the 10 hp motor would consume 8.78 KW X 1 Hr. = 8.78 kWh.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average cost of electricity (per kWh, nationwide, as of December 2010) is $0.125/kWh.  Thus 8.78 x 0.125 = $1.10

Thus, the energy costs for a 10′ x 100′ BioReactor is:

$1.10 for 1 hour of operation

$26.40 for 24 hours of operation

$792.00 for 30 days

$9,636.00 for 1 year

Now let’s look at how much waste is being composted.  The 10’ diameter x 100’ long BioReactor has a capacity of 200 cubic yards.  200 cubic yards of solid organic waste on average weighs 120 tons (assumption of 2 cu. yd. = 1.2 ton).  If the organic waste remains in the drum for a 4-day retention period, the energy costs for that period is   $105.60.  And what do you get for $105.6o?  At the end of the 4 days, you will have compost that is 75% mature and pathogen free.  Not only will you have composted all the waste for just $105.60, but  you will have done so and controlled emissions, VOC’s and odour.  So, the the bottom line is:

$105.60 to compost 120 tons of solid organic waste. How is that for low energy costs and consumption!  Let’s try plugging in your regions energy costs and see what your costs would be…call any time.  Many thanks.  D

Waste not, want not!  Many thanks.  D