Straw bale/compost filtration

14 years ago

Here is what I am thinking of doing...

When the machine shed was built, the builder didn't raise it enough to prevent water from flowing through it during heavy or prolonged periods of rain. To prevent this, we dug a 4 foot deep by 3 foot wide by 30 foot long trench in front of it, filled it with course gravel and placed a 45 gallon drum with holes drilled in it with a submersible pump inside. This pumps the water past the building to a lower elevation and the water then flows away.

I want to capture that water for my composting. I have a 1250 gallon plastic tank I no longer use that I want to have the water pumped into. The area in front of the shed obviously gets minute amounts of oils and other liquids spilled there, so all that flows into the trench with the water. I would like to filter this water prior to it entering the tank.

I am thinking of a layer of tightly packed (wheat) straw bales with 6 inches of compost on top then another layer of tightly packed straw bales. The water would be dispersed over the top and allowed to gravity feed through the straw/compost and be collected at the bottom and then pumped into the tank. So the water would pass through a total of 28 inches of straw and 6 inches of compost. I could easily do more straw for more filtration.

After one season I would then shred the bales/compost with the manure spreader into a windrow with other yard waste and be composted for a couple of years. This material would then be spread over the farm fields.

I seem to recall some of the members having some wastewater background so I'm wondering if this is a project worth trying. I have all the necessary equipment to do it so nothing has to be purchased. I'm not trying to get drinking quality here just clean enough to be used in the other composting endeavours.

Thoughts?

Lloyd

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Comments (7)

toxcrusadr
14 years ago
If the amounts are truly minute and you're going to end up composting the used filter anyway, what's different about putting the water straight into the compost?

But to answer the original question, it sounds to me like it would work fine. Compost has been used in many waste treatment systems, and both it and the straw would tend to collect hydrophobic substances like oil.
Lloyd
Original Author
14 years ago
Sorry, I didn't explain the different composts.

The compost I use on OP lawns and gardens has only clean fresh well water used on it. I want to be able to say that that compost doesn't have any contaminated water applied to it hence the filtering.

The other compost resulting from the filtration experiment would be for my farm land (grain crops). I know it seems like an insignificant distinction but it's just the way I am.

And if it works I'd like to try and filter laundry water. We have an outdoor washing machine we use to wash our farm/shop/quarry clothes and for now the discharge water is just pumped out under some trees. I might like to try filtering that as well. If it works there may be other applications.

Lloyd
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alphonse
14 years ago
Big oil uses oil/water separators at the distribution terminals. There is an inevitable amount of fuel/oil mixed with water from the site's storm drains etc.
The separators are simply a large tank,used to be open topped, where the flow slows enough to let the hydrocarbons perk to the top of the water, where they are skimmed off.
Google "tramp oil skimmers" to get ideas on how machine shops deal with oil in H2O cutting fluids. There are many home-brewed solutions.
IMO your straw filter will work fine though no idea what sort of maintenance schedule it would entail.
idaho_gardener
14 years ago
I read through the Wikipedia entry on sewage treatment and came to the same conclusion as Alphonse; water/oil separation tank.

You might consider allowing the oil that ends up in the tank to be skimmed and applied to surface soil. My understanding is that oils bind well to soil. Eventually bacteria will decompose the oils. In the meantime, the oil will stabilize the surface of a driveway or road.
kikifoow
14 years ago
Skim it/ run it thru a sand bed/ run it thru your hay bales. That should remove 99% or so of the oils and I would also hazard your bales will also be receiving such minute qty's that there is no chance of corrupting the soil in any real way.
toxcrusadr
14 years ago
Lloyd says he has 'minute amounts' of oil, and this is likely barely enough to make a sheen on water. I think an oil-water separator is overkill here unless he has droplets or complete layers of non-aqueous phase liquid.
Lloyd
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for all the thoughts/input.

It really isn't much contaminant but it is varied. From engine oil that drips from the funnel when the oil is topped up to a gob of grease that falls off a piece of machinery. There may be some hydraulic fluid or anti-freeze. I'm sure any farm or heavy machinery person understands this.

I think I'm going to build one next year and try it out. Nothing to lose really.

Lloyd

P.S. I got some links via email as well, just haven't gone through them yet. Thx for them.

Straw bale/compost filtration

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toxcrusadr

Lloyd
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Straw bale/compost filtration

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toxcrusadr

LloydOriginal Author

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alphonse

idaho_gardener

kikifoow

toxcrusadr

LloydOriginal Author

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Lloyd
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