Other Uses
The Effects of Composted Organic Materials on the Growth Factors for Hardwood and Softwood Tree Seedlings
This published research from an EPA-funded project identified a cost-effective means to improve revegetation of severely disturbed sites.
Innovative Uses of Compost: Bioremediation and Pollution Prevention
Each year agricultural effluents, industrial residues, and industrial accidents contaminate surface waters, soils, air, streams, and reservoirs. A new compost technology, known as compost bioremediation, is currently being used to restore contaminated soils, manage stormwater, control odors, and degrade volatile organic compounds.
Innovative Uses of Compost: Disease Control For Plants and Animals
Compost technology is a valuable tool already being used to increase yields by farmers interested in sustainable agriculture. Now, professional growers are discovering that compost-enriched soil can also help suppress diseases and ward off pests. These beneficial uses of compost can help growers save money, reduce their use of pesticides, and conserve natural resources. In the poultry industry, composting has also become a cost-effective method of mortality management. It destroys disease organisms and creates a nutrient-rich product that can be used or sold.
Innovative Uses of Compost: Composting of Soils Contaminated By Explosives
Soil at more than 30 munitions sites across the United States is contaminated with explosives. The U.S. military has discovered that composting can effectively be used to remediate this soil. Using this process, contaminated soil is excavated, mixed with other feedstocks, and composted. The end product is a contaminant-free humus that can enhance landscaping and horticulture applications. Composting costs considerably less than soil excavation and incineration, the traditional method used for these cleanups.
Innovative Uses of Compost: Reforestation, Wetlands Restoration, and Habitat Revitalization
The native plants that inhabit our nation's countrysides-from the sunflowers on the Great Plains to the oak seedlings in the Appalachians-are a source of great beauty. But the native plants within a habitat contribute much more to their surroundings than mere beauty. They provide food for nearly every other member of the habitat. They enrich the air through the gases they produce and minerals they exchange. Even when plants die, they continue to support grasses, flowers, and trees by becoming the humus, or organic material in soil, that is so vital to living plants. Original wetland plants can be restored with the use of compost during planting. Compost provides tree seedlings added rigor for survival and growth.