Soil Manufacture on Mars

jfenciso · 2020-12-02 05:11:51

SpaceNut wrote:

Seems we are way off topic on building soils to grow food in...
Building fertile soils
Building Soil, Building the Future
Build better garden soils
8 Steps for Making Better Garden Soil
Making Biochar to Improve Soil
other words carbon in the soil is good for plant growth

I have a doubt to use biochar in space because you will use a lot of oxygen and electrical energy to ignite the crop waste. I need to study more about biochar. This time, I am skeptical about biochar. We need to balance and account for the use of resources like air in a closed-loop habitat system. No resources should be wasted.

SpaceNut · 2020-12-02 18:28:21

Human Waste recovery plus all other recycling from the 6 to 8 month journey to mars would be the means to jump start Mars in situ but that mass volume is the problem for the landing along with the storage.

jfenciso · 2020-12-02 22:54:20

SpaceNut wrote:

Human Waste recovery plus all other recycling from the 6 to 8 month journey to mars would be the means to jump start Mars in situ but that mass volume is the problem for the landing along with the storage.

I will try later to look for a research paper about the possibility of human waste produced from Mars.

SpaceNut · 2020-12-06 21:39:14

What A Simulated Mars Mission Taught Me About Food Waste
This is also a waste in that we grow food and are not eating it all...but then again put it into a compost or bio reactor and make extra fuels and use it for enriching the soils comes to mind as to methods of reuse.

Mars_B4_Moon · 2021-06-11 14:58:55

Will a Mouse be one of the first creatures to set foot in the Mars colony before man?
I think I might finally understand that ridiculous Saturday morning kids cartoon 'Biker Mice from Mars'

You might be eating mouse burgers

More fertile Soils made from mouse poop and dead decaying plants from hydro farms in space?

Space Agriculture: Crops Can Be Grown on Moon and Mars Soil
https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/2 … d-mars.htm

Soils are monitored in far away places on Earth, Waste is Recycled in remote Places like Iceland.

Iceland Waste Disposal and Recycling
https://reykjavik.is/en/waste-disposal-and-recycling
Microbial Nitrogen Cycling in Antarctic Soils
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/8/9/1442/htm

Scientists Produce Healthy Mice From Sperm Kept in Space for Nearly 6 Years
https://www.space.com/space-pups-born-f … ouse-sperm

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2021-06-11 15:00:43)

SpaceNut · 2021-11-21 10:03:25

tahanson43206 wrote:

For RobertDyck,
The article at the link below is about a book about soil. I am hoping this post is a good fit in the debate you have set up here:
***
The article at the link below is about the value of soil for growing food. It includes the assertion that growing food in rich soil provides more nutrients than growing food in non-soil environments, but I suspect that may be more a reflection of deficiency in the practice than a fundamental deficiency in the method.
Never-the-less, I get the impression by a soil enthusiast would be worth considering by anyone serious about living off Earth.
It appears to be written for those who live or may live on Earth, but the principles should be transferable to other planets and locations.
If a member of NewMars decides to read this book, please post a synopsis.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/solutio … 29732.html
The solution to climate change? It could be right under your feet
Jamie Blackett
Sat, November 20, 2021 1:25 PM
Pulling a carrot from the earth - Alamy
This is a very timely book. Farmers are pondering regenerative agriculture, gardeners are discussing “no dig” and we are all worried about reaching carbon “net zero”. But few of us know what we are talking about, largely because the scientific community has spent more time studying the stars than the soil on which our survival depends. As Matthew Evans observes: “For me, soil seemed dull and insipid.” Yet, “Good soil isn’t just an abstract concept; it’s a thing of wonder … There are more living things in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are humans on Earth.”
Most importantly, Evans explains how regenerative agriculture that draws carbon out of the atmosphere into the soil so that it is “like chocolate cake’” (through minimising soil disturbance and exposure, diverse cropping and grazing livestock) is our best hope of reversing climate change. He quotes Stéphane Le Foll’s “quatre pour mille” idea: that if all the world’s soils under human management were to increase in soil carbon by just four parts per 1,000 (0.4 per cent) annually, virtually the entire global increase in carbon emissions for each year could be offset. Suggestion for Mr and Mrs Thunberg: please pop a copy of Soil into Greta’s stocking this Christmas.
Soil is published by Murdoch Books at £14.99. To order your copy for £12.99 call 0844 871 1514 or visit the Telegraph Bookshop
(th)

Mars_B4_Moon · 2022-08-25 12:53:03

On Earth there is now a worry about Greenhouse gasses from Sewage treatment and Recycling Methods on Mars this will not be an issue as Warming Gasses can make Mars more friendly habitable planet.

Are Liquid Composters the Next Frontier for Small and Midsized Organic Waste Generators?
https://www.waste360.com/food-waste/are … generators

Compost tumbler vs. compost bin: Which is best for my garden soil?
https://www.ketk.com/reviews/compost-tu … rden-soil/

The quality of organic amendments affects soil microbiome and nitrogen-cycling bacteria in an organic farming system
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 … 69136/full

Planting Crops in Antarctica Aims to Benefit Astronauts on Long-Duration Missions
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/planting-c … n-missions

Composting in Antarctica

Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and most isolated continent on earth, and is considered a desert because its annual precipitation can be less than 51 mm in the interior. During the long winter, only 1000 people inhabit this continent. Nonetheless, these people produce waste. One of the statements in the Antarctic Treaty reads:
https://www.seavents.org/post/composting-in-antarctica

We have strict regulations regarding the ecosystem. We were asked to vacuum clean all of our clothes before packing so that we wouldn't take any seeds into Antarctica. It's like going to a new world.

The challenge of recycling waste in Antarctica
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-45640657

"Each day varies, but normally the job will take till 6pm in the evening, and even then you might be required to do even longer hours depending on flights," he says.
"Planes come back in the evening until midnight, and you'd be expected to help out, unload the aircraft, sort out the equipment, take it to the necessary places, and the waste as well."
All waste at the base is sent to a metal hut called the Miracle Span. And in domestic areas of the station, there are recycling bins for glass, paper, cardboard, plastic and cans.
Waste generated by research missions also has to be sorted; the BAS recycles everything from batteries, tetra packs, IT equipment, toner and inkjet cartridges, to wood, scrap metal, rope and textiles.
"[Our] colleagues in the Antarctic are incredibly resourceful and very good at repairing and reusing materials rather than just consigning them to be recycled," says Rachel Clarke, head of the environment office at BAS.
"For example, at Rothera there are chairs made from old skis, tables made from cable drums - and I think a wedding dress has been made from an old tent," she says.
To prevent the accidental introduction of insects or parasites, staff cannot bring their own food to the station - it has to be vetted and specially packed to reduce extraneous packaging, and meat comes deboned.
The station reduces food wastage by using odds and ends in soups, or reheating leftovers. What food cannot be recycled is incinerated on site together with medical waste.
Everything that can be recycled is compressed using a compactor and placed in super strong flexible intermediate bulk container (FIBC) bags.
These bags can be safely left on the wharf in the open for extended periods, until ships are able to pick them up and bring them back to the UK, once every two to six months.

Soil Ecology at ESA 2022
https://www.esa.org/soilecology/past-an … -esa-2022/

Plastic-Eating Bacteria Grow Quickly in Lakes
https://www.genengnews.com/topics/omics … -in-lakes/

Composting: An Effective and Secure Sludge Treatment Method
https://compost-turner.net/composting-t … ethod.html

When properly treated and processed, sewage sludge becomes biosolids which are nutrient-rich organic materials produced from wastewater treatment facilities. The organic carbon in the sludge, once stabilized, has also potential as a soil conditioner because it improves soil structure for plant roots.

Composting is a viable, beneficial option in biosolids management. It is a proven method for pathogen reduction and results in a product that is easy to handle, store, and use.

mixing biosolids with agricultural byproduct sources of carbon such as sawdust, straw, or wood chips to promise the C:N ratio being 25:1/30:1

Notice: other bulking agents suitable for biosolids composting include: shredded tires; crop residues; animal manure and bedding; yard trimmings; food by-products; industrial by-products from wood processing, forestry, brewery; paper goods, paper mill residues, and biodegradable packaging materials; municipal solid waste

Fresh and untreated sludge will have many pathogens, a high proportion of water, high biochemical oxygen demand and is normally putrid and odorous. Nevertheless, sludge also contains essential nutrients for plants (e.g. Nitrogen and phosphorus) and is potentially a very beneficial fertilizer.

A look inside the Calgary composting facility: the largest in-vessel based operation in Canada
https://www.recyclingproductnews.com/ar … -in-canada
Aim Environmental and the City of Calgary are getting a massive job done right

Greenhouse gas emissions from different sewage sludge treatment methods in north
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a … 2617332225

Continuously applying compost for three years alleviated soil acidity and heavy metal bioavailability in a soil-asparagus lettuce system
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 … 72789/full

Nutrient Management
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/nutrient-management/

Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2022-08-25 13:04:44)

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#26 2020-12-02 05:11:51

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#27 2020-12-02 18:28:21

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#28 2020-12-02 22:54:20

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#29 2020-12-06 21:39:14

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#30 2021-06-11 14:58:55

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#31 2021-11-21 10:03:25

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

#32 2022-08-25 12:53:03

Re: Soil Manufacture on Mars

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