Claystone Waste - Composting Effectively and Efficiently

Claystone Waste began composting a few weeks ago - highlights of the facility and process include thorough and efficient blending using a Supreme 900 stationary mixer, aerated composting with timer and temperature feedback, and screening to 1" before curing. The mixing thoroughly coats the wood chips with the organic material, creating an optimal environment for the aerobic microbes during the composting process. The aerated composting provides optimal oxygen content for the microbes. Recycling the wood chips after active composting reduces the amount of wood chips required, introduces a microbial inoculum that speeds up the compost process, and results in reduced curing space required.

[@davidighernandez]

Nice work! We are starting a similar business in Chihuahua Mexico and it's amazing to see how microbes can generate such amazing soil amendments from what we consider as "waste", keep the good work!!!

[@TransformCompost]

Thanks very much! We hope that you have much success in 2024!

[@estebancorral5151]

Are talking about Chihuahua, the capital city or elsewhere in Chihuahua the state.

[@davidighernandez]

@@estebancorral5151 we are working in the state, we are based in the city but we have applied our products in several parts of the state.

[@estebancorral5151]

@@davidighernandez I would suggest that you make deals with both the Mennonite and Mormon enclaves within the state of Chihuahua. Their prowess in agriculture is phenomenal. You can make them a sweet deal. Offer to rent their heavy equipment during their off season so can make compost. This will free you from laying out an obscene and ridiculous amount of up front cash while, they inturn, gain a new revenue stream. Knowing that your compost was made in part by their equipment will predispose them to purchase your compost. This is what is known as a win-win deal. Le deseo existo a su empresa y ojalá que me brindara una respuesta.

[@organicentourage]

Very cool to see the operation and nice job making the video! Regarding already using the initially planned size, I'm guessing it's sort of like when I wonder how many shelves I should build or how big a cabinet should be. Experience has shown that the answer is almost always how many or how big will all the available space allow for.😉

[@TransformCompost]

Well said!

[@denisrho1019]

John Paul: Great comments as well as great explanations and nice photos !
What exactly is the initial biomass that you are composting ? (leaves, branches, garden clips) I am impressed as I saw no foreing matters (plastics, etc.)
I am curious to know... 20 pads to process 20 000 tons per y ... what is the main limiting factor to operate efficiently the proposed system ? Is it the initial blending step (300 t/d) that prevents you to blend and spread the biomass onto the pads or is it the TIME of the year you collect the biomass to be composted ? Or is the collection strategy adopted by the city ? ... Denis, from Montréal, Qc, Canada

[@TransformCompost]

Thanks for your comments/questions. The material being composted is the source separated organics from the City of Edmonton. It goes through some preprocessing at the City before it comes to the facility. The material varies from mostly food waste during the winter and mostly grass and food in the spring/early summer, and leaves and food during the fall. One of the limiting factors is loader operation.

[@greighenning9091]

Nice, precise explanations... What do you make of the Johnson Su compost reactor, which does not require mechanical aeration, yet produces a very diverse range of microbes? Please can you share your email address?

[@TransformCompost]

Thank you for your message. There are some excellent methods for producing great compost, including the great work of Sir Albert Howard. Time is a great thing - not everyone has the time or space to allow for a long composting process. My email is [e-mail]

[@cameronornelas142]

Great video!!!! Can you send me some info on the aerated compost system. I'm interested in using it at my four compost facilities in California. Hope to here from you. Thanks

[@TransformCompost]

Thanks Cameron! Will contact you soon.

[@ChandlerBrooks]

What size blowers are you using to move the air

[@TransformCompost]

These are 7.5 hp centrifugal blowers

[@ChandlerBrooks]

@@TransformCompost what’s the CFM and pressure of this fan if you don’t mind me asking trying to set up something similar, or the model on those 7.5hp

[@ChandlerBrooks]

@@TransformCompostalso how long do yall let your pipes cure

[@TransformCompost]

@@ChandlerBrooks not sure of your question - how long do the pipes cure?

[@ChandlerBrooks]

@@TransformCompost the piles

[@AdekoyaOluwadamilare]

This is awesome👍👍👍

[@TransformCompost]

Thanks!

[@craigandrews7544]

What recycling do you do with the first screen oversize?

[@TransformCompost]

It is recycled back into the composting process - used as bulking agent and microbial inoculant.

[@craigandrews7544]

Have you found that the ratio of oversize to fines increases as you recycle the oversize back into the process?

[@TransformCompost]

It does not change significantly, because we need to have the right porosity and moisture content, so if we don't use recycle, we have to use fresh wood. A combination of both is usually used.

[@estebancorral5151]

John Paul you need to familiarize yourself with Jean Pain Method. You are not as efficient as you think. You can be producing, methane, fertilizer, district heating, vermicastings, recuperate the water vapor, and still procduce fungally dominated compost. You are wasting 23 million B.T.U’s per ton of substrate. You are using centrifugal fans ( no such thing as centrifical.). You can move more air with negative pressure than with positive pressure. You separate composted particles 100 times faster with an air classifier than you can with a 1 inch screen. You are running your heavy equipment on fossil fuel instead of biomethane which you could produce yourself, and you are paying the utility company to run to fans. Your venture is not vertically integrated as it could be.