It is very interesting. They look pretty good from a carbon to nitrogen ratio standpoint. Most of the tables I looked at show them along with other nut shells at 35:1. Still considered a 'brown' but way closer to the 'green' side than most.

I would assume direct application to the soil would result in less nitrogen tie-up. It would also require a lower percentage of green for balance in a compost pile.

I read a guide that says to crush the shells and soak them in water for a day before composting. I guess that would help speed up the process. We have a couple local steakhouses here in Tulsa that offer buckets of free peanuts and you get to drop the shells on the floor. They must end up in a dumpster in some form or another -- but I don't have the nerve or will go to dumpster diving :)

those might be salted. One of the restaurants that does that here they are salted and one is not.

Seems there is a peanut processing outfit at Madill, that shows to have ground peanut hulls. I may give a call.

That Golden Peanut website is interesting. Who knew that peanut shells had so many uses. The ground peanut hulls are said to be a "flowable" product that can be used as a soil amendment and soil additive. Struck me as funny that they also offer peanut hull pellets that can be used as a biomass fuel.

I think the salted shells would be okay in small quantities. For larger batches, soaking them first would probably remove enough salt so it wouldn't be a problem, although I'm guessing...

You can buy a package of unsalted peanuts. I use peanut shells as mulch and compost. You can put the shells in a thick plastic bag or canvas bag and crush them with your heavy shoes on. I do this until I don't hear crunching sounds anymore. They decompose quicker that way.