The Green Machine

Engineering Expo

2010-04-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

The time has come for us to present our project. Feel free to stop by and see us at the University of Idaho Student Union Building (SUB). We will be presenting our project at 9:15 am in the Gold Room. Also we will have our booth and the experimental composter running out on the front patio of the SUB. Stop by and see us!

Compost Mix-Ratio Successful

2010-04-22T07:43:00.000-07:00

The first compost mix-ratio testing ran very smoothly and the results were very good. From the data obtained from the composter the results show that the calculations were right and that if this ratio was applied to a large scale composting system the result would most likely be favorable. The graph below shows the compost temperature vs time.

The Composter is Alive!

2010-03-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

After much frustration and hard work, the experimental composting is now running. Today we put in our first batch food waste mixture following the mix-ratio calculated by Duncan and John. The food waste was mixed with cow manure, and wood chips at the proper amounts calculated. Hopefully soon we will be able to see an increse in temperature.

Below is the complete composter set-up

The image below is a a screenshot of the

Analytical Lab Test Results

2010-03-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

The analytical lab test results are back and we are now ready to calculate the mix ratios for the composting process. We will be testing the mix ratios with in the next week. The experimental composter rebuild is going very well. The image below is our calculated C:N ratios from the analytical data results.

Experimental Composter Resurrection

2010-03-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

A significant part of our project is testing the mix-ratio of the campus dining food wastes that will be composted. Having the right mix-ratio is very important for composting because the biological processes that occur are dependent on a proper carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N). Our team will be able to determine if our mix-ratio calculations are correct by using an experimental composter provided to us by Dr. Tom Hess. The composter is very old and will need to be re-programmed before it can be used. Kyle is currently working on the coding for the logic controller and testing the thermocouples.

Analytical Lab Testing for Mix-Ratio Determination

2010-02-23T17:13:00.000-08:00

Today we gathered food waste samples along with wood chips, cow manure, and paper waste from the commons. Duncan will be breaking down the samples so that they can be processed at the analytical soils lab here at the University of Idaho. Duncan should have this done within the next week or so.

Updated Waste Streams

2010-02-03T12:03:00.000-08:00

The University of Idaho has recently started composting some of their food wastes produced by campus dining. Currently the amount of food waste that is being produced appears to much less than the amount described in the 2008-2009 U of I Waste Characterization Report. Modifications of our current design may need to be implemented in the coming weeks.

Interim Design Report and Website Update

2009-12-16T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone The Green Machine website has been updated and the Interim Design Report will be posted in the downloads section soon. If you see anything that needs to be changed or modified let me know.

Kyle

Second SnapShot Day

2009-12-04T16:11:00.000-08:00

The second snapshot day went very well for team Green Machine. There were a lot of people interested in the team's composting system design and the composting process that is involved. Next semester should be very exciting for team Green Machine when the they start building a table-top prototype of their conceptual design.

Helpful websites

2009-11-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Below are links to the WSU composting information site and an organic farming website. The WSU site has a good table on turning rates under the Aeration section and the organic farming has a table for basic C:N ratios on the first page, and the second page has a quick calculation tip on how you can combine them to find your own ratio with the feed stocks your working with.

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/fundamentals/index.htm

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-21-112,00.html

~Robin~

Research Article on Earth Tub

2009-10-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

I found a research article on Earth Tubs and how they process food waste preconsumer and postconsumer. This is also where I got the number for the bulk density of garbage I used in the calculations on Tuesday. Here is the link: http://www.p2pays.org/ref/11/10634.pdf
-Dallace

Microbiology of Composting

2009-10-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

I've found this pdf that previews a chapter in a book. It pertains to microbiology in composting. It just gives a good overview of what happens on a micro scale for those that want to know more about the microbiology side. Here is the link to the pdf: http://www.wiley-vch.de/books/biotech/pdf/v11c_comp.pdf
-Dallace

All around research on systems and regulations

2009-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Below are some websites that discuss different aspects of the composting process. I have separated out the sites into topic areas of interest:

Various systems we could look into using:
http://www.stopwaste.org/docs/composting_alameda%20county,%20ca_12%2020%2006-4.pdf

The actual company site this presentation was made from:
http://www.compostsystems.com/
- This company has done systems world-wide, so cost might be a factor, but they have many different options. I especially like their CompDog product used for aeration.

This is the website for a short video on one type of composting system they use and the CompDog is shown in the second half of the video: http://www.compostsystems.com/ac_composter_video.html

This website is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN:
http://www.fao.org/teca/content/farm-composting-methods-large-scale-passive-aeration
-It mainly covers windrow composting using turned or passive aeration. It gives suggestions on some equipment used and some suggested best practices for composting.

A different way to look at composting large carcasses is outline in this report done at Texas A&M:
http://tammi.tamu.edu/carcasscompostasae032263b.pdf
- This report outlines two very low maintenance ways of composting large animal carcasses, no turning needed

Another site we could use for resources, especially for some standardize testing information:
http://www.compostingcouncil.org/
-They are a national organization dedicated to composting ; They try to standardize their testings to mirror ASTM standards in testing

~Robin~

Solid Waste Management Rules

2009-10-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some research on the regulations regarding composting operations. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) refers to composting as a processing operation; the regulations for processing operations can be found under Solid Waste Management Rules on the DEQ website.

I haven't completely read through all of the processing operation regulations, but from my initial observation it looks like the most important aspects concerning our composting operation is the maximum cubic yardage of our composting wastes and the feed stocks used in the operation. I will do some further reading to determine if there is anything else we need to consider.

Kyle

Snapshot Day: Project Learning

2009-10-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

Today our team participated in its first snapshot day. The focus of this snapshot was for us to show the progress on our design project and the operational techniques that our team uses. The second focus for the day required each team member to review other the teams' projects for possible ideas on how we could better our own project.

John and Duncan standing in front of The Green Machine poster.

Our poster with some really good pictures showing our site tours.

Our miniature composter that will be used to test compost mix ratios

University of Idaho Compost Site Tour

2009-10-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Today our team took a tour of the site where our future composting operation will be located. This was a good experience because we now have a better idea of how much space will be allocated for our project. We noticed that the space for our composting operation is much smaller than we had expected, which will mean that we need to design the site so that we can integrate all the wastes that are generated, while possibly storing the end product at an additional location. More research into the various composting methods that will best suite our site and feed stocks is still needed.

Members of the team surveying the site

Drainage Lagoon where "compost tea" will drain to.

Website Updates and Photo Albums

2009-10-05T00:11:00.000-07:00

The website is now updated with member bios and information pertaining to the project goals. Additional information will be added in the next couple days. I also updated the downloads section with an additional feature that will allow you to view photos from our project.

Our team will be meeting tomorrow to discuss the information learned from the composting tour and we will also be touring the site where our future composting system will be built.

Kyle

WSU Composting Tour

2009-10-02T16:59:00.000-07:00

Our team just got back from visiting WSU's composting operations. We learned a great deal about how their operation runs and the processes involved when composting food wastes and animal carcasses along with manure. With the information we gathered we now have a better idea of what kind of steps are involved in composting and the possible equipment that can be used for our composting system.

Negative Aeration System

A partially decomposed alpaca, we learned some important information when it comes to decomposing carcasses.

Blog Startup

2009-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Just created our team blog, project updates will be up soon!

Kyle