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Chapter 4
Chapter 4
COMPOSTING
Chapter four
Composting of Municipal Waste
• Definition
Definition
strict sense
“Composting is the biological decomposition
of biodegradable solid waste under controlled
predominantly aerobic conditions to a state
that is sufficiently stable for nuisance-free
storage and handling and is satisfactorily
matured for safe use in agriculture”.
An “ecological definition” is as follows:
“Composting is a decomposition process in
which the substrate is progressively broken
down by a succession of populations of
living organisms. The breakdown products of
one serve as the substrate for the succeeding
population. The succession is initiated by
way of the breakdown of the complex
molecules in the raw substrate to simpler
forms by microbes indigenous to the
substrate”.
Up to 70 percent of the municipal solid waste
stream is organic material.
Yard trimmings alone constitute 20 percent
of municipal solid waste stream.
Composting organic materials can
significantly reduce waste stream volume and
offers economic advantages for communities
when the costs of other options are high.
What is Compost?
Decomposed organic material
Composting
Composting is the transformation of organic material
(plant matter) through decomposition into a soil-like
material called compost.
Naturally
What is composting?
Using the natural process of decay to
change organic wastes into a valuable
humus-like material called compost
Grass clippings
Compost
Food scraps
Leaves
Composting -
Speeding up the natural decay process
• Decomposers – simple
organisms such as
bacteria or fungi that
break down dead
organisms and waste and
returns important
nutrients to the
MOST of the energy in a
compost bins is converted environment.
into HEAT Energy!
Composting Microbes
Bacteria – primary decomposer; they generate the
heat; many types involved in composting
Thermophilic bacteria active at 35oC to 50o C
(the fast decomposers)
Mesophilic bacteria active at 20 oC to 30 oC
Actinomycetes – not as efficient as bacteria, prefer
woody materials, active at mesophilic temperatures
• Adding ingredients
• Maintaining proper temperature
• Turning
• Maintaining moisture
• Harvesting
Compost Can Be Used To:
Add Beneficial Organisms
Add Nutrients
Help Sandy Soil Hold Moisture
Loosen Heavy Clay Soils
Make Potting Soil
Mulch
• stages as mulch
– Keeps weeds from growing
– Helps retain moisture
– Beneficial minerals go into soil
• Later stages for soil amending
– Enriches soil
– Helps with moisture retention
• Removes/reduce Early s need for
chemical fertilizers that leach into our
ground water
When is compost finished?
Compost is mature when
• The color is dark brown
• It is crumbly, loose,
and humus-like
• It has an earthy smell
• The pile has shrunk to
about 1/3 of its original
volume
Composting stages
Turned (agitated)type
Windrow systems utilize a turning machine or similar equipment to
turn piles, introduce oxygen to the middle of the piles and bring
uncomposted material into the microbiologically active center.
Forced aerarion (static pile) type
Aerated static pile systems use blowers to force air through static
piles in order to ensure sufficient oxygen levels to maintain microbial
activity and drive out excess heat
Combined turned and forced aeration type
Turned windrow aeration
Turning is accomplished by tearing down and then reconstructing the
windrow either in its original position or immediately adjacent or
somewhat removed from its prior position.
oxygen supply,
resulting mixing renews microbial access to the nutrients and disperses
metabolic intermediates.
Cooling effect of turning used for lowering a pile temperature that has
Advantages
Can be operated with range of basic to specialized equipment
Is flexible enough to handle wide range of materials
Assists decomposition by re-mixing materials
Allows adjustment of mixture during composting
Regulatory process for disinfection
Disadvantages
Oxygen sensing device activate the blowers when the oxygen drops
below a predetermined level
Direction of airflow: may or may not be reversed during process
-Air is initially sucked through the windrow and passed through an
emmision filter for odor control
-Airflow is reversed during the maturing and curing phases
Passively Aerated Windrow (continued)
Advantages
Reduces labor/equipment inputs
Reduces moisture loss and water need
Relatively low potential for odor
Low capital & operating cost
Disadvantages
Requires longer time and relatively large area
Increases time to build windrow
Limits ability to adjust mixture
Does not physically break & mix material
Not a regulatory process for disinfection
In-vessel systems
In vessel composting accomplished inside an enclosed container or
vessel.
The method of aerating the composting mass are:
Plug flow( forced) – relationship between particles in the composting
mass stays the same throughout the process, and the system operates
on a first-in, first-out principle
Agitation (dynamic) – the composting material is mixed
mechanically during the processing
Mechanical systems are designed to minimize odors and process time
by controlling environmental conditions like air flow, temperature and
oxygen concentration.
Advantages of in vessel systems are;
process and odor control
faster throughput
lower labor costs
small area requirement.
Vertical Plug-flow reactor
Shortcoming- difficulty of
adequately aerating the contents
throughout the column
These ranges are defined by the types of microorganisms that dominate the
pile during those temperatures.
If the temperature becomes too high, the enzymes responsible for the
breakdown denature and become non functional so that the micro-organisms
cannot get the nutrition they need to survive.
Elevated temperature may not be lethal for all micro-organisms, but may
affect their efficiency and further contribute to the decrease in microbial
activity.
As microbial activity decreases, more heat is lost from the pile than is
generated, and the pile begins to cool.
The compost pile remains in the thermophilic range from 10 to 60 days,
depending on the operation.
Once the temperature decreases to below 105 degrees Fahrenheit, the
curing period may begin or the pile may be aerated to reactivate active
composting.
Curing is marked by a lower level of microbial activity and is responsible
for stabilizing the products result in from active composting period.
Stabilization includes:-
further decomposition of organic acids and decay resistant
compounds,
the formation of humic compounds,
the formation of nitrate-nitrogen.
B) C:N ratio
The relative amounts of carbon and nitrogen present have the
greatest effect on the composting process and so are used
as the primary indicators of nutrient content.
Carbon is used both as a source of energy and for growth
of microbes.
In aerobic decomposition, part of the carbon is released as
CO2 while the rest is combined with nitrogen for microbial
growth.
As a result, the carbon content of a compost pile is
continuously decreasing.
Nitrogen is used for the synthesis of cellular material, amino
acids, and proteins and is continuously recycled through the
cellular material of the micro-organisms.
Any nitrogen that is incorporated into the cells becomes
available again when the micro-organism dies.
Because a large part of the carbon is continuously released
while the majority of the nitrogen is recycled, the C:N ratio
decreases over the composting period.
If, the system experiences large nitrogen losses, the C:N ratio
can increase.
Proper Carbon to Nitrogen (C:N) ratio is
necessary to optimize composting conditions
C:N = 30:1 to 40:1 is optimum for
composting
If C:N < 20:1, odors occur and nutrients may
be lost
If C:N > 40:1, composting process slows
down
C) Oxygen
Oxygen is necessary for the survival of
aerobic microorganisms.
If sufficient oxygen is not provided to sustain
actions:
Windrow turning
Moisture adjustment
Correcting problem
When composting is complete
Measure temperatures at
least 2x weekly at various
depths (e.g., 1 & 3 ft) at
least every 75 feet along
the windrow
Moisture Monitoring
turning
Shape pile to minimize infiltration
Windrow Shapes to Control Rain Infiltration
Oxygen and Pore Space Monitoring
too large
If odors from turning are unavoidable, turn
or evening
Understand basic principles of atmospheric
dispersion
Monitoring and Recordkeeping
Ambient conditions : Daily
Precipitation, high temperature, sky
conditions (wind speed & direction if
necessary)
Odor conditions: Daily
Windrow Temperature: 2x weekly
Windrow Moisture: 1x weekly
Fire Prevention
Well-managed compost windrows will not
spontaneously ignite
Fire is a possibility if moisture is <40%, piles
The space between two individually aerated piles is about (6.1 m).
D. Total Area of Pad.
is the sum of the area required for the
windrows plus that needed for maneuvering
the material (e.g., constructing windrows, turning the
composting mass, water trucks, force aeration
equipment,etc.).
Leaves with a C/N= 50 is to be blended with
a waste activated sludge from a WWT plant
with a C/N ratio of 6.3. Determine the
portion of the activated sludge to be added to
1 kg of leaves to achieve a C/N ratio of 25
Assume