Forbidden brownie…
I work in water treatment and this is a waste product – we call it 'cake'. It comes from the dewatering process.
Has anyone had any experience of composting it?
Pretty sure that’s the base material for Milorganite fertilizer
If it’s sterile at that point, I’d say mix in with browns like you would any manure. Probably could use a bucket soak with equal parts water before adding to a pile
SuitPrestigious1694
But is it the result of grey/black water treatment or from cleaning water from natural sources?
I guess that changes a lot. A big part of it must also be inorganic, I suppose.
LoveThemMegaSeeds
Could be great compost material or could be the devil, depends what’s in there. For awhile the biosolids were this great achievement after being composted and then we realized there were PFAS in there and other forever chemicals.
mysterychongo
I’m not sure if this is the same exact substance as featured in the linked article, but Michigan farmer who used free wastewater biosolids as fertilizer was blocked from selling any of his cattle after finding out his land is chock-full of PFAS now as a result. Definitely check for PFAS/PFOA levels before adding it to your compost heap or land.
Milorganite uses microbes to digest the soluble nutrients in a Milwaukee sewage treatment plant. They add oxygen to promote the growth of the microbes and then filter and dry the dead microbes. They have been selling this since the 1950s. I’ll try to post a link here.
6 Comments
Isn’t that what Milorganite is made of?
Pretty sure that’s the base material for Milorganite fertilizer
If it’s sterile at that point, I’d say mix in with browns like you would any manure. Probably could use a bucket soak with equal parts water before adding to a pile
But is it the result of grey/black water treatment or from cleaning water from natural sources?
I guess that changes a lot. A big part of it must also be inorganic, I suppose.
Could be great compost material or could be the devil, depends what’s in there. For awhile the biosolids were this great achievement after being composted and then we realized there were PFAS in there and other forever chemicals.
I’m not sure if this is the same exact substance as featured in the linked article, but Michigan farmer who used free wastewater biosolids as fertilizer was blocked from selling any of his cattle after finding out his land is chock-full of PFAS now as a result. Definitely check for PFAS/PFOA levels before adding it to your compost heap or land.
https://www.ecocenter.org/vice-spotlights-demise-century-old-cattle-farm-due-pfas-contamination
Milorganite uses microbes to digest the soluble nutrients in a Milwaukee sewage treatment plant. They add oxygen to promote the growth of the microbes and then filter and dry the dead microbes. They have been selling this since the 1950s. I’ll try to post a link here.
https://www.milorganite.com/what-is-milorganite