Composting Operations

Composting as a naturally occurring process is as old as time itself, yet it remains one of the most challenging areas of biological conversion technology. The sheer number of variables that compost makers have to manage in order to achieve a specific end result is daunting to say the least.

Composting is all about a carefully calculated recipe that optimizes raw material composition through the incorporation of technology that aligns specific biological niches with various environmental parameters in such a manner that microbial conversion can proceed in a predictable and dependable manner that delivers a useful and stable end result that is consistent with objectives initially set out by the compost maker.

Convertech has significant experience in the field of specialty composting and therefore thoroughly understands the associated challenges, technological and otherwise that accompany the successful conversion of biological matter through aerobic manipulation and conditioning.

Convertech can assist clients with all aspects of the compost making process including formulations, troubleshooting, automation, process designs, site designs, turnkey projects and the design and manufacture of customized equipment.

3 visitor(s) commented on this article

Wynand
Friday October 30, 2009 at 7:51:27 AM

Best Piet, ek wil jou graag bedank vir al die moeite wat jy gedoen het na aanleiding van my navraag Maandag middag. Dit is raar om nog iemand te kry wat so bereidwillig is om 'n ander persoon te help sonder om eers twee keer te dink. Baie Dankie!

Stanley
Sunday November 01, 2009 at 11:58:39 PM

I am starting an earthworm farm to recycle our restaurant kitchen waste, but I am concerned about the meat scraps and trimmed fat. I have read that meat and fat should be kept out of the earthworm bins.

My questions are :
1) Can it be included and fed to my earthworms?
2) If not, what do I do with it other than just throw it away?

Piet Kruger (Convertech)
Monday November 02, 2009 at 4:34:53 AM

Stanley,
Small-scale vermi-composting operations such as the one that you are setting up is a brilliant way to recycle food scraps that will otherwise just end up generating methane on a city dump.

Answering your two questions,
1) Can it be included and fed to my earthworms?
No, do not include meat or fat into any substrate that will be used for vermi-composting purposes. You could process the meat and fat with a tissue digestor and then apply the effluent in metered dosages to the rest of the food scraps, but on such a small scale this would not be financially feasible.

2) If not, what do I do with it other than just throw it away?

If these food scraps are fit for human consumption, consider calling a hospice or a soup kitchen where meat is always in desperately short supply.Your waste could just be turned into a wholesome meal for somebody that really needs it.

If not fit for human consumption, contact a local animal shelter and find out if they can use it as part of their feeding regime for their animals.

Finally, you could consider setting up a small specialized composting bin that could be used to compost away the meat and fat, whereafter the compost could be mixed into the substrate for your earthworms. Be aware that this option could generate a lot of hassles and odours if done incorrectly, so speak to us before you consider this option.
Hope this helps.

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Tuesday March 09, 2010

What Are Prions

Prions are infectious pathogens that cause a group of fatal neurodegenerative disease. Prion related diseases all involve modification of the prion protein (PrP). Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), Chronic wasting disease (CWD) in deer, scrapie of sheep, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) of humans are the most well-known prion diseases.

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