Does Redworm Composting Reduce Pathogens in Waste?
Via a pointer from Dan Matsch, I looked at some of the work that Clive Edwards has done. One paper, “The Effectiveness of Vermiculture in Human Pathogen Reduction for USEPA Biosolids Stabilization” (pdf) is interesting. The researchers basically piled human feces (dewatered biosolids between 15 and 20 percent solids) into two windrows. They then innoculated both windrows with a variety of pathogen indicators, and one with a significant number of E. Fetida worms.
The results? After 144 hours (12 days), the windrow with the worms had significantly less pathogens than the one without:
Interesting stuff. It would be hard to do this outside of a commercial facility, since the biosolids were not 100 percent feces, you’d need a large number of worms, and to let the worms work undisturbed for two weeks. But it certainly is interesting that rewdorms are responsible (in some manner!) for such a large amount of pathogen reduction. (I’ve worried about pathogens in worm bins before.)
This also reminds me of a chapter from the Solviva book, where the author discusses various composting toilets (including a flush toilet), and her successes with using earthworms there.
6 comments March 27th, 2009
