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Fire creates a ton of other gases, and particles with health effects on respiratory animals and plants. Whatever you think about carbon dioxide, it's far better

Fire creates a ton of other gases, and particles with health effects on respiratory animals and plants. Whatever you think about carbon dioxide, it's far better than an equivalent amount of nitrous oxide. You want compost for growing things, not because it fixes carbon. It doesn't fix carbon, it provides nutrients for plant life (and some animals such as flies and worms). Some organic matter in a landfill will fossilize, but some of it will also turn into methane, which is typically seen as worse than carbon dioxide for the environment. And, of course, it has to be transported there through fossil fuel using trucks. It uses a lot less fuel to transport a packet of bacteria to waste than to transport waste.

colechristensen 3y ago
What elements do you think make up the bulk of compost? The dry mass is indeed mostly carbon. What do you think happens to the nitrogen in plant matter digested by these bacteria? It’s either coming off as nitrogen gases or magically disappearing. If you use the right tone apparently you can make anything seem environmentally friendly. Composting creates solid carbon which can be used in agriculture, amended to soil, or just buried thereby keeping carbon out of the air which is the entire idea of reversing global warming trends. CO2 is CO2 however it got to be that way. “Equivalent amount of nitrous oxide” there’s no such issue, plant matter is made of mostly carbon, the nitrogen isn’t there to be anywhere near equivalent and comes out anyway regardless of if you burned or completely metabolized it with some bacteria. The lack of critical thinking is very frustrating.
- anonymouskimmer 3y ago
  > What do you think happens to the nitrogen in plant matter digested by these bacteria? My first guess is that it's being kept as, or converted into, amino acids for use in protein synthesis by the bacteria. > thereby keeping carbon out of the air For some of it, yes. However the production, and transportation of compost if it can't be used on site (possible in Japan), puts carbon into the air. I don't know how this balances out. > The lack of critical thinking is very frustrating. Critical thinking should go into study design and interpretation, but it doesn't hold a candle to actually doing a full lifecycle analysis. Is this technology better or worse for the environment than the status quo? We don't have enough information to determine that.
  - alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
    It has been well stablished that compost reduces the need of plaguicides and fertilizers. But agriculture never having been a basic public service and running on such slim margins that it is tending towards oligopoly, let's not kid ourselves that compost will ever be given a chance Not all industries have the luxury of joining the green revolution.
    - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
      It is a problem. Some people are working on it, though a major solution to the issue appears to be tax or mandate. And some agricultural industries apparently are high-value enough that they can afford it on their own. https://civileats.com/2022/03/02/california-compost-law-food-waste-produce-farmers-brown-gold-soil-health-climate-agriculture/ https://civileats.com/2022/03/02/california-compost-law-food...
- alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
  My first guess was that it scaped as Elemental Nitrogen. ~78% of air is N2 But according to Natgeo https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-to-compost https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-t... Compost is rich in Nitrogenated Nutrients. So far so good.
theteapot 3y ago
> You want compost for growing things, not because it fixes carbon. It doesn't fix carbon. A composted plant fixes carbon more than a combusted one. It's the carbon capture.
- anonymouskimmer 3y ago
  Depending on how the compost is used, sure, but you have to do a lifecycle analysis to determine whether this ultimately results in more carbon fixed than carbon (or carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases) released. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.est.2c05846/suppl_file/es2c05846_si_001.pdf https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.est.2c05846/suppl... > Offsetting nitrogen fertilizer use is particularly important with respect to net GHG emissions because fertilizer production (e.g., urea) is energy- and emissions-intensive to produce.

colechristensen 3y ago

What elements do you think make up the bulk of compost? The dry mass is indeed mostly carbon. What do you think happens to the nitrogen in plant matter digested by these bacteria? It’s either coming off as nitrogen gases or magically disappearing. If you use the right tone apparently you can make anything seem environmentally friendly. Composting creates solid carbon which can be used in agriculture, amended to soil, or just buried thereby keeping carbon out of the air which is the entire idea of reversing global warming trends. CO2 is CO2 however it got to be that way. “Equivalent amount of nitrous oxide” there’s no such issue, plant matter is made of mostly carbon, the nitrogen isn’t there to be anywhere near equivalent and comes out anyway regardless of if you burned or completely metabolized it with some bacteria. The lack of critical thinking is very frustrating.

anonymouskimmer 3y ago
> What do you think happens to the nitrogen in plant matter digested by these bacteria? My first guess is that it's being kept as, or converted into, amino acids for use in protein synthesis by the bacteria. > thereby keeping carbon out of the air For some of it, yes. However the production, and transportation of compost if it can't be used on site (possible in Japan), puts carbon into the air. I don't know how this balances out. > The lack of critical thinking is very frustrating. Critical thinking should go into study design and interpretation, but it doesn't hold a candle to actually doing a full lifecycle analysis. Is this technology better or worse for the environment than the status quo? We don't have enough information to determine that.
- alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
  It has been well stablished that compost reduces the need of plaguicides and fertilizers. But agriculture never having been a basic public service and running on such slim margins that it is tending towards oligopoly, let's not kid ourselves that compost will ever be given a chance Not all industries have the luxury of joining the green revolution.
  - anonymouskimmer 3y ago
    It is a problem. Some people are working on it, though a major solution to the issue appears to be tax or mandate. And some agricultural industries apparently are high-value enough that they can afford it on their own. https://civileats.com/2022/03/02/california-compost-law-food-waste-produce-farmers-brown-gold-soil-health-climate-agriculture/ https://civileats.com/2022/03/02/california-compost-law-food...
alvarezbjm-hn 3y ago
My first guess was that it scaped as Elemental Nitrogen. ~78% of air is N2 But according to Natgeo https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-to-compost https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/how-t... Compost is rich in Nitrogenated Nutrients. So far so good.

theteapot 3y ago

> You want compost for growing things, not because it fixes carbon. It doesn't fix carbon. A composted plant fixes carbon more than a combusted one. It's the carbon capture.

anonymouskimmer 3y ago
Depending on how the compost is used, sure, but you have to do a lifecycle analysis to determine whether this ultimately results in more carbon fixed than carbon (or carbon-equivalent greenhouse gases) released. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.est.2c05846/suppl_file/es2c05846_si_001.pdf https://pubs.acs.org/doi/suppl/10.1021/acs.est.2c05846/suppl... > Offsetting nitrogen fertilizer use is particularly important with respect to net GHG emissions because fertilizer production (e.g., urea) is energy- and emissions-intensive to produce.