Construction World May 2015

CONSTRUCTION WORLD

MAY

2015

ENVIRONMENT

Waste management company,

Earth Probiotic, has heeded the

call for a move towards more

sustainable waste management

practices and has developed a cost-effective

and environmentally beneficial in-vessel

composting (IVC) machine to combat the

challenges of groundwater contamination,

air pollution, vermin infestations and public

health issues.

Known as the Heron IVC, the machine

converts food waste and waste paper/board

into compost that can be used for land-

scaping, agriculture and small-scale food

gardening systems. “It employs standard

composting techniques – aerating waste

to prevent anaerobic conditions, devel-

oping the ideal carbon and nitrogen ratio

to manage the waste stream, adding probi-

otic accelerants for speed and elimination

of pathogens and leachate management,

and the use of recycling systems for envi-

ronmental compliance – in order to ensure

the highest-quality outputs,” explains Earth

Probiotic co-founder, Gavin Heron.

A temperature sensor connected to

a remote dashboard via Wi-Fi allows for

optimum temperatures to be maintained

at all times, while an integrated webcam

ensures continuous remote monitoring.

Weight scales measure all inputs and guar-

antee that the correct carbon and nitrogen

recipe is being implemented, and a bin lifter

with load cells automatically calculates

waste volumes, guaranteeing a painless

process for the Heron IVC’s operators.

Food waste alone generates 335 kg

per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent

when dumped as a result of the methane it

produces. With its ability to produce high-

quality compost, the Heron IVC is leading

the charge to move away from landfill. It

also encourages job creation and leverages

local skill sets and capabilities. A feasibility

study carried out by consultancy GCS Envi-

ronmental Engineering revealed that at least

four jobs would be created per machine.

GCS’s study took place at the Tshwane

Fresh Produce Market, based on the

performance of a Heron IVC that was

four metres in length and 12 m

in volume

area, with a capacity of 30 tonnes per

month or a tonne per day. This is the

smallest of Earth Probiotic’s composting

machines: the company manufactures to

specifications of up to 12 metres in length

and 36 cubic metres in volume area, with a

capacity to process 3 000 kg of food waste

and 300 kg of waste paper per day.

He explains that moving onto the larger

eight-metre-long Heron IVC will enable the

processing of 2 200 kg of food waste per

day, equating to approximately 48 400 kg

per month - producing 16 cubic metres of

compost each month and working out to a

6,3% reduction on current per tonne landfill

charges. “This technology has the poten-

tial to divert over 580 000 kg of food waste

produced by the Tshwane Fresh Produce

Market from landfill every 12 months,

thereby saving over R110 000 over a three-

year period and yielding a potential revenue

from sales of compost – which compost

trials have indicated to be of high quality –

at over R174 000 over the three-year period,”

points out Relou.

As well as offering substantial financial

benefits, both in terms of savings and profit

for resale of outputs, GCS found that the

Heron IVC facilitates employment opportu-

nities. In fact, for each Heron IVC three new

jobs in the green economy will be created.

Additionally, the Heron IVC takes into consid-

eration environmental concerns by combat-

ting the damaging effects of dumping and

effectively diverting from landfill sites as a

waste management solution.

BREAKTHROUGH

in waste management technology

Globally the need for sustainable waste management solutions

is increasing. South Africa is no exception: many of our landfill

sites throughout the country are under pressure. In Tshwane,

for instance, a number of landfills are under strain and already

numerous have closed or will be closing in the next few years.