<div>Dear List,</div>
<div> The fact that the soil micro-organisms contribute to soil fertility is accepted by all agricultural scientists. Logic tells us that high calorie, non-composted organic matter would serve the microbes best as nutrition. From this point of view, we conducted experiments and found that plain sugar or pulped green leaves were excellent as soil amendments. The rates of application were 25 kg dry matter per ha. Capillary water in the soil always has soil minerals dissolved in it. When one applies a carbon source to the soil, the microbes absorb the necessary soil minerals from the capillary water. There is no need to add minerals through the organic matter. That is why even plain sugar causes soil microbes to increase their numbers. The concentration of minerals in the capillary water is at a dynamic equilibrium. If a mineral molecule is removed from the capillary water by a microbe, it is replaced by a molecule going into solution from the un-dissolved pool of minerals in the soil. We have about 30 km of earth's crust under our feet. New soil is being formed every day. Only 5% of the dry weight of plants is constituted by minerals. Therefore there is an unlimited supply of minerals in the soil. Don't think that it would ever get exhausted by agriculture. And when you apply an organic manure to the soil, don't calculate the NPK in it but count the nutritional calories in it. </div>
<div>Yours</div>
<div>A.D.Karve </div>
<div> <br><br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 11:58 PM, Douglas Renk <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:douglasrenk@yahoo.com">douglasrenk@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<div>Hello "Gordon" :)</div>
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<div>I'm curious to see Peter's response to your question.</div>
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<div>Over and above the nutritional value of the digestate versus cost of separation and application, let's hope health and productivity of soil as a natural resource converts to monetary value. Soil's ability to sequester carbon is an ecological service that has been monetized. </div>
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<div><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/49240018/lbfb-en" target="_blank">http://www.scribd.com/doc/49240018/lbfb-en</a> </div>
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<div>I think as agricultural or bioprocess engineers, we are by nature, conditioned to think circularly. Therefore the total cost of an agricultural model should include all costs (which should include preservation of land, fertility and resources) to function as closely to a successful market model as possible.</div>
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<div>All the best,</div>
<div>Doug Renk</div>
<div><br>--- On <b>Wed, 6/29/11, Randy Mott <i><<a href="mailto:randymott@ceeres.eu" target="_blank">randymott@ceeres.eu</a>></i></b> wrote:<br></div>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><br>From: Randy Mott <<a href="mailto:randymott@ceeres.eu" target="_blank">randymott@ceeres.eu</a>><br>Subject: Re: [Digestion] Digestate as fertilizer.<br>
To: "'For Discussion of Anaerobic Digestion'" <<a href="mailto:digestion@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">digestion@lists.bioenergylists.org</a>><br>Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 2:05 AM<br>
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<p><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Okay. My nickname is the Gordon Gecko of biogas: cost per ton? Value of separate constituents per ton? </span></p></div></div>
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<p><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Randy Mott</span>
<p><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">CEERES</span>
<p><span style="COLOR: #1f497d; FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </span>
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<p><b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">From:</span></b><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt"> <a href="mailto:digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a> [mailto:<a href="mailto:digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org" target="_blank">digestion-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a>] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Peter Allison<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, June 29, 2011 4:31 AM<br><b>To:</b> digestion<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [Digestion] Digestate as fertilizer.</span></p></div></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Hi All,</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">With regard to utilizing digestate as a crop fertilizer, it is often stated the slurry is spread on fields with the inherent problem of biological toxicity and crusting of surface applications.</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">I believe this process is an incomplete and basically a cheap and nasty means of disposing a potentially valuable resource.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The addition of a 1.5% potassium hydroxide solution of to the spent digestate enables a disassociation of the solid fraction from the colloidal material. When the un-reacted and fibrous remains are filtered from the treated mix and the resultant fluid is allowed to settle, colloidal concentrate or fulvic acid will be found in the top fraction, humic acid in the lower portion and carbon rich nutrient at the bottom. </span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The increased pH also enables a stabilization of biological activity within the fluids until dilution with water.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">These fractions are the most valuable components of the AD process. The bio-gas is a bonus.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">The fulvic acid is a supreme foliar fertilizer, the humic acid is best suited to soil applications and the carbon mud is an excellent binder for a wide range of solid crop fertilizer inclusions such as rock-dust, blood and bone, etc, before pelletizing for broadcast operations.</span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">We are desperately looking for sustainable solutions to chemical based crop fertilizers. Most agriculturalists are aware of the folly of NPK reliance. </span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">AD, like the composting of organic waste materials provides all of the nutritional requirements for every form of plant-life.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Recycling of crop nutrients via AD has the ability to negate the detrimental effects of chemical agriculture, repair degraded soils, help resolve salinity problems, increase nutritional food values of crops, increase soil moisture holding capacity and put an end to the contamination of precious waterways. </span></p>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Simply dumping spent digestate on fields is a lazy and mindless means for disposal.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Don't waste waste.</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Regards,</span></p></div>
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<p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt">Peter. </span></p></div><br>-----Inline Attachment Follows-----<br><br>
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<p></p></p></p></p></p></td></tr></tbody></table><br>_______________________________________________<br>Digestion mailing list<br><br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br><a href="mailto:Digestion@bioenergylists.org">Digestion@bioenergylists.org</a><br>
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<br><br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>***<br>Dr. A.D. Karve<br>President, Appropriate Rural Technology Institute (ARTI)<br><br>*Please change my email address in your records to: <a href="mailto:adkarve@gmail.com">adkarve@gmail.com</a> *<br>
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