Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Research into the Design and Development of a Campus Composting Facility

EPA Grant Number: SU835082
Title: Research into the Design and Development of a Campus Composting Facility
Investigators: Nagel, Robert L. , Ogundipe, Adebayo , Heede, Connor , Cash, Jack , Graham, Kent , McCloud, Robert , Brooks, Tim
Institution: James Madison University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2011 through August 14, 2012
Project Amount: $15,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2011) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

The objective of the Phase I project was to explore the possibility of providing James Madison University (JMU) with sustainable means of recycling food waste from the dining halls. The project team did this by designing an aerobic composting reactor for use on the JMU campus. The final deliverable of this project is a prototype reactor and a proposal for a composting facility to provide JMU with quality humus for use as fertilizer by grounds crews. In addition to producing an organic alternative to chemical fertilizer, this system will also significantly reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, and consequently, will reduce green house gasses associated with compostable landfill waste.

The implementation of a composting reactor on the JMU campus will have a notable impact on the overall environmental, social, and economic sustainability of the institution. It will help reduce environmental impacts from JMU’s operations associated with land use and production of greenhouse gasses, specifically methane from landfills and carbon dioxide from waste transportation. From a social perspective, implementing a composting facility at JMU will contribute to and promote the collective consciousness of sustainability within the community and may provide opportunities for job creation. This facility will provide an experiential learning opportunity for faculty and students to study decomposition, sustainability, green engineering, data acquisition, and carbon-nitrogen ratio testing. Implementing the proposed composting system will improve economic prosperity by eliminating costs associated with the current disposal systems and fertilizer purchases. Humus may also be sold locally for gardening applications.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

This project was successful in creating a functional prototype that transforms food waste into usable humus in an aerobic system and a reaction time of approximately one week. Our goal was to design and develop a prototype aerobic composting reactor specifically suited to handle the food waste generated in the campus dining halls. The food waste generated in the dining halls presented a unique challenge in that the food waste is fully saturated and sterilized with high pressure, hot water before being pulverized and discharged from the dining halls. Further, the team performed a basic comparative LCA analysis to compare the potential impact of composting locally versus sending food waste to a landfill. The team also developed a cost-benefit analysis assessing the economic benefits associated with different composting options.

Conclusions:

Evaluating this project from a systems perspective, the team has come to realize that the impacts to people, the planet, and prosperity are not independent, but are rather linked. The team believes that this project has the potential (and has demonstrated this potential) to highlight the positive impacts of sustainability initiatives through general awareness of constituent considerations. This P3 project has not only garnered interest in composting, but has also received support from the School of Engineering at JMU and the broader campus community. This interest has helped to support the team, but has also influenced project stakeholders. However, through this project, the team now understands that one large composting reactor is neither feasible nor practical for the JMU community. Maintenance costs, community health considerations, security, energy requirements, and personnel requirements currently outweigh the potential benefits.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

green engineering, sustainable design, industrial composting

Relevant Websites:

Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability at JMU Exit
Students build faster composter for E-Hall Exit