Newhouse Farm

[Chrisf]

I haven't seen anything else on this other than a video for an earthship in Fife. Although I may have got the name wrong!

It seems almost ideal with regard to dealing with sewerage and gaining a nutrient product from it. The principle is basically a reed bed type system but a covered area where all the solid waste (poo to you and I) collects above the water level of the bed (ie a gravel shelf). The water goes through the reed bed system but the poo stays and breaks down. This may seem like a waste of a resource, however the plants grown in the bed (I think they used comfrey) is cut for compost/mulch.

Anyone heard of this?

[jimll]

From what I've read about Earthships, dealing with your own human waste is a pretty fundamental part of the system. The beds and planters that use sewage to provide nutrients to plants are known as "botanical cells" - see here for example. Michael Reynolds books on Earthship design also cover this.

Interestingly there is a point of discussion as to whether an earthship really needs blackwater in the first place. If they use waterless composting loos, there's little or no blackwater created and so they can just concentrate on treating greywater in the botanical cells (which can be indoors rather than outside as the blackwater ones tend to be). The human waste still provides nutrients by way of the compost from the composting loos, which can be used to fertilize top fruit, ornamentals, etc.
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Jim'll - the lean, green digging machine!

[Chrisf]

The video I saw did have the grey water being used to irrigate plants in the glazed 'conservatory' area of the structure. This then went to the reed bed system. I can't remember the rationale they gave for using a black water system rather than compost loo. It piqued my interest because I have a sceptic tank and thought it would possibly be a relatively easy conversion (although I may be over simplifying things) and allow me to grow a good green manure crop.