Effect of active and passive aeration on composting of household biodegradable wastes: a decentralized approach

Abstract

Purpose Present work aims at studying the influence of active (using external aerator) and passive (natural) aeration on composting of household biodegradable wastes. Methods To study the suitability of these reactors to household conditions, continuous loading was carried out for a period of 60 days. Both the reactors were loaded with cooked as well as raw vegetable and fruit waste. Physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, pH, C/N ratio, moisture content, total organic content, Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen and seed-germination parameters such as Germination Index (GI) and Root Length Index (RLI) of the mulch were analyzed at different stages of the composting process. Results Results confirmed that, although both types of aeration seem to have performed well under continuous loading, the maturation period required for actively aerated reactor was 37.30% lesser than that of naturally aerated reactor. Conclusion Active aeration found to be more suitable to household conditions as odor and fly nuisance was relatively less.

Repercussions of COVID-19 pandemic on municipal solid waste management: Challenges and opportunities

“…Moreover, decentralized approach can be implemented for select types of wastes at reduced investment and operating cost. Finally, the approach is easily adaptable to the existing waste management practices (Bhave and Kulkarni, 2019). Integration of different approaches for solid waste management optimizes the existing systems and implements new waste management systems.…”

Management of Solid Medical Waste on One of the Covid19 Referral Hospitals in Surabaya, East Java

“…it has the potential as a place of livelihood such as a scavenger. A waste needed special attention which was prioritized by immediate action from the authorities, as it had been identified as one of the three main sources of environmental degradation in Asian countries by the World Bank (19). Solid waste management that was decentralized in a system area and formed as an effort to provide a livable and hygienic environment (20).…”

Decentralized Processing Performance of Fruit and Vegetable Waste Discarded from Retail, Using an Automated Thermophilic Composting Technology

“…Composting is an aerobic, microorganism-mediated fermentation process, performed particularly for the solid fraction, used to transform organic materials into more stable compounds. The product obtained following processing is the compost, a highly valuable product for agriculture use, since it can improve a soil's physical, chemical, and microbiological qualities [13,14]. A more efficient technique for processing organic waste in order to obtain qualitative compost is the thermophilic composting in enclosed systems, using specially designed bioreactors.…”

“…A study that assessed the effects produced by active and passive aeration on composting household biodegradable wastes, in a decentralized approach [13], found that active aeration is the most effective approach for residential organic waste treatment especially for reducing the unpleasant odors and obtaining financial savings by reducing processing time. Other research studies have approached the effect produced by the intermittent rotation with natural aeration for enclosed bioreactors [38][39][40], or the combined continuous aeration accompanied by rotary mixing process for reducing the active period [15] for mixtures of fruits, vegetables, and chicken manure.…”