Exploring the possibilities is the starting point.
| What are the primary challenges? |
| Where is the site? |
| What are the Contaminants? |
| How extensive is the contamination? |
Composting has repeatedly demonstrated to be a very cost effective way of decontaminating soil, often reducing the contaminants to below detectable levels. While the process has been demonstrated to be effective, the exact mechanisms are not well understood. Then, we can walk, and most of us don't know the names of all the bones, muscles, nerves, tendons, ligaments, and neuro-transmitters involved in our walking.
Whether it is active bacteria or fungi, or some combination of both, matters less than the fact that we achieve the desired decontamination. Doing extensive, repeated lab testing to assess the microbial populations and levels of the contaminants will help us refine the process.
Once the compost research silo scale work confirms that the contaminants are being broken down to acceptable byproducts, then we can proceed moving towards large scale processing. While 200 cubic yards a day may seem like a small quantity when compared to the overall volume of contaminated soil at a site, that is 1,000 cubic yards a week, 26,000 cubic yards a year.
What are the costs, the economics, involved? That depends on a lot of factors. In the case of a facility close to significant population, with 2,000,000 people within a 50 mile radius, it may be a lot nicer than most people would imagine. An important key is networking with an organization like Mother Nature's Farms, Inc. that is dedicated to creating "Double Wins", where everyone comes out winning.
Mother Nature's Farms, Inc. is dedicated to working together to create a sustainable environment for all of us. We are also dedicated to Kaizen, constant improvement. We recognize that Research and Development are sound business.
In starting, we meet with management from the company responsible for the contaminated site. We have a basic project plan set up, which is adapted to best fit each situation. A key to project success is good project management. Flexibility must be maintained, to be able to adjust to new information.
