I am not familiar with the word "redox".  It was used on page 113. "In lakes and ponds the greatest shifts in redox occur at the ..."

Regarding the Providence, Rhode Island living machine.  Why is the effluent discharged to the adjacent treatment works?  Isn't it clean enough to be dumped directly onto land or a body of water?

I have just begun to research sewage processing and using the by products for crop production for a self-sufficient community that is currently in the planning stages.  There is much in this paper I don't understand and I would like to.  Things like nitrification and un-ionized ammonia.  Why is nutrient reduction important and how safe for consumption are the plants growing in the sewage processing living machine?

I have no background in agriculture and sewage processing.  I have spent about 60 hours reading about hydroponics, methane digesters and living machines.  I plan on attending the OAI workshop titled "An Introduction to Living Machines for Biological Design" this July.  Until then can you suggest reading material that will help me to understand the important basics, such as; what nutrients plants need, how much is too much, and what is contained in the sewage being processed.  Also what ever else will be necessary to fully grasp the concepts presented in the workshop.  I am sure you could recommend hundreds or thousands of books and papers, but please keep in mind I have only about 10 to 20 hours a week for study.

Thanks,
Michael Skowronski