Capstone Composting Paper

Composting Systems
Ben Wittrock
ETS 468
Dr. Mitch Bender
3/6/14
There are numerous ways of composting to reduce the amount of organic waste in the
environment that would normally go to waste. Since the natural process is for biological decomposition,
environmentally concerned people can conduct different forms of composting on their own properties.
Depending on the scale of composting, there may be regulations and requirements that need to be met
as well as benefits and problems that can arise from the preferred choice of decomposition. Aerated
static piles, windrows, and in-vessel are all forms of composting that can benefit the environment and
encourage proper disposal of all organic waste. To create environmental sustainability it is imperative
to prevent pollution by commitment to resources like composting.
One method of utilizing organic waste is aerated static pile composting. All the organic waste is
mixed together and stored in large piles, about 5 to 8 feet high. Some composters use individual piles
while others have extended piles. The aeration pipes are run lengthwise beneath the piles with a
porous base of chopped straw or wood chips, with wood chips being the optimal agent. The raw organic
material is layered over this. Then the piles are usually covered with a layer of cured compost, which is
mostly for insulation; they have even experimented with using tires that have been shredded as an
alternative cover layer. When the compost goes through the screening process, the tire mixture is
recovered and pulled out to be recycled through the next pile process. As the pile heats up, aeration is
used to control optimal decomposition. Oxygen, moisture, and temperature must be closely monitored
to provide the right conditions for microorganisms to maintain constant decomposing. Temperatures
need to be high enough to destroy pathogens but not the microorganisms. The compost needs to be
moist but not wet.
The controlled air flow is then either drawn through a suction method or pushed through a
pressure system. The advantage of using the suction over the pressure method is controlling the odor
problems. To control the odor problems, pressure aeration composters use a thicker layer on the
outside of the pile. Typically the pressure aeration method is more desirable than the suction because
of better airflow which results in more effective temperature control of the piles. This compost product
is humus-like and stores evenly spread out in piles. Some concerns of this form of composting were the
weights and volumes of the materials that flow through the composting facility.
Since aerated static piles are not turned over repeatedly like windrows, it is hard for it to be
physically broke down into compost material. This form is used for composting feed-stocks or bio-solids
of similar consistency to make them more effective. Some facilities use this form of composting as a
second phase for the finished curing after larger particles have been removed from the waste. The main
disadvantage of using the aerated static piles is the slow process of material break down due to the lack
of agitation.
Aerated static piles can produce a high quality compost product in less than a month. To get
that product it may require higher capital costs and may use more resources than windrow composting.
The downside of using aerated static is dealing with clogged pipes that need maintenance. There will
also be expenses incurred related with trucks hauling and expensive disposal fees for operation.
Another form of organic composting is using the windrow system. This form of composting
consists of piles of crop residue or animals wastes (such as manure) and putting them into long rows
which are then turned over at regular intervals. This form of composting necessitates a large area of
land to work efficiently since it requires equipment large enough to be able to turn over the windrows.
This process of turning the windrows over allows micro-organisms to transform the organic waste into
compost. The composting period for this process to be completed is 8 to 20 weeks depending on the
dimensions of the windrows with a total of 6 to 12 months for the finished product.
For small farmers, the front-end loader is the machine of choice to turn the windrows. This is a
slow and labor intensive process. The disadvantage of turning the windrows this way is the material
isnt mixed very well and it doesnt offer a speedy process in the mechanical breakdown. There also
needs to be alley-ways between the windrows for the large equipment to reach the compost area. Air
helps with the composting but once the windrow has been turned, it turns back to an anaerobic state
after 30 to 60 minutes. As oxygen levels in the pile begin to drop, it favors organisms that can thrive in
an environment without oxygen so therefore it isnt a consistent breakdown and requires constant
attention with rotating turn-overs to get a desirable product.
One of the disadvantages of this form of composting is the odor such as ammonia and hydrogen
sulfide. Another drawback is the leachate that escapes during the composting process. This leachate
can contaminate surface and ground water with all the excess nitrogen in it. Some compost facilities try
to control this by using concrete pads to catch the leachate runoff before it leaves the pad.
Unfortunately, the diesel fuel that is used to run the necessary equipment to create and turn the
windrows also adds to the greenhouse gas emissions. Farmers have used windrows as a preferred
choice of composting for many years because of past experience with it and its competitive price.
Excessive moisture can slow down the composting time and makes it less productive to achieve the final
product.

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Composting Systems

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