EXAMPLE OF AN INTEGRATED BIOSYSTEM

INCORPORATING EFFECTIVE

MICROORGANISMS, AT VRYBURG ABATTOIR IN

SOUTH AFRICA,

BACKGROUND

• The abattoir used to be run by a cooperative.

• It was about to shut down, due to being uneconomical.

• A group of farmers decided to take it over, as they did not want to lose their marketing channel or be at the mercy of livestock merchants.

MANAGEMENT APPROACH

• To ensure economic viability, the new owners converted abattoir wastes into productive enterprises.

• They used their farming knowledge to link the enterprises to each other.

• The web of linked enterprises creates a synergy through supporting ecological processes.

EFFECTIVE MICROORGANISMS (EM), MULTIPLIED ON SITE IN THESE 2m3 VATS, FORM

THE BASIC SUPPORT FOR THE

ECOLOGICAL PROCESSES

THE EM CONSORTIUMThe mixed culture of EM includes the following

types of naturally occurring microbes:• Lactic acid bacteria• Beneficial yeasts• Photosynthetic bacteria• Fermenting fungi (mould fungi)• Acetomycetes (ray fungi)They create the right conditions to support

each other and attack harmful pathogens, while producing useful vitamins, enzymes, hormones, anti-oxidants, amino acids, etc.

SOME USES FOR EM

1. EM is sprayed in and around the abattoir to control flies and bad smells.

2. EM is poured into the anaerobic pond for water purification, to speed up digestion of waste products and outcompete the putrefying bacteria.

Scum smells sweet instead

of putrid

3. Blood from the abattoir is fermented by EM to produce a high grade organic fertiliser, that allows the on-site maize to grow so well.

4. EM is sprayed onto the earthworm drums to control diseases and protect the worms from predators such as ants.

5. EM-FPE, a dervative or EM, is sprayed onto the crops, to control pests.

6. EM is sprayed onto fresh produce, to extend its shelf life.

WATER PURIFICATION

• Waste water from the abattoir gets treated in one anaerobic pond followed by two aerobic ponds.

• The semi-purified water is then used to irrigate crops, under shade in the background.

• The crops are used to feed animals in the feedlot to ensure a constant throughput of constant quality.

SKETCH MAP OF PONDS

Pump

Wastewater from abattoir, plus EM

Anaerobic pond

First aerobic pond

Second aerobic pond

• The outlet from the anaerobic pond is below the water surface, to prevent scum floating into the aerobic ponds.

OUTLET

• Water from the anaerobic pond meanders through Typha reed beds to reduce nitrates and nitrites on its way to the aerobic ponds.

• Air gets pumped through the second aerobic pond, for improved aeration.

• Water leaves the aerobic ponds by rippling over rocky sills, to further aerate it.

AQUACULTURE

• Carp are raised in the two aerobic ponds, where they benefit from nutrients released by the breakdown process of the abattoir wastes.

• A net with a large mesh size gets dragged through the ponds to catch the large carp that are ready for sale while leaving the smaller ones to continue growing.

EARTHWORM FARMING

• Rumen contents from the abattoir are made suitable to grow earthworms in.

• They are mixed with about 25% peanut husks, to provide aeration,

• and are then washed to attain the required pH of about 6.5

The prepared growing medium is then placed into half-drums and a cupful of earthworms and eggs from the top of a previous drum is added

The vertically split drums in the foreground are being replaced with horizontally split drums that take up less space, as in the background.

The earthworm drums are watered once a week with about 5 litres

Vermicompost is harvested from the bottoms of the drums, and sold.

After seven months the worms are ready to be harvested and sold to:

• prospective earthworm farmers, with instructions on how to raise them,

• gardeners who wish to improve their garden soil,

• fishermen, as bait.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS• Keith Harvey, the manager and co-owner

of the abattoir, for guiding the tour and freely sharing the findings of his dedicated experimentation.

• Dick and Judy Richardson, for having included the abattoir visit in the holistic management conference.

• The Polytechnic of Namibia, for having supported Alex Meroro and Ibo Zimmermann to participate in the conference at Tiger Kloof, so being privileged to visit the amazing abattoir.

MORE ON EM, from www.emrousa.com• Originally, EM was developed for use in crop

farming as an alternative to agricultural chemicals.• From crop farming, its application flowed naturally

into livestock.• From livestock, the positive effects on the

livestock waste and effluent into lagoons and rivers led to the use of EM for environmental purposes: from land/soil remediation to water purification.

• EM environmental applications throughout the world have included cleaning polluted waterways, lakes and lagoons, in septic systems, municipal wastewater treatment plants, landfills/dump sites.

Multiplication of EMQuality EM can be multiplied, by mixing:• Stock EM, from the nearest EMRO

outlet,• Water, which is free of chlorine,• Molasses, free of preservatives,and keeping under anaerobic conditions

at about 25oC for about two weeks.

Self culturingCrude EM can be cultured, by mixing:• Vegetable and fruit wastes,

uncontaminated with chemicals,• Water, which is free of chlorine,• Molasses or brown sugar,and keeping under anaerobic conditions

at about 25oC for about three weeks.

Fruit peels ready for diluted molasses to be added

If beetroot peels are added too then the EM takes on an appealing colour

Longevity of activated EM

The viable lifetime depends on the storage conditions and ratio of

1 day1:1:5006 days1:1:10030 days1:1:20

Expected lifetime

Ratiostock EM to molasses to water, when multiplying the stock EM

POROUS CARRIERS for EM

• EM can be more effective in water treatment if provided with porous carriers for supporting microbial adhesion and growth.

• Discarded ceramic materials may be treated to make them more effective carriers.

• Bauxite was added as a carrier when school children in South Africa made EM dumplings to throw into a polluted lake.

Freshly made dumplings

Dumplings are ready for throwing into water when a fur of ray fungi appears

and switch to:

http://www.emresearchorganization.com/Main/Events/SummitOkinawa/ThroughoutWorld/Egypt.html

also for the photo, and then click on Pakistan, China and India

http://ap.world.water-forum3.com/themeWwf/en/session

Detail.do?id=64• In Embu Kenya, EM has suppressed

obnoxious odors in treatment ponds and reduced the waste volume, flies and mosquitoes that carry contagious diseases.

• EM application shows reduction in colibacillus, nitrogen, phosphate, and sludge.

http://www.vrm.com.au/aboutVRM/about%20us.html

In sewerage pre-treatment schemes using EM cultured in Australia, waste is partially pre-treated before sewerage treatment. As a result:

• Odour, corrosive atmospheres and fat build-ups are significantly reduced.

• Pathogens that tend to build up in waste water under normal circumstances are reduced.

and switch to:

http://www.vrm.com.au/treatment/treatDiagrams/treat_modularprocess.pdf

for the diagrams

http://www.emresearchorganization.com

When introduced in conventional wastewater treatment facilities, EM:

• reduces costs, • reduces the amount of sludge

produced,• reduces the time needed for aeration. • increases the useful life of the tanks

and pipes as it prevents the oxidation and formation of rust.

If drains are blocked with sludge, EM can digest it and clear the blockage

EM in constructed wetlands

Trade in EM

Multiplied EM

Lazy end users

Stock EM

Active end users, multiply their own EM

EM outlets

Stock EM

EMRO Japan

EMRO facilities around the world, e.g. EMROUSA

Equipment and technical know-how

Pricing

• EMRO Japan controls prices of stock EM to ensure its low cost availability throughout the world.

• EMRO facilities and outlets encourage organisations and families to multiply their own EM to further reduce the costs of the end product.

• Improve humanity by developing a society of coexistence and co-prosperity through sustainability, safety, convenience, low cost, high quality, and exchange of information through the use of EM technology.

EMROUSA - Company Vision Statement

Business opportunities• The controlled price of EM means that a

successful business trading in EM will depend upon a large market volume.

However, there are many alternatives, e.g:• Consulting services are in demand from

end users of EM• The use of EM can enhance business

performance of many enterprises. • New technologies for culturing, storing

and applying EM can be developed.

http://www.emtech.org/data/pdf/838mrkenbellamy.pdf

• Equipment has been patented to apply EM in the wastewater treatment plant of an island resort in Australia.

• It employs a multi-point, low dose, constant inoculation pattern.

• This allows it to overcome environmental shock loads normally experienced by introduced microorganisms.