The Timtek process involves crushing of small diameter trees to form mats which are coated with adhesive then pressed into boards. Crushing yields an effluent water that has a high biological oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS). This water must be remediated before it can be discharged into water ways. The objective of this study is to evaluate: 1) the co-composting potential for process waste water, scrim wood waste and poultry manure; and 2) the potential for phytoremediation of diluted process water using duckweed. The results showed that co-composting reduced the bulk and toxicity of both process waste water and wood waste. Plant growth studies showed the composted material is suitable for use as a soil amendment. The results of the phytoremediation study showed that the BOD of the water could be reduced, but levels were still too high for discharge in public waterways.

Literature reviews indicated that batteries, ferrous, non-ferrous materials, and electronic products are major contributors of trace metals in municipal solid waste (MSW). In order to assess the impact of various contaminants on the trace metal content of compost, contaminants including alkaline batteries, galvanized nails, Zn-plated screws, copper wires and electronic cables were exposed to a thermophilic composting process for three weeks. The increase in trace metal content in the compost product was measured, after the composting process. The results showed that the main contributors of trace metals are copper wires and galvanized nails. They contributed 51.9% of the CCME A limit for copper and 29.5% of the CCME A limit for zinc, respectively. To ensure the compost quality reaches the CCME category A criteria, contaminants made from bare copper or coated with zinc should be removed from the composting feedstock as much as possible. / Environmental Engineering

No description available.

A three-month study evaluated composting of cross laminated timber (CLT) sawdust amended with 10% and 20% chicken litter. Moisture was provided by rainwater or deionized water depending on the precipitation. The contents in the containers were mixed once or twice a week for aeration. Samples were collected at 0, 45, and 90-day intervals to measure weight loss, moisture content, pH, compost maturity, microbial count, and carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. Results indicated that composted CLT with 20% chicken litter had much higher weight reduction than others at day 45 and 90. Treatments with 10% and 20% chicken litter had a higher initial pH than controls and showed a slow increase near to neutral 7 by day 90. The germination rate of radish seeds to measure the compost maturity showed that composted CLT with 20% chicken litter had significantly higher germination rate than the others at days 45 and 90. A greenhouse study of composted material showed also that the 20% treatment could be used as soil amendment due to its excellent C/N ratio but appears to be unsuitable for container media. Longer composting time is suggested for CLT sawdust to be cured and used for potting media.

In today's death industry, many standard burial practices inhibit decomposition and ensure that land used for cemeteries has little ability for adaptation or improved ecological health of the site. Western culture has increasingly disconnected itself from death, often ignoring the inevitable until it is too late and making grief and mourning an isolating endeavor. This thesis seeks to address issues of climate and social resilience in death spaces, as well as creating an architecture that relieves the fear and disconnection to death and the mourning process prevalent in our society. The site is the former coal storage field of the Alexandria Power Generation Station in North Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. The power plant was shut down in 2012, and has sat unoccupied, in part because pollution from the power plant has depleted soil nutrients and created a brownfield site. In this project, practices like Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), natural burial, and grave renewal are used to develop an adaptive site condition that embraces change and quite literally continues to build upon itself over time. Using the composted material from NOR on site will help restore the ecological health of the site by diluting the contaminated soil and create a method of phased layering to prevent overcrowding or filling up of burial plots. The architecture is designed to celebrate the natural processes of death, and to embrace the mourning process for those still living. As the visitor enters the building, they leave the "land of the living" and descend into the ground. As they travel through the building, natural light is gradually reintroduced to the interior spaces, and the visitor literally and metaphorically rises back out of the ground, as a symbol of healing and relief from their grief. Ceremonial spaces provide extensive views out over the site to connect both with the beautiful scenery of the Potomac River and the burial grounds surrounding the building, demonstrating a body's natural return to the earth after death. / Master of Architecture / In today's death industry, many standard burial practices inhibit decomposition and prevent sustainable land use of cemeteries. Western culture has increasingly disconnected itself from death, often ignoring the inevitable until it is too late and making grief and mourning an isolating endeavor. This thesis seeks to address issues of climate and social resilience in death spaces, as well as creating an architectural design that relieves the fear and disconnection to death and the mourning process prevalent in our society. The site is the former coal storage field of the Alexandria Power Generation Station in North Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia. The power plant was shut down in 2012, and has sat unoccupied, in part because pollution from the power plan has depleted soil nutrients and created a brownfield site. In this project, practices like Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), natural burial, and grave renewal are used to develop an adaptive site condition that embraces change and a more sustainable method of death care. Composted material from NOR used on site will help restore its ecological heath by diluting contaminated soil and creating a method of phased layering to prevent overcrowding or filling up of burial plots. The architecture is designed to celebrate the natural processes of death, and embrace the mourning process for those still living by providing views out over the site to connect with the beautiful scenery of the Potomac River and the burial grounds surrounding the building, demonstrating the body's natural return to the earth after death.

This thesis investigated the final products from the current effluent treatment system for woolscouring (wool washing) plants, namely, (i) sludge produced from the chemical flocculation of solids in the wastewater from the wash bowls, and (ii) concentrated suint (sheep sweat) produced from evaporation of the liquid phase separated from the sludge. In addition, fibrous wastes from the woolscouring process were studied. The aims of the study were to (i) investigate whether suint could be applied in a sustainable way to arable land as a potassium fertiliser, and (ii) assess the conditions under which the sludge could be composted for use as a soil conditioner to return organic matter to soil. Experiments involving suint were performed at both laboratory and glasshouse scales, while experiments involving the solid woolscour wastes were based both in the laboratory and using a small-scale (4.5 m3 total capacity) in-vessel composting unit established at a New Zealand woolscour. Decomposition was measured using net-nitrogen mineralisation and weight loss methods. Suint, the water-soluble contaminants on the fleece, contained high levels of potassium (20% on a dry weight basis) and also appreciable quantities of sulphur, sodium, and chlorine. Biological treatment before evaporation stabilised the resulting suint and improved the consistency of its composition. Suint did not affect the soil processes examined, in that it partly decomposed in soil, did not inhibit the turnover of model organic compounds, did not affect soil properties such as pH and electrical conductivity, and did not lead to increased leaching of mineral nitrogen. Suint was either neutral or positive towards plant performance when applied to soil at a rate of 100 kg potassium per hectare. Suint was therefore judged to be suitable for application to land and could be targeted to soils known to be deficient in potassium or to areas where crops with a high potassium demand are grown. Sludge, composed of dirt (soil particles, faecal matter, and skin and fibre debris) and wool grease, was highly variable in terms of its rate of decomposition, ranging from 0.8 to 27.8% of the initial total nitrogen mineralised over 30 days at 37℃. Fibrous wastes, such as opener (fibre and contaminants removed from the wool by agitation prior to scouring) and scoured wool cleaner (wool fibre and dust removed from scoured and dried wool) wastes, also showed variability in decomposition rates. Sludge decomposition was improved by as much as threefold when co-incubated with fibrous wastes. Although it was shown that the polyacrylamide and pesticide content of sludge did not inhibit its decomposition, the effect of the grease content was not fully understood. Chemical properties of woolscour sludge, such as the carbon to nitrogen ratio, suggested that sludge was a substrate of good resource quality. From a biological perspective, however, the data suggested that woolscour sludge was limited in available nutrients; sludge nitrogen was derived principally from keratin, which decomposed at a low rate resulting in the slow release of mineral nitrogen and low levels of microbial activity. Thus, sludge appeared a poor substrate for composting. However, the results from composting trials indicated that the sludge could be successfully processed after blending with a bulking agent such as sawdust. The blended material showed a 90% reduction in wool grease over 21 days of composting when the moisture content of the composting mass was kept optimal. Compost temperature exceeded 55℃ when wool fibre was added to the blend. Initial results from a case study involving the commercial composting of the entire sludge production (16 tonnes per day) from a New Zealand woolscour indicated that a saleable compost could be produced from a material that would otherwise go to landfill, and served to illustrate the commercial significance of these research results.

One strategy to manage pig slurry is centrifugation and composting of the solids fraction to produce a value added product to distribute manure nutrients further from productions sites. This study determined turned windrow composting was suitable for processing slurry solids throughout winter. It was also the first attempt at combining automated chambers and a Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy analyzer to measure multiple gases during the composting process; the system proved capable but captured fluxes better if conducted in an area sheltered from wind. Straw and woodshavings were shown suitable as bulking materials for composting slurry solids, however, the lack of porosity provided by woodshavings created anaerobic conditions that doubled the greenhouse gas emissions compared to those of straw, 1,126 kg CO2-equivalent Mg-1 compared to 526 kg CO2-equivalent Mg-1. Either bulking material produced compost of quality for use in agricultural or soil blending applications and was free of manure pathogens. / May 2016

As compostagens abrigam uma grande riqueza microbiológica, englobando populações com distintos requerimentos e tolerâncias fisiológicas que se sucedem ao longo do processo de biodegradação aeróbica da matéria orgânica e que resultam na elevação espontânea de temperatura até 80° C. Com a utilização de abordagens de metagenômica e metatranscritômica, investigamos a composição e a diversidade taxonômica, bem como as funções metabólicas de comunidades microbianas da compostagem termofílica do Parque Zoológico de São Paulo. Foram analisadas amostras em série temporal de duas composteiras (ZC3 e ZC4), as quais exibiram temperaturas entre 50ºC-75ºC ao longo de 99 dias do processo. Verificamos que a degradação de toda a biomassa foi realizada essencialmente por bactérias, e que a estrutura e composição das comunidades microbianas variam ao longo do processo, com elevada abundância relativa das Ordens Clostridiales, Bacillales e Actinomycetales, assim como observado em outros sistemas de compostagem. Entre os organismos abundantes no processo, identificamos unidades taxonômicas operacionais (OTUs) referentes a organismos não-cultiváveis e/ou com genoma ainda desconhecido. O genoma parcial de uma destas OTUs foi reconstruído, a qual provavelmente pertence a um novo gênero da ordem Bacillales. A dinâmica do processo de compostagem foi evidenciada pela variação do número de OTUs e do índice de diversidade filogenética ao longo do tempo, sendo que o início do processo e a fase após a revira apresentaram a maior diversidade. Os resultados indicam que o processo de revira (aeração da massa de composto) impacta fortemente a estrutura e a composição da microbiota e que a desconstrução da biomassa vegetal ocorre de forma sinérgica e sequencial. A variedade de microrganismos e de funções metabólicas ativas na compostagem termofílica reforça o seu potencial de ser uma promissora fonte de bactérias e enzimas termorresistentes úteis em processos industriais. / Composting harbors considerable microbial richness, comprising populations with distinct physiological requirements and tolerances that succeed one another throughout the aerobic biodegradation of the organic matter, resulting in spontaneous temperature rise up to 80° C. Using metagenomic- and metatranscritomic-based approaches, we investigated the composition and taxonomic diversity as well as metabolic functions of microbial communities of a thermophilic composting operation in the São Paulo Zoo Park. We have analyzed time-series samples from two composting cells (ZC3 and ZC4) which exhibited sustained thermophilic profile (50°C-75°C) over 99 days of the process. We found that all biomass degradation was essentially performed by bacteria. The structure and composition of microbial communities vary throughout the process with a high relative abundance of Clostridiales, Bacillales and Actinomycetales, as observed in other composting systems. Among the organisms abundant in the process, we identify Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) of uncultivated organisms or with unknown genomes. The partial genome of one of these OTUs was obtained and shown to belong probably to a new genus of Bacillales. Our time-series data showed that the number of OTUs and phylogenetic diversity index changed during composting revealing the dynamics of the process, with the beginning and the stage after turning procedure presenting the highest diverse microbiota. These results indicate that the turning procedure (compost aeration) strongly impacts the microbiota structure and composition and that the deconstruction of the biomass occurs synergistically and sequentially. The huge diversity of microorganisms and metabolic functions active in thermophilic composting strengthen its potential as a promising source of new bacteria and thermostable enzymes that may be helpful in industrial processes.

Due to the pressure of recent legislative changes (eg: the EU Landfill Directive and the imposition of a Landfill Tax), composting as a waste disposal technique is now being viewed as the preferred alternative to the landfilling of organic waste. However, while composting has been practised in one form or another for 2500 years, the underlying principles behind the microbial ecology of composting, is poorly understood. In order to obtain an insight into the ecology and hence, the critical nature of the composting process, a number of low cost open-windrows containing urban botanical wastes were established. These windrows were subjected to microbial and physico-chemical analysis over the initial period of exothermically active composting (25 days). This study demonstrated that, whilst average temperatures within open windrows can reach in excess of 65 °C, the sustainability and range of these temperatures depended upon the windrow bulk density. Windrows with bulk densities of 600kgm*3 had a larger insulation factor and thus, were able to sustain high temperatures for longer periods. However, these windrows were more susceptible to the development of areas of low temperature (cold spots) at depths below 20cm. Windrows with bulk densities of 400kgm'3 had smaller insulation factors and therefore, lost heat at a faster rate than windrows with higher bulk densities. This loss of heat was observed to be the case with the windrow surface layers, but they exhibited fewer cool spots at lower levels. This study found that the average microbial population of windrow material was 2.29x1013 CFU kg*1 and that each microbial cell could generate between 6.33 and 8.56xl0*13 Mjkg*1. This resulted in the generation of between 1.13 and 1.70 Mjkg*1 °C*1 of heat energy. Contrary to the published literature, this study observed that temperatures above 65 °C did not result in the significant loss of ammonia from the windrow. However, high levels of ammonia did suppress the formation of nitrate within the windrows. Experiments investigating microbial population kinetics within the windrows indicated that observed changes were proportional to temperature up to 60 °C, when a reduction in population numbers was observed between 60 °C and 65 °C. However, between 60 °C and 70 °C population levels increased once again. It was also noted that at the start of the composting process, 13 different microbial species or genera could be identified. However, after 17 days of exothermic composting, this had been reduced to 2 genera, including a novel large bacterial species belonging to the genus Bacillus. This study also showed that samples of windrows exposed to temperatures above 55 °C for 48 hours did not eliminate mesophilic or psycrotrophic microbial populations as previously assumed by other workers, but only suppressed their metabolism during the high temperature period.

Orientador: José Moacir Marin / Banca: Clóvis Wesley Oliveira de Souza / Banca: José Eduardo Zaia / Banca: Alessandra Aparecida Medeiros / Banca: Lúcia Maria Carareto Alves / Resumo: Escherichia coli é a bactéria mais comum entre os patógenos entéricos causadores de doenças intestinais. As diferentes classes de E. coli causadoras de diarréia são reconhecidas através dos fatores de virulência que elas apresentam. As E. coli produtoras de Shiga toxina (STEC), especialmente o sorotipo O157:H7 tem sido associado a diversas doenças no ser humano. Além do sorotipo O157:H7, vários outros sorogrupos não-O157 também estão associados a infecções em humanos. Estas bactérias podem ser recuperadas de muitos animais, mas o gado bovino é reconhecido como o seu mais importante reservatório natural. Para análise da sobrevivência de cepas STEC não-O157 em sistemas de compostagem, inicialmente foram coletadas fezes de três vacas saudáveis que apresentaram E. coli portando o gene stx2, característico de cepas STEC. Foram montados dois sistemas de compostagem: o primeiro foi realizado em vala de 60cmd, no qual E. coli apresentando o gene stx2 foi eliminada após 8, 25 e 30 dias nas temperaturas de 40, 42 e 38°C, respectivamente; o segundo sistema foi realizado sobre o solo em um monte em forma de pirâmide com 1md, no qual as bactérias foram eliminadas após 4, 4 e 7 dias nas temperaturas de 65, 56 e 52°C, respectivamente. A temperatura alcançada durante a compostagem e os microrganismos presentes no esterco parecem ser os responsáveis pela eliminação do patógeno nos sistemas de compostagem, o qual pode ser útil para a redução da carga patogênica presente no esterco destinado para aplicações no solo. / Abstract: Escherichia coli is the most common bacteria among the enteric pathogens able to cause intestinal disease. Several classes of diarrhea-causing E. coli are recognized on the basis of their virulence factors production. Shiga-like toxigenic E. coli (STEC), especially serotype O157:H7, have been associated with many diseases in human beings. Besides sorotype O157:H7, many others non-O157 sorogroups have also been associated with human infections. These bacterias can be isolated from a range of animals, but cattle is generally recognized as the major natural source. To analyze the survival of non-O157 STEC strains in composting system, first was collected faeces from three healthy cows that contain E. coli STEC cells carrying the stx2 gene. Two composting systems were used: the first one was a cave with 60cmd were the E. coli STEC cells with stx2 gene were eliminated after 8, 25 and 30 days at 40, 42 and 38°C, respectively; the second one was a heap pyramid system with 1md, where the cells were eliminated after 4, 4, 7 days at 65, 56 and 52°C, respectively. The reached temperature in the composting systems and the indigenous microorganisms present in the manure seems to contribute to pathogen elimination, what may be a useful means of reducing the pathogen load of manure destined for soil application. / Doutor