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The (Climate Change) Importance of
Compost (with a capital “C,” as in “Carbon”)
Ned Beecher
Executive Director, North East Biosolids & Residuals Association

July 8, 2009

Waste Prevention 202:


Connecting Climate Change & Waste Management

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c mp st…

Why bother?

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Many benefits of composting:
„ It’s recycling: putting nutrients &
organic matter back into use
„ Reduces disposal; saves landfill space
„ Creates local jobs
Floor
aerated
windrow
CA grape
pomace
composting

Images this & next 4 slides


courtesy WSU:
http://organic.tfrec.wsu.edu/comp 4
ost/ImagesWeb/CompImages.html
More benefits of using compost:
„ Suppress plant diseases and pests.
„ Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical
fertilizers.
„ Promote higher yields of agricultural
crops.
„ Facilitate reforestation, wetlands
restoration, and habitat revitalization
efforts by amending contaminated,
compacted, and marginal soils.

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And more benefits…
„ Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by
hazardous waste.
„ Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from
stormwater runoff.
„ Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile
organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
„ Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over
conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation
technologies, where applicable.
Text on this and prior slide from:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/rrr/composting/basic.ht
m
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Merrimack, NH biosolids compost helps keep
Billerica, MA biosolids compost applied on this central MA golf course green.
a golf green.
Boston Harbor Islands,
Massachusetts 2004

Biosolids compost
for wildflowers
along a NH
interstate highway.

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Maine’s
Colby College
uses biosolids
compost on
sports turf.

The Great Lawn in New York’s


Central Park is growing on
Merrimack, NH biosolids compost. 8
And still more benefits…
„ Improved crop nutritional value (micronutrients)
„ Slow release of nutrients = less nutrient pollution of
ground & surface waters
„ Reduced use of pesticides / fungicides (due to
improved biological richness in soil)
„ Improved water holding capacity of soil, reducing
irrigation needs (30% compost in soil = an additional
1.9 gallons/cubic foot)

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More & more & more benefits…
„ “The severity of leaf rust caused by Puccinia sp. was significantly less on
perennial ryegrass seeded on compost-amended soils” (Loschinkol &
Boehm, Ohio State, 2001).
„ “In general, N-rich, well-matured composts were good media for sod
growth” (Barker, Univ. of MA, 2001).
„ Re greenhouse gas emissions: “intensive management systems that
result in increased soil organic matter are a significant part of the
solution (Wright et al., OK State, 2001).
With so many documented benefits,
there is only one rational conclusion…

Washington, before
Washington, after
photos courtesy of Eliot Epstein, Ph.D.
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We need more compost!

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More C in soil = less CO2 in atmosphere

„ “Soils can contain as much as or more carbon than living vegetation. For
example, 97 percent of the 335 billion tons (304 billion metric tonnes) of
carbon stored in grassland ecosystems is held in the soil” (Amthor et al,
Oak Ridge National Lab, 1998, as quoted at http://www.sustainablesites.org).

„ “Some cultivated soils have lost one-half to two-thirds of the original


SOC* pool ….The soil C sequestration is a truly win–win strategy. It
restores degraded soils, enhances biomass production, purifies surface
and ground waters, and reduces the rate of enrichment of atmospheric
CO2 by offsetting emissions due to fossil fuel” (R. Lal, Ohio State, 2004).
*soil organic carbon

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Compost has that “C” for soils…
„ Food waste
„ Yard trimmings

„ Manures / biosolids

Compost them! Return


them to soils!

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Univ. of WA Study
„ Compost amended vs. control
„ 2-3 complete sets of samples

per site per treatment


„ Composite of 4+ cores for

chemical analysis
„ Water infiltration 2 runs per

sample site
„ Bulk density, intact core

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 16
WA compost - cherries, hops, grapes
3.5

Compost
Control
3

2.5
Total C (%)

1.5

0.5

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD 0
Cherry Grapes Hops 17
Univ. of WA
Maryland- Hayden farm plots - 30+ years

% organic
Mg ha C
Control 0 1.26
Heat
treated 224 2.14
Lime
compost 672 3.2
Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 18
Urban agriculture

„ Community
garden plots
„ Tacoma WA
„ Biosolids/wood
y debris soil
product
Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA
After 2 years of gardening

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 20
After 10 years of gardening

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 21
Soil carbon: restoration
Highland Valley Copper, BC

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA
Highland Valley Cu, BC - 6-8 yrs. old

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 23
greenhouse gas
Other ^ benefits of compost use…
„ Replacing chemical fertilizers
„ ~ 4 kg CO2 / kg N (Recycled Organics Unit, 2006)
„ ~ 2 kg CO2 / kg P (Recycled Organics Unit, 2006)
„ Improved soil tilth / workability = less
fuel for working soil
„ Improved water holding capacity &
infiltration (less runoff)
(Not to mention replacing peat….and….)
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Univ. of WA study: sites studied for quantitative difference

Organic orchards
Riverside, CA – 10 y
of applications

Tilled- Monterey, CA
5 y of applications organic,
Slide courtesy of control conventional
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA
Organic orchard- fine sand soil 448 Mg ha over 10
year period Riverside, CA

Organic Bulk H2O per


Total N Carbon Density 100g
% g cm3 mls
0.04+-
Control 0.007 0.37+- 0.1 1.5+- 0.2 9.6+- 0.6

Compost 0.28+- 0.04 2.7+- 0.4 1.1 +- 0.1 21.3+- 3.7

% change 700 730 -27% 225


Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 26
Organic row crops- fine sandy loam 112 Mg ha 5+
years period Monterey, CA

Organic H2O per Infiltration


Total N Carbon Bulk Density 100g rate

% g cm3 mls minutes

Control 0.08 0.7+- 0.02 1.7+- 0.1 25+- 0.08 18+- 17

Compost 0.1+- 0.002 1.1+- 0.05 1.3+- 0.08 29+- 0.6 0.67+- 0.1

% change 125 157 -24% 116 4% as long

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 27
Univ. of WA study: across all sites
350

300
% change over control soil

250

200

150

100

50
Microbial activity

Water holding

Bulk density
Carbon

Slide courtesy of 0

Sally Brown, PhD


Univ. of WA 28
Water infiltration (quicker = reduced runoff)

a
15
Infiltration time (minutes)

10

5 b

0
Control Compost

Slide courtesy of
Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 29
NEBRA Study (2008):
Biosolids Management Options at Merrimack, NH

Report available at www.nebiosolids.org

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Results

Operation kWh equivalent / dry CO2 Equivalent Emissions


ton solids (Mg / year)
CURRENT COMPOSTING 735 1529
UPGRADED COMPOSTING 568 1094
LANDFILLING AT ROCHESTER, 261 3,754
NH
(Energy use does not necessarily equate with GHG emissions.)

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Results: CO2 eq. emissions

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CCX protocol: CH4 avoidance for
diversion to compost facilities
Default Projected Yields of Waste
Streams Diverted from Landfilling

(Mg C02e/wet ton waste diverted)


Waste type Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total

Food waste 0.28 0.23 0.19 0.7

Yard waste 0.11 0.1 0.09 0.3

Biosolids 0.05 0.04 0.03 0.12

Slide courtesy of Total = 1.12 Mg CO2


Sally Brown, PhD
Univ. of WA 33
Conclusions
„ Composting has benefits
„ Using compost has many benefits
„ We need more compost.
„ Help make it happen.

Keep COOL 2012: Compostable Organics Out


of Landfills by 2012 (http://www.cool2012.com/)

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Contact information
Ned Beecher, NEBRA
603-323-7654
ned.beecher@nebiosolids.org
www.nebiosolids.org
Sally Brown, Univ. WA
206-616-1299
slb@u.washington.edu
http://faculty.washington.edu/slb/
BioCycle
http://www.jgpress.com
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