Research and Development

 

ThermAer ATAD Product – Growth Trials

WCI is committed to recovering maximum value from the products generated by our organic treatment technologies. We have initiated research & development programs to assess value-added applications for products generated by ThermAer treatment of biosolids, industrial organic waste and municipal source separated organic waste.

Growth trials were conducted by the University of Guelph (Kemptville campus) in order to evaluate the agronomic value of ThermAer ATAD products from five different operating facilities. To provide baseline data against which growth results of ATAD products could be assessed, recognized mineral fertilizers were also utilized.

The Trials

The growth tests used three plant species:

  • Lettuce – to evaluate the role of the immediately available nutrients
  • Kentucky Blue Grass (KBG) – to evaluate the fertilizer utility for plants with a longer vegetation period
  • Tall Fescue – also to evaluate the fertilizer utility for plants with a longer vegetation period but slower growth

All treatments were devised to offer equivalent available nutrients and were in a completely randomized system with seven repeats for each treatment.

Results:

For all three crops tested, the yields were significantly greater (41% to 89%) for the ThermAer products than the baseline fertilizers. Biomass quality, inferred from the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the plant tissues, were also improved. Additionally, residual nutrient and organic carbon concentrations in the soil, a good indication of the long-term efficiency of the fertilizers, were significantly higher for ThermAer products.

Next Steps:

WCI is making application to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to have ThermAer ATAD products recognized as fertilizer

Download – Agronomic evaluation of ThermAer ATAD biosolids;
greenhouse growth trials DOC (718 KB)

 

ThermAer Product Evaluation

Professor Yona Chen of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has issued his report on the physico-chemical properties of ThermAer products, and finds the products to be stable, odourless, and similar to biosolid compost processed at length to stability.  The full report is available as a download below.

Download – Physico-chemical Properties of ThermAer Biosolids PDF (439 KB)