[USCC] Vol 29, #9--Regulation by various agencies

[frank]

Rufus, David and others,
I am wondering your thoughts on the following:

Because the killing of pathogens in a typical compost operation is based 
on Temperature & Time I am thinking it would be better if we replaced 
testing for fecal coliform with a more intensive temperature monitoring 
system.  For the past two years at the USCC conference there has been a 
growing number of vendors that  are marketing new systems that 
continuously monitor the temperature and send the readings to the war 
room. I look forward to seeing what they present at the USCC conference 
in January. I would prefer to see equipment that runs down the windrow 
taking readings along the way and monitor using GPS tracking than a few 
probes that must be inserted and removed, but maybe that will come 
later.  Having many, many readings all along the row that are 
automatically recorded would show 1) sections of a pile that are cool 
and could be removed before harvest and used as a microbe seed for a new 
row 2) proof of readings and 3) proof of time of composting.  Soon as 
the required temperatures and times were met Pathogen Reduction has been 
achieved and nothing more needs be done. If we still want fecal coliform 
to confirm complete mixing that should be done at 'end of the time', not 
at 'point of sale'.

As it is now we seem to rely more on fecal coliform at point of sale to 
determine if pathogen reduction has been met. That is a few random 
temperature readings, a calender and one fecal coliform reading from a 
mixture of windrows at the end. Before we can add small amount of 
biosolids to every windrow at every compost facility, as I hope we will 
be doing in the near future, it must be -proved- that pathogen kill has 
been met. I think the above is needed for this proof.

Thanks
Frank





-- 
Frank Shields
Soil Control Lab
42 Hangar way
Watsonville, CA  95076
(831) 724-5422 tel
(831) 724-3188 fax
frank at compostlab.com
www.compostlab.com