W.O.R.M.S.
(Worms Operating to Reduce Municipal Sludge)
“It may be doubted if there are any other animals which have played such an important role in the history of the World as these lowly organized creatures"
Charles Darwin
Good ideas are common; what's uncommon are people who'll work hard enough to bring them about.
(Ashleigh Brillant)
Sustainable Solution: Transforming Municipal Waste into Valuable Organic Soil, rich in N. P. K. and Soil Carbon.
W.O.R.M.S. uses a Non-Thermal bio-chemical process to convert Tons of Municipal Biosolids, (Sludge) into a virtually pathogen free, nutrient rich, organic soil, ("VermiCastings"). Vermistabilization, using "Redworms'' recycles pathogenic Class B biosolids, (restricted use) into a virtually pathogenic free, Class A soil amendment, (unrestricted use). Class A is odorless and chemical free, meeting E.P.A. Part 503 P.F.R.P. Class A requirements for unrestricted, use.
Rich organic worm castings, (soil} hold moisture during droughts, lessening dust storms and absorb moisture
during flooding, lessening damage in extreme weather conditions.
A Pilot Project in March 1997 at Ocoee Florida by Clive Edwards successfully met the E.P.A. Part 503 P.F.R.P. requirements for vermistabilization to qualify as a Class A soil. (Article 2, 12, 16)
Environmental Impact
Globally, the World is experiencing catastrophic environmental conditions: extreme weather events, record greenhouse gas emissions, soil erosion, soil carbon loss, unsustainable loss of landfill space and emerging new chemicals entering the wastewater treatment plants. Tremendous costs for biosolids waste disposal provides little in return. New wastewater treatment plant construction for small communities is unaffordable. The costs of maintenance, repair and upgrades of existing WWTP are unsustainable. Based on Environmental, Operational and overall cost benefits plus providing a readily source of income, Vermistabilization creates a new industry of Environmental Stewardship.
Conversion of land from pasture and crop production to commercial and residential development, poor management of soils, and use of chemical fertilizers all have huge impacts on lessening soil health. "Soil is our life, our very body. And if we forsake soil, in many ways, we forsake the planet." (Global yogi, Sadhguru, head of the Isha Foundation.)
To give just a couple of examples, poor soil health is contributing to global warming by reducing the volume of carbon absorbed from the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses emitted from the disturbed soil and use of chemical fertilizers are driving biodiversity loss by impacting vegetation that provides food and shelter to various animal species. One goal VS is helping to obtain is raising and maintaining the organic content of soils to a minimum of 3-6%. (19)
Vermistabilization provides solutions for addressing all of the above.
Read on to discover how. (Articles 5, 8, 10, 14, 12, 15, 19 ).
A Global Perspective
America generates over 8 million tons of biosolids yearly. Globally 100-125 million tons. Many Countries have adopted this Bio-Chemical Technology to recycle their biosolids, reducing operational costs, transportation and disposal expense and creating an environmentally safe soil amendment. Due to an increasing need, income from the eventual sale of "Castings" and Redworms is an added benefit. Vermistabilization is used in addition to, or in place of, more expensive wastewater treatment processes, that require costly upgrades and repairs of existing equipment, or complex/costly technology for solutions to handling emerging chemicals like PFAS. For those countries that have chosen "Vermistabilization", they chose an affordable, environmentally safe, easy to implement, organically structured, sustainable process that gives back to the community; both in low tech jobs and an income source that is sustainable for decades. When monitored and designed properly, VS converts a Waste into a Resource. (Articles 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13, 17, 20)
Low-Cost Options and Environmental Friendliness
Vermistabilization, (VS) is an alternative to odorous, potentially harmful biosolids spread on fields, containing pathogens, toxins and PFAS chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and can enter into food crops. They are dangerous because they are "forever chemicals", highly toxic, very persistent in the environment, largely unregulated and/or adequately monitored due to lack of funding. Emission of greenhouse gasses from the soil enter into the air, water, and crops. (Article 10, 15).
Biosolids are often dumped in landfills, (Article 7), or Incinerated. "Conversion of gas to energy" technology is expensive and exchanges one problem for another by the process of releasing gasses into the environment. Chemical fertilizers are expensive, a one shot feeding source, they breakdown the soil and only work for a limited amount of time. All four methods have five things in common....they are costly, emit GHG, do not return a valuable resource, are unsustainable, and all do not return a flow of income, while providing multiple environmental benefits.
Carbon and methane are emitted from soil when it's disturbed by plowing, land development, extreme weather events, fires and agricultural and wetland activities. Vermistabilization lowers GHG emissions by trapping these gasses as soil organic matter increases. GHG emissons from landfills, fossil fuels, Wastewater Treatment Plants, and agricultural waste are also redu ced when a Vermistabilization process is used. V.S. provides an alternative for food wastes and other organic wastes placed in landfills that can be diverted to vermicomposts in backyard gardens, freeing up landfill space for inorganic materials. VS reduces carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from Wastewater Treatment Plants Landfills and soil by converting partially treated biosolids to a rich soil amendment, chemical free. VS lowers carbon dioxide released by fossil fuels used during transportation of biosolids to landfills and land application sites. V.S. lessens many causes of environmental change contributing to Climate Warming and GHG emissions. V.S. reduces costs to the public and sustainable solutions for future generations.
Reducing GHG Emissions
Fossil Fuels, (Coal, Oil, Gas) used to produce energy for heat, electricity and transportation, are the largest emitters of GHG. Carbon Dioxide, (Agricultural, Deforestation, Land changes, poor soil management,) accounts for 76% of Global GHG, Methane (mostly from agricultural and landfills) is 16%. Soil Carbon emissions, due to damaged or degraded soil account for almost 1/4 of total GHG, due to soil respiration. (Article 14). The top 8 GHG emissions come from
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Electricity.
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Transportation.
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Industry.
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Commercial/ Residential Development
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Agriculture.
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Land Use changes
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Forestry.
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Soil Respiration, (Decomposition of Soil Organic Matter)
Vermistabilization vs. Traditional Treatment Processes
Most solutions for disposing Biosolids when processing pathogenic sludge result in significant capital expenditures; the costs of
wastewater treatment plants, the chemicals to partially separate, clean and dilute liquids and then solidify them again for transportation purposes; the WWTP repairs, normal maintenance and upgrades over time; increased energy and fuel costs, hiring and training experienced technicians, and additional costs for using and creating new landfills when Class B or lower biosolids take up space needed for inorganic wastes.
Other organic wastes including food, (making up 22% of landfill space) or paper products are also decomposable potential food items for worms. Transportation to fields or landfills, dumping and permitting fees can exceed $Millions of dollars annually for just one WWTP.
Many restrictions to land application apply to partially treated biosolids. Malodorous conditions to nearby homes, businesses, schools and recreational areas and restrictions to when and where biosolids are placed, how long before crops can be planted, determining setbacks from streams, rivers and drinking waters, when applying most biosolids...most restrictions can be eliminated for VS meeting Class A requirements. (10, 15)
Incineration provides no soil benefits, emits GHG, is costly, requires landfill space, and alot of energy, and does not result in net energy savings. It emits more pollution than coal mining.
Vermistabilization converts waste into a resource while creating solutions to multiple climate change conditions caused by greenhouse gasses. Vermistabilization allows for increased agricultural land to be used and greater production from healthier soil. It uses less energy and lesser capital expenses are incurred. Less fossil fuels from transportation and energy are required for disposal of the biosolids. Savings in dumping and permit fees are realized. Administrative costs from monitoring and paperwork are slashed. The income received from the sale of castings and worms is an investors dream.
The castings created allow the soil to recover from loss of soil organic matter allowing more crops to be planted. The community can use the soil amendment for their gardening or backyard food crops. Organic gardeners and farmers have an option to use environmentally responsible soil amendments for their crops and gardens. Landscapers, property developers and conservation groups can use castings as a soil amendment for improving poor and toxic polluted soils. Soil erosion and loss of carbon can be reversed.
Businesses can profit from the income and growth of the vermicomposting market.
Chemical Inorganic Fertilizer vs Organic Castings
Organic castings used in place of inorganic chemical fertilizers lessens the risk of toxic soils leaching pollutants into clean bodies of streams, rivers and lakes. It can also significantly reduce soil degradation caused by long term use of inorganic fertilizer that breaks down soil over time until it just blows away or is washed into streams, never to be replaced. This chemical free, low cost root feeding soil amendment, (castings), provides an organic, stabilized, more environmentally conscious way to reverse soil erosion, remediate poor soils, and increase crop production up to 30% through increasing the humus in the soil. (Article 4, 7)
With VS nutrients available to plant roots are easily absorbable, and slowly released to provide the roots with a "Goldilocks" menu of N.P.K. and other nutrients over an extended period of time.
Class A biosolids, without restrictions, frees up greater areas of land to be used for production of crops. This in turn provides the greatest efficiency in producing and feeding the plants/crops, resulting in faster germination, greater growth, greater crop yields and less diseased plants over the long term...increasing farm income and food available for an increasing population. It also allows for greater use of farm fields due to creating a build up of Organic Soil Matter, (OSM) from the humus within the castings.
Finally, vermicastings reduce the severity of Flooding, Dust Bowls and Drought due to the stability of the soil, moisture retention, and the porosity it gives the soil in severe weather extremes. The organic matter in castings reaches a state of stability that will not break down to be carried away as dust in a heavy windstorm or easily carried away in water during a hard rain. Castings create pockets in the soil to absorb 3x the weight of the castings. The castings have a neutral pH, do not burn plants, and do repel pests and bad plant diseases due to the greater amount of beneficial microorganisms and oxygen for the plant roots. Castings are indigestable by other microorganisms; they only provide the best, easily soluable nutrients for plant roots.
These redworm castings contain complex humic substances that have many benefits:
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help trap carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other GHG pollutants otherwise entering the air from soil respiration, damage or disturbance. (Article 14, 11, 13, 17)
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Humic acid within the castings assists with the breakdown of toxic chemicals and metals by "chelating". Fulvic acid transforms the metals to molecular complexes with different characteristics from their original metallic/mineral form. (See Humus)
Market Potential and Future Growth
The Vermicompost market was valued at US $266 million in 2024 and is anticipated to reach US $628.2 million by 2032, witnessing a CAGR, (compounded annual growth rate) of 14.9% during the forecast period 2024-2032. The Global compost market size has grown strongly in recent years. It is expected to grow from $7.53 billion in 2023 to $8.2 billion in 2024 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.0%. The vermicompost market is projected to grow at a significant rate due to the increasing demand for organic food products and the success of households using vermicomposting for their kichen wastes.
Castings in small quantities sell for up to $5/pound and in bulk quantities of $400/ton. Worms sell for $50+/pound or $35/pound for larger quantities. The proliferation of redworms is quite astounding when 5 worms can produce up to 4,500 worms in just over a 26 week period in ideal conditions.
There are no castings with a better quality than those produced non-thermally using biosolids. No heating, no mixing, no long waiting period, no vector attraction, no odor, no expensive, complicated technology or equipment. Biosolids provide a Goldilocks recipe uniquely prepared for the redworms digestive system in producing the ideal castings for the health of the plant roots.
Presently, Vermistabilization has not been approved by the E.P.A. in America. It has been proven, scientifically, to be safe, meet E.P.A. guidelines for pathogen reduction, and turn a “hazardous”, waste into a clean, greatly needed soil amendment rich in Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium and other nutrients that plant roots need to grow healthy. Worms are the only animal that can replace soil with a rich humus material called “castings”.
The reasons for other countries adopting this bio-chemical technology are primarily due to the large savings in start-up costs, simple maintenance and sustainability of the process and strict monitoring controls to ensure the safe and reliable results of the final product. These Class B wastes, although partially treated, are malodorous and contain potentially dangerous pathogens and toxins harmful to people, animals, and the foods in the soil. New chemicals, (PFAS) found in biosolids, soil and water continue to be detected with advanced technology, causing authorities to struggle with implementing additional regulations for the spread of biosolids on fields. Much is not known about PFAS, and with the frequently changing chemicals introduced into the waste stream and new technology to discover them, this dilemma will continue.
Vermistabilization: A Regenerative Solution
Vermistabilization provides a usable resource, (castings) from an otherwise odorous, pathogenic, toxic waste, (sludge/biosolids)
that is expensive to dispose, returns virtually no benefit and emits Greenhouse Gasses, (GHG) into the air, contributing to Climate warming.
Sale of worms and castings to Gardeners, (household and commercial), Farmers for agricultural crops, Golf Courses, Vineyards, Landscapers, Environmental and Conservation Groups for remediation of contaminated soils, and the $165 Billion Botanical and Horticulture Industry may provide up to a 39% increase in income, and provide environmental stewardship from a process that reduces contaminants in the air, soil, and water while providing a cost effective solution to reducing harmful Greenhouse Gasses.
Start up costs include obtaining land, redworms, a lab, containers or enclosed space for a fixed, monitored environment, pre- treated sludge, conveyor belts, 2 loaders, overhead sprinklers or garden hose and a WWTP treatment facility close by or on site.
Discussions with your local WWTP facility or Governing Agency in assisting with obtaining the necessary permits and approvals are encouraged.
"Don't be afraid of new ideas, be afraid of old ideas; they keep you where you are and stop you from growing and moving forward. Concentrate on where you want to go, and not on what you fear".
(Anthony Robbins)