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Talk by Jay Abrahams
Wed, Dec 3 2008 05:42
| By Frank Hemming
| Permalink
Many of us remember Jay Abrahams from the previous talk he gave to Friends of the Earth Herefordshire back in the 90s. He made a welcome return to give another talk to us this summer.
Jay lives near Ledbury in a cottage with no connection to mains electricity. He is a microbiologist specialising in waste treatment systems using naturally occurring micro-organisms. His business is called “Biologic Design”.
He gave a very relaxed and entertaining talk about his life and work. Having studied microbiology he started out by following the normal career path of working in a lab. However he found this too sterile and separate from the workings of natural systems. He now runs his own business working with biodegradable wastes, his most well known project being the waste treatment system for Westons Cider at March Marcle.
Since the 19th Century Westons Cider have used a field of about 9 acres for their apple waste (pomace). This was creating pollution problems for them until Jay designed a waste treatment scheme for them. This has been working successfully since the 90s. Water and apple waste together enter the field at one end and slowly wind their way through the field between banks planted with willow and self seeded with other vegetation, including apple trees growing from pips. The system has matured over the years and is now a haven for wildlife. The only energy required is in the building of the banks. The combined water and apple waste enter the system at pH 3.5 (extremely acid) and leave at pH 7 (neutral).
Other projects include the many “Tree Bogs” (a form of composting toilet) he has constructed. These make use of aerobic digestion and should produce minimal smell. They use straw bales and a circle of living willow which thrives on the rich nutrients provided.
He has also worked on waste processing anaerobic systems, which produce methane for fuel, and he is keen on the idea of community owned projects of this type, such as a proposed system at Leominster.
Jay also mentioned the “Keyline” concept developed by P.A. Yeomans in Australia as a means of drought proofing farms. The “Keyline” approach makes use of swales, which my dictionary defines as “a marshy depression between ridges”. A system of ridges and swales allows water to soak into the ground and maintain soil moisture, unlike the use of land drains. Jay is a keen advocate of this approach which he has advocated as part of his submission to Herefordshire’s Local Development Framework.
Jay lives near Ledbury in a cottage with no connection to mains electricity. He is a microbiologist specialising in waste treatment systems using naturally occurring micro-organisms. His business is called “Biologic Design”.
He gave a very relaxed and entertaining talk about his life and work. Having studied microbiology he started out by following the normal career path of working in a lab. However he found this too sterile and separate from the workings of natural systems. He now runs his own business working with biodegradable wastes, his most well known project being the waste treatment system for Westons Cider at March Marcle.
Since the 19th Century Westons Cider have used a field of about 9 acres for their apple waste (pomace). This was creating pollution problems for them until Jay designed a waste treatment scheme for them. This has been working successfully since the 90s. Water and apple waste together enter the field at one end and slowly wind their way through the field between banks planted with willow and self seeded with other vegetation, including apple trees growing from pips. The system has matured over the years and is now a haven for wildlife. The only energy required is in the building of the banks. The combined water and apple waste enter the system at pH 3.5 (extremely acid) and leave at pH 7 (neutral).
Other projects include the many “Tree Bogs” (a form of composting toilet) he has constructed. These make use of aerobic digestion and should produce minimal smell. They use straw bales and a circle of living willow which thrives on the rich nutrients provided.
He has also worked on waste processing anaerobic systems, which produce methane for fuel, and he is keen on the idea of community owned projects of this type, such as a proposed system at Leominster.
Jay also mentioned the “Keyline” concept developed by P.A. Yeomans in Australia as a means of drought proofing farms. The “Keyline” approach makes use of swales, which my dictionary defines as “a marshy depression between ridges”. A system of ridges and swales allows water to soak into the ground and maintain soil moisture, unlike the use of land drains. Jay is a keen advocate of this approach which he has advocated as part of his submission to Herefordshire’s Local Development Framework.
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