So I even called him on the Phone and I got a recording that Sun Frost is no longer producing NEW refrigerators - that means their factory in Arcata must have shut down... and so he probably won't get back to me about his Human Humus Machine kit either... no email responses yet either. UPDATE: He called me back as I was finishing this! Larry Schlussler PhD
Noa Store 22 Inch Stainless Steel Grill Grate - Round Hinged Cooking Grate for Weber Grill, Perfect Weber Grate Replacement for Charcoal Grilling and BBQ - Fits Weber Grill 22 Inch Grate Size
So how to DIY this? A 55 gallon drum has a 22.5 inch internal diameter - so the above grill has a folding hinge and also "handles" to elevate it off the bottom of the barrel. I can put the pump into the folding hinges - let's look at the photos again.
Looks like the same kind of grill for sure!
How much was that grill? $31 more or less.
OK now to find that hand pump. I've seen it before! Let's see....
Sure enough - a Barrel pump! $30
I can't really order from Jeff Bezos super jet Missile Envy dude - I can try but not right now...
Ebay has it - better price also - 55 gallon barrel pump!
$30
OK so now what....He has Reflectix insulation around the outside. Easy enough.
Probably another $30. more like $20
The duct pipe vent is just drier vent - easy peasy...
That leaves the toilet seat lid... and the internal "rust-proof liner" - hmmm.
Pick out some wood screws that are too short to go through the seat thickness. (this is important for the health and safety of your customers) Shoot these screws through the bottom of the drum lid to anchor the bottom of the seat to the lid permanently.
You can add a ring of foam gasket material around the upper lid to totally seal the toilet seat assembly. I always say I am going to do this, and haven't done it in 20 years, but this time I am really going to, I'll get around to it next week for sure.
http://members.socket.net/~llile/ConcreteStain/Compost_Toilet_50_gallon_drum.html
we'll need a smaller toilet seat so we have room for the Crank and Pump and Vent!!
Ultrasac - Heavy Duty Drum Liner, 55-60 Gallon, 2 Mil, 38"x58", Black, 50 Count/w Ties
https://www.goodstartpackaging.com/biobag-55-gallon-compostable-trash-bags-55G3858/
Wow - there's our "rust-proof" internal liner! I'll use the compostable Biobags instead...
So that's another $30 since they're sold in a pack....
So around $125 to $130 for parts cost!!
Oh wait - now we need the compost mixer.... barrel is 33 inches tall so...
$52 but that's not a corkscrew design
That's probably good enough - 4 inches on the bottom is for the Grate!!
So there you have it. $50 for that tool!
$210 is the approximate total....
OH I need some O-rings to hold that pump in...
They're not pipe hangers - more rounded...
Also I need another cover for the barrel.. looks like he used melamine?
Too hard to cut!! Probably just plywood then - I can go to the ReUse store - they might have a toilet seat and some kind of brackets also!
So gas money and some more parts - about $250 total...
The barrel is another $135....
So grand total of $385 or $400 (tax)...
Well a 2nd barrel also..... So we'll say $550.... since I need two more closing lids....
Wow just got a call from the inventor!! Thank you Ph.D. Larry.. owner of SunFrost - he shared with me the design parts...
formica covered plywood for top... and groove cut for the pump...
2 inch plastic pipe spaces for the grill....
and U-bolts for the pump pipe support...
That's why they're round!
He said the key is not to have too much urine - I said no problem!
Cool, slow composting is easier to do than hot composting, will break down eventually and may have hidden benefits, according to Oregon State University soil scientist Dan Sullivan.
"Slow composting is often the best method for people who do not have time to tend a hot compost pile, which takes more care and a more precise recipe," said Sullivan. "It's an easy and convenient way to turn yard wastes into a useful soil amendment."
Decomposition requires microorganisms, moisture, air, temperatures above freezing and time. To make slow compost, simply mix yard trimmings into a pile and let them sit.
"West of the Cascades, Mother Nature will provide plenty of moisture," Sullivan said. "You don't need to worry about the proper carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio. The C:N ratio only affects the speed of composting. If your pile is woody (high C:N) it will just decompose slowly."
Don't worry about adding a commercial inoculant or compost. "Sufficient decomposer bacteria and fungi are present naturally in yard trimmings and fruit and vegetable wastes," he said.
Sullivan practices slow, or cool composting in his own backyard.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/slow-cool-composting-easy-way
I figured he wouldn't get back to me since he no longer makes the refrigerators in his Arcata CA shop (factory) - so I started to reverse engineer the Human Humus Machine device and I had a few questions. It was perfect timing! He totally answered them - it was awesome. He has that east coast NY accent! I think he's retired hippy engineer? haha. He was happy to tell me how he made it. Including the two barrels - the parts are around $550. So that's about 10 times cheaper than the Clivus Multrum Rockefeller 280 gallon composter that just "molders" -
Moldering is the slow decomposition of organic material
https://www.greenmountainclub.org/privy-privy-privy/
So I need to use a hacksaw Carbide blade to cut the Formica Plywood....
https://www.harborfreight.com/the-incredible-blade-carbide-cutting-rods-pack-of-2-96274.html
Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter are mainly used in the process of biological denitrification. These two species from autotrophic microorganisms (inorganic autotrophic bacteria: Autotrophs) are different from heterotrophic microorganisms using organic carbon as nutrition (organic heterotrophic bacteria: Heterotrophs), which gain energy from inorganic nitrogen oxidation and synthesize cells with carbon dioxide. Nitrifying bacteria are very sensitive to water quality and living environment. The proliferation rate of nitrifying bacteria is about 1/10 of that of anaerobic bacteria, leading to its serious loss and reduced nitrification rate, difficult to meet the discharge requirement in low water temperature. The ammonia nitrogen concentration reduces rapidly with special strains and it is below 3.7 mg/L after 15 days.
Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter species are generally used to transform ammonia initially to nitrite and finally to nitrate
Nitrite-oxidizing bacteria are phylogenetically more diverse than the ammonia oxidizers (Table 15.3), with Nitrospira and Nitrobacter spp. being most common in soil.
https://www.compostmagazine.com/aerobic-composting/
So above 40 Celsius or 104 F. you start getting the thermophilic composting kicking in...
First there's MycoForestry and now the MycoToilet!!
the mycelium-based decomposition of harmful pathogens takes about half the time of traditional composting toilets, with minimal energy. The project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the Department of Microbiology & Immunology. The design for MycoToilet won the BioDesign Challenge, an international competition with entrants from over 300 universities, in 2018.
They won an award for it!
. It won first prize in the 2018 Biodesign Challenge at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
It goes IN the Dwelling!!
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/ubc-students-design-compostable-toilet-made-of-mushrooms
The actual toilet tank is Mycelium sawdust composite!! Wild.
https://meltcollective.com/project/mycommunity-toilet/
hmm I guess they use Oyster Mushrooms!
Theoretically the fruit of oyster mushrooms used for treating human faeces could be eaten.
https://indiebio.co.za/growing-fungal-mycelium-on-faeces/
During my masters research (2015-16), I found that Oyster Mushrooms can stop human faeces smelling! My research focused on container based sanitation systems using urine diversion dry toilets. By adding Oyster Mushroom mycelium to the faeces container it is possible to control the smell indefinitely. The result of my masters was PooPac, a bioactive paper bag (containing oyster mushroom mycelium) that suppresses the toilet smell. The biodegradable PooPac is sealed for transport, and directly composted, removing all contact with faeces.
https://urieli.ch/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PooPac_Thesis_Joshua_Urieli_MA_ZHdK_spreads.pdf
The growing mycelium actively controls the
smell of human faeces while fusing container
and discs together to form a strong, safe
container. The PooPac is sealed shut when
full, safely containing the waste and removing
all further contact with the waste. The entire
PooPac, along with the waste inside it will
biodegrade completely within half a year
with heat controlled composting, and in a
year without.
https://urieli.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PooPac_Slidedeck_Joshua_Urieli_MA_ZHdK.pdf
There is some indication that by adding certain chemicals, mushrooms could also work in a standard pit latrines. Furthermore, a literature review and unpublished experiments suggest that mushroom mycelium reduces the pathogens in faeces. Oyster Mushrooms have been shown to reduce the population counts of E. coli and other indicator species.
Greensulate uses fast growing mushroom mycelium to bind agricultural castoffs like seed and corn husks in a mold producing insulation and packaging pieces. The mushroom’s mycelium, which is analogous to a plants root system, uses the energy trapped in the agricultural castoffs to create microscopic webs that spread through organic matter until it is one tightly knit block, corner piece, or whatever shape is desired.
https://www.realmushrooms.com/mycoremediation-mushrooms-pollution/
One specific mushroom, the oyster or Pleurotus ostreatus has been shown to purify water through its ability to remove contaminants from both water and soil (25). One lab-based study attempted to analyze mycoremediation in efforts to combat the pollution the Chicago River water has been stacking up since the 1700s. Oyster mushroom mycelia were used against E. coli-inoculated water made in a lab, as well as straight from the Chicago River, with a 99.25% and 99.74% respective rate of E. coli removal over a 96 hour period (28).
28 Pini, A.K., Geddes, P. Fungi Are Capable of Mycoremediation of River Water Contaminated by E. coli. Water Air Soil Pollut 231, 83 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-4464-7
Made of mycelium grown on a straw substrate, the mats are rolled out and installed into soil.
https://www.caepla.org/new_generation_of_green
Our MycoMats are designed with simplicity in mind. The MycoMats contain mycelium grown on a straw substrate contained in easy-to-install packaging. The MycoMats are simply rolled out for easy installation or inserted vertically into the soil,
So 2.5 pounds of Oyster mycelium sawdust block will grow up to 23 cubic feet or 172 gallons = Two of the barrel drums!!
They're TeePee Kit lists three of the wide range Oyster species - and one is in 2.5 lbs for $20...
https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1134&context=ce_etds
, mycofiltration is extremely low cost, low
impact and requires minimal treatment area and may be able to be added to existing
stormwater structures or at least not increase their footprint.” The objective of this study
was to determine treatment effectiveness of mycofiltration to reduce the concentration of
E. Coli after repeated exposure to synthetic stormwater in a wet environmental pond
setting and providing more insight for the long-term potential use of P. Ostreatus
mycelium in a pond setting.
the P. Ostreatus produces a nematoxin [the meaning “thread,”] that is contained in
the fungal secretions. When the bacteria came in contact with the secretion, the bacteria was immobilized and the cell walls were under destruction and served as a nutrient
source for the fungus.
mycofilter reactors lowered the E. Coli
concentration of the surface water. All of these results are discussed and graphed below.
For the results that are graphed, a semi-log plot was used to better show the high values
of E. Coli concentration.
E. coli removal by Pleurotus ostreatus mycofilter in simulated wet environmental pond
… a few different studies and was found to be effective in bacterial removal: “the presence of P. …Fungi Are Capable of Mycoremediation of River Water Contaminated by E. coli
"Pleurotus ostreatus is able to remove 99.25% of E. coli from inoculated water over the course of 96 h"
rugosoannulata, and Trametes versicolor in Contaminated Water
Madison Han
… For all experiments, we used mycelia from Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster mushrooms), fungi that …[PDF] sc.edu
[PDF] The Mycoremediation of Escherichia coli by Pleurotus ostreatus, Stropharia rugosoannulata, and Trametes versicolor in Contaminated Water
… examined in previous literature, but no studies have compared their abilities to remediate E. …
Removal of Escherichia coli from synthetic stormwater using mycofiltration
mycofiltration, and removal dynamics … ostreatus in a spent mushroom compost in reducing E. …[PDF] esf.edu
[BOOK] Assessment of spent mushroom waste from Pleurotus ostreatus cultivation for removal of Escherichia coli from wastewater
compared for Escherichia coli removal in … saturated in diluted municipal wastewater, and E. …Environmental injustice and Escherichia coli in urban streams: Potential for community‐led response
of flow through the mycofilter. This influence of hydrologic residence time is similar to many …
The Effect of Pleurotus ostreatus in Bioremediation of Escherichia coli Contaminated Water Grown on Various Substrates
hypothesized that if Pleurotus ostreatus grown on wheat straws, would inhibit the growth of E. …
[PDF] Experimental evaluation of mycoremediation of Escherichia coli bacteria in solution using Pleurotus ostreatus
an E. … bioretention cells to remediate FCB and nutrients from a water stream (Thomas et …Cite
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/18/science/oyster-mushrooms-carnivorous-toxins.html
To the scientists’ surprise, it is a fairly common molecule, rather than an exotic, highly evolved substance. But to the hapless worms, it’s deadly.... toxocysts that hang like fruit from the hyphae...The substance must be volatile — floating away in the air as soon as it is released.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36749057/
Depend on, it was determined that the total oxidant assay (TOS) value (5.26 μmol/L) in the same compost was lower than the others, and also the scavenging effect of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) was higher on WS at 25 mg/mL (84.20%). The methanol extract on WS at a concentration of 400 μg/mL, significantly reduced the percentage of viability in the human breast cancer (MDA-MB-231) cell line (2.2%). The methanol extracts on WS and QS medium were found to inhibit DNA damage induced by UV radiation and H2O2 at a concentration of 25 mg/mL. These results showed that pink oyster mushroom has benefits such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, cytotoxic, and DNA protective effects.
1 Kulshreshtha S., Mathur N., Bhatnagar P. Mushroom as a product and their role in mycoremediation. AMB Express. 2014;4:29. Published 2014 Apr 1. doi:10.1186/s13568-014-0029-8
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