From barth@ncatfyv.uark.edu Wed Oct 27 12:31:19 1993 Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1993 10:17:33 -0500 (CDT) From: Bart Hall_Beyer To: sustag-principles@twosocks.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: What to DO with DOO-DOO One possibility that merits consideration is the use of Phragmites species (reed-type) things to provide kind of a quaternary treatment. They grow like crazy with a good nutrient supply and lots of water (sounds like effluent to me). They are also notorious for their ability to take up metallic contaminants, including Cd, Pb, and such. What you end up with is a tremendous amount of biomass. Why not use *it* to generate power or whatever? I would be willing to bet that the resulting ashes are richer in metals than some ores currently being mined. The major losses of organic matter in our system are a result of cultivated row crops and all forms of erosion. Let's concentrate on fixing that problem agronomically (more forage based rotations and feeding systems, for example) rather than trying to patch it with relatively small amounts of human manure in an inconvenient form. [PS - for the record, my background is in geology and soil science, so that may explain some of where I'm coming from on this question]