At a time when petro-chemical fertilzers are rising in price and becoming ever more scarce, there is still one largely untapped source of natural fertilizers and feedstuffs-organic wastes. The Handbook of Organic Waste Conversion examines how to best draw the bountiful supplies of plant and animal nutrients from the millions of tons of waste material that today are routinely disposed of in both industrialized and developing countries. If gives government planners, agronomists, engineers and businessman a concise yet thorough explantation of how to use these wastes to feed the burgeoning world population. Written by experts from around the world, this book is the first to present a clear, overall picture of organic waste reprocessing theory, procedure and practice. The handbook covers: Animal Wastes and Crop Residues, Treated and Untreated Sewage Sludge, Municipal Refuse Processing and Use, Brewery, Malting and Distilling By-Products, Fermentation and Antibiotic Waste Materials, Cellulose and Lignocellulose Wastes, Slaughterhouse, Cannery and Food Processing Wastes, Fish and Shellfish Wastes, Tannery and Liquid Organic Wastes plus many others! For each material, the contributors identify the sources and typical volume of waste per year. They examine not only the feed or fertilizer potential of the waste but also the process or machinery that will most economically extract the greatest amount of usable material. Each chapter includes a detailed chemical analysis of the waste and explains the different options available for ultimate use as either a plant or animal nutrient. Where appropriate, the book provides guidelines for determining overall costs and zeroes in on potential problem areas and their solutions. In addition, each section can be used as a self contained unit by the specialist interested in only one particular area of waste re-use. Finally, each chapter contains an extensive section of references for further reading. Filled with dozents of charts, tables, diagrams and formulars, this handbook is a storehouse of ideas and information for all those interested in exploring the use of organic wastes in the most different and profitable way possible.
