Waste to Resource

Modified Johnson-Su Bioreactor & Microscopy Field Day

Created by New Mexico State University’s Dr. David C. Johnson and his wife Hui-Chun Su, the Johnson-Su Bioreactor is an ideal method of composting in dry, arid climates as it reduces water usage up to six times compared to other composting methods. Little labor is required after the initial set-up as it is a completely no-turn composting process. The compost created in these bioreactors has exceptional potential to regenerate poor and degraded soils by providing microbes that establish symbiotic relationships with plants.

Get hands-on experience by filling the modified bioreactor, examine the soil food web under a microscope, learn about the innovative bioreactor tractor and a ‘ring of fire,’ to make biochar . A delicious, locally sourced lunch will be provided free of charge.

The field day is offered in collaboration with the Upper Gila Watershed Alliance’s New Earth Project; a community program that combines leftover food from school cafeterias with shredded wood from local silviculture projects as inputs in a modified Johnson-Su bioreactor. The New Earth Project encompasses education and youth employment initiatives.