Commercial Composting

Using EM Technology^® can help reduce composting turning costs by as much as 80% and prevent anaerobic, odor-causing decay. The key to efficient composting is to have healthy decomposition constantly occurring throughout the pile. In all conditions, including low oxygen and anaerobic environments, EM•1^® facilitates healthy decomposition and increased production of stable organic matter particles (humus).

Feed stocks treated with EM•1^® quickly develop structure and a more fluffy texture allowing oxygen to penetrate into the pile. Anaerobic pockets become aerated and the overall quality of the product is improved while reducing management time and cost. Microbial density and diversity improvements and increased nitrogen availability in composts treated with EM•1^® Waste Treatment.

Composting is an environmentally conscious method of creating a valuable product out of organic wastes. At present, the fundamental challenge composting facilities face is in properly aerating the piles. Oxygen starts to become limiting in compost piles within minutes of turning and the rising diesel and equipment costs makes turning compost the main management input.  Frequent turning also exacerbates odor and dust issues, releasing ammonia and methane gases into the air and in the process losing valuable nutrients and organic mass. This makes for angry neighbors, numerous flies, and a potentially disease inducing finished product. 

EM•1^® is compatible with numerous types of commercial composting systems (including in vessel systems), and can be used to effectively treat green waste, livestock waste, food waste, and most other agricultural-industrial wastes that will be composted. EM•1^® Waste Treatment can also be used at transfer stations for safe and effective odor control. 

Lab analysis provided results that suggest the EM•1^® compost was significantly more mature and stable than the control. The EM•1^® compost had a C:N (Carbon to Nitrogen) ratio of 15:1 to a 18:1 C:N ratio for the untreated compost (control).  Furthermore, the compost treated with EM•1^® Waste Treatment contained 5 times more nitrate than the control. The NO₂:NH₃ ratio for the compost treated with EM•1^® Waste Treatment was 16:1 compared to 3:1 for the control. 

The compost treated with EM•1^® more intensely cycled carbon to nitrogen and more efficiently converted organic nitrogen into nitrate. Microbial analysis confirmed and quantified the visible increase in microbial activity. The heterotrophic, actinomycetes, and pseudomonad groups had significantly greater populations in the compost treated with EM•1^® Waste Treatment. The microbial diversity index for the EM•1^® Waste Treatment compost was also greater than the control. 

The following application recommendations are guidelines to producing high quality compost with less intensive management. 

Procedures:

1. Apply EM•1^® as soon as the material is consolidated (or windrowed) and preferably before  the material has become thermophillic (temperatures above 120 degrees F).
2. These recommended rates of EM•1^® Waste Treatment application are guidelines and may need to be adjusted for site-specific conditions and unique feedstocks.  Activated EM•1^® Waste Treatment should be used for all applications due to cost savings. 
3. Add EM•1^® Waste Treatment to the water used to hydrate the feedstocks. Try to minimize runoff.  The material should then be turned for an even EM•1^® Waste Treatment  application.  Dilution of EM•1^® Waste Treatment will vary depending on total water volume needed to attain proper moisture.
4. Turn (aerate) the compost once a month until maturity.
5. EM•1^® Waste Treatment can be applied at a low rate (1 liter/ton) when compost is mature to further increase microbial density and compost quality.