Enzyme Based Formulations For Accelerated Composting Processes

Custom Enzymes Soil and Compost Blend

​

Changing the Process

​

Custom Enzymes soil and compost remediation mix is a specifically designed and formulated biostimulant blend, containing enzymes and microbes for the remediation of soils and compost. Enzyme-mediated remediation of soil renders the persistent contaminants harmless or less toxic.

​

There is limited information on the fate of contaminants in compost and digestate from food waste. Failure to maintain appropriate operational conditions in digestors and/or compost can result in the accumulation of contaminants in the final products. Repeated use of such contaminated products can ultimately end up back in the soil and uptake by crops.

​

The best way to avoid contamination of the final product is to maintain clean feedstock materials that can help generate high-quality inputs resulting in desirable, and marketable, end products that are suitable for a circular food system.

​

Achieving clean feedstock with enzymatic formulations is a novel approach to preventing or removing contaminants. A true circular organic food system should start at soil preparation through to the process phase eliminating the need for inorganic inputs to ensure feedstock residue is contaminant free. 

​

Globally, around 14% of food produced is lost from the post-harvest stage up to, but excluding, the retail stage that either ends up as landfill or burnt creating further greenhouse gas emissions.

​

While a circular system uses resources more efficiently, the approach is not without risk. There are points of potential contamination at every stage of the food system. Diverting food waste to anaerobic digestion and composting for nutrient recovery will only be feasible and safe if the food waste is uncontaminated with other materials and toxicants, or the contaminants are destroyed by treatment. When contaminated food enters as feedstock for composting or anaerobic digestion and the residuals are then used in agricultural soils, the contaminants can be taken up by the plants, resulting in re-exposure to the food chain.

​

Regenerating the agricultural process — is a major global environmental, social, and economic challenge. Recognizing the critical importance of removing chemical inputs, crop loss and reducing waste is a top priority for Custom Enzymes. The promotion of healthy soils must start with the decontamination of persistent chemicals, pathogen-free irrigation and the control and eradication of pests and disease before a truly organic process can be achieved.

​

Utilising waste derived compost as an alternative to man-made fertilizer is a key component to achieving organic status however, concerns about the levels of persistent chemical contaminants in compost made from food waste streams should be understood, addressed and mitigated prior to land application.

 

To achieve the environmental benefits of diverting food waste from landfills on a large scale, industry must better understand the contribution of food waste streams to persistent chemical contamination in compost and digestate, the potential risks to human health and the environment posed by land applying compost and digestate made from food waste, and the most effective strategies to prevent or mitigate the risks and communicate these findings to affected stakeholders.

​

​