SHIT TO BURN OR NOT TO BURN ??? From pturner@netcom.com (Patton M Turner) Subject Re questions about neurtalizing human waste Date Tue, 17 Dec 1996 18 46 04 GMT Bob Yates (byates19@pop.intellinet.com) wrote It would be my guess that the dung used for fuel came from a plant eating animal- probably grass or hey eating like a horse. I seriously doubt that human waste- as nasty as it is with all the meat left-overs and such, would be much use as a fuel. I think it was like the eskimoes in alaska using carribou dung, that was an aspect i had not thought of, but hen would a vegitarians dung be ok (boy that sounds like a messed up question-sorry) I guess i should look towards a composting toliet, thanks for your help. I have learned that several country homes around here have septic system treatment by water plant. Basically, waste runs into a septic tank, then into a small lagoon filled with rocks that have water plants growing on them, usually cattails. Don't know where to send you for more info. There is a good Agricultural Engineering text, currently out of print, that covers the topic nicely. If I remember or if someone reminds me, I will look up the title the next time I am home. There is a lot more to it than you might think. The idea is to have microorganism break down the waste meterial. The down side is it is a great may to transmit pathogens if it is with in fly range of the house. A rela septic tank is a better, but more expensive idea. Using a seperate VIP latrine will allow the septic tank to go a lot longer between cleanings. Pat From: pturner@netcom.com (Patton M Turner) Subject: Re: questions about neurtalizing human waste shannon wagoner (shannon@som-uky.campus.mci.net) wrote: I have heard about using dried dung for a heating source, so i was wondering if human dung could be put into some kind of container or wrap and heated so that all liquids are extracted and used for a fuel in this same manner? and could the drying out the dung take place inside with out causing a bad odor, for example like during winter when outside is just tooo cold.?? It could be done, buy why burn the fuel to dry the dung? Just burn the fuel in the first place (unless you are trying to get rid of the waste, a la jet flushes or destructoilets). Outside drying encourages flys and such, but it can be done. In certain high altitude ecosystems, leaving waste to dry is the lowest impact thing to do, as the microbes aren't in the soil to decompose it. The recommended procedure is to find a rock and frost it as if it were a cake. Pat From: Dauven Family Newsgroups: misc.survivalism Subject: Re: questions about neurtalizing human waste Date: Sun, 08 Dec 1996 02:02:51 -0800 The best use of human waste is for your vegestible garden. You know carrots, tomatoes, lettus, onions, Corn. Those plants just love the stuff. Helps them grow big and strong and bear lots of good stuff to eat. Mother Nature is the best recycler around. I have a little 10X10X10 green house that I grow stuff in all winter long. I have arranged four different shelves for plants of different hights one above another. So my little green house actually has a 350 sq feet of growning area. I grow geen onions, tomatoes, radishes, chives, letus, turnups, carrots, Strawberries, snap peas and snap beans and 20 percent of the growing space for flowers. The climbing plants are planted along to walls so they can climb up the sides. OK I have to use neon grow lights about 5 hours a day, and have to heat the place, 60 degees is about right which is about 20 degrees above ambient. Of course the solar effect does also help out the heat quite abit. Another problem is the pollenization of the plants. I have a fellow that is a bee keeper down the road. I have one of his small hives in there and when the temp gets up to 70 degrees one a warm day all thoes little bees go out looking for things to eat. Thats why I have to have so much space in flowers. However we will have fresh cut flowers for our christmas table, and flowers are smiles from god. However the local constabulary comes by now and then to look an see if I am growing somthing I'm not suppose to. I always invite them in, they buy some of the stuff and in fact they are my biggest customers. In fact I've been thinking about expanding the place. However if I go larger than 10x10x10 I have to get a building permit. If I went to a 10X20X10 I could produce enough good stuff to eat, but then look at the work I woul have to do. One thing just leads to another don't you know. Be real careful with this as it is a good way to transmit pathogens. This is what I seem to recall, also. I think you need to process the waste a bit, before doing this; you don't want to just put it on the garden in its _raw_ state. (maybe composting would help, or it would seem that baking the stuff would destroy these pathogens. Maybe even sun drying the stuff would work). Jim in Ore.