Abstract
A study of five compost feedstocks that have been proposed for use in composting animal carcasses was conducted in the fall of 2008. The purpose of the study was to compare the moisture retention and loss characteristics for the feedstocks by themselves when exposed to extreme rainfall events. It also included analyzing the leachate for a number of characteristics. The study is a prelude to a similar study that will collect data on leachate quantity and quality for one or more of the feedstocks when used to compost an animal carcass. An impervious collection platform was constructed to collect leachate generated by separate piles of various feedstocks, where each pile was exposed to 30 minutes of simulated rainfall (approximately 416 L total or the equivalent of a 25 year/24 hour rain event). Five compost feedstocks that may be used for animal carcass composting were tested: wood chips, a sawdust/shavings mix, leaf and yard waste, horse bedding, and immature sludge-derived compost. Three replicates of each feedstock (Trials 1-3) were constructed into small piles measuring 3 m in volume. Each pile received simulated rainfall twice over a seven-day period (on Day 1 and again on Day 7). Piles were covered by moisture impervious materials between simulated rainfall events. Individual leachate samples (100 ml) were collected at regular intervals during the simulated rainfall periods and were analyzed for: micro nutrients; total phosphorus; nitrate-nitrogen; ammonia-nitrogen; total nitrogen; pH; and conductivity. Total leachate volumes varied widely between the various feedstocks tested. Wood chips averaged the most generated leachate (145 L), whereas the sawdust/shavings mix yielded the least leachate (40 L). Municipal sludge compost and horse bedding recorded the highest levels of nitrate-nitrogen in the collected leachate, whereas horse bedding and municipal leaf and yard waste leachate recorded the highest levels of total phosphorus. However, a review of nutrient uptake capacities of vegetation in a grassed filter area, demonstrate that none of the leachate collected during this study would exceed the ability of a vegetated filter area to utilize both nitrate-nitrogen and phosphorus.
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