MagnaGro Process

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WARNING! Sewage sludge is toxic. Food should not be grown in "biosolids." Join the Food Rights Network.

The MagnaGro Process is a marketed as a process that "disinfects biosolids to meet either the Class A or Class B Part 503 pathogen requirements." The process is a patented process owned by the company Magna Management, Inc. The process kills organisms in sewage sludge with a fumigant known as Rid-a-Vec. According to Pesticide Action Network (PAN), Rid-a-vec's main ingredient, Metam-sodium, is a PAN bad actor, acutely toxic, a carcinogen, a developmental or reproductive toxin, and a suspected endocrine disruptor.[1]

According to an EPA document:[2] "Magnagro - Magna Management of Houston, Texas is proposing to use a fumigant, approved by the U.S. EPA for use with sludges to disinfect sewage sludge. They describe their process as follows: “..the MagnaGro Process, sewage sludge with a temperature equal to or greater than 15°C and with percent solids equal to or greater than four percent but equal to or less than 30 percent are placed in a closed batch reactor. Rid-A-Vec, a liquid fumigant, is then added to the reactor. The sewage sludge and the fumigant are mixed in the reactor to achieve complete mixing of all materials. After the mixing period, the mixture remains in a closed container for a period of time during which methyl isothiocyanate (MITC), a vapor generated when Rid-A-Vec reacts with water, reduces the densities of the pathogens. After the treatment time, the mixture is exposed to the atmosphere for a period of time to allow MITC to dissipate. This ensures that the treated sewage sludge is not toxic to plants grown on sites where the treated sewage sludge is land-applied.” Magna Management claims their process produces Class A biosolids. The PEC is presently reviewing data from laboratory scale studies and has requested some pilot scale work."

Contact Information

  • Corporate Office:
  • Magna Management, Inc.
  • 892 E. Williams Street
  • Carson City, NV 89701
  • Ph: (755) 887-3970 or 1-800-294-9115
  • Web: MagnaGro Website

FIELD OFFICES:

  • Magna Management, Inc.
  • P.O. Box 60709
  • Houston, TX 77205-0709
  • Ph: (281) 448-8585
  • Fax: (281) 397-7195
  • Magna Management, Inc.
  • 8054 Willboyd Court
  • Marshall, VA. 20115
  • Ph: (540) 341-7300
  • Fax: (540) 341-0158

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. PAN Product Info for Rid-a-Vec, Pesticide Action Network, Accessed September 5, 2010.
  2. J. E. Smith, Jr., D.Sc. and Robert S. Reimers, Ph.D., "U.S.A.’s Practices for Controlling Pathogens in Biosolids".

External resources

External articles

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