Effect of Feeding Regime on Composting in Bins

Abstract

Composting in bins is one of the most practical home composting methods. There is currently a need for greater information to improve the management of the composting process and to create home composting programs which ensure sustainable production of high quality compost. This study investigates how two aspects of the bin feeding regimethe feeding frequency and the amount of waste applied at each feedinfluence the process's evolution and the quality of the compost. Compost bins were assayed after introducing the same amount of kitchen and garden waste according to three different frequencies: in a single batch, weekly or every three weeks. A fourth treatment was applied to calculate the potential waste reduction achieved by the composting process, filling the bins to the brim on a weekly basis. Temperature, mass and volume changes, the microbial diversity (by Biolog) and gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O and NH3) were all determined during the process. At the end of the experiment, all the composts were weighed and characterized. Results show that the main differences were very dependent on the quantity of waste provided. Large amounts of waste were added increasing the compost's temperature and maturity during the process, while slightly affecting the salinity and phytotoxicity of the final compost but without any clear effects on microbial diversity and gas emission. Therefore, from a technical point of view, the shared use of compost bins among several households (community composting) is preferable to individual use.

Inside the small-scale composting of kitchen and garden wastes: Thermal performance and stratification effect in vertical compost bins

“…The C: N ratio (TOC: TKN ratio, in this study) has also been considered as a reference to assess compost stability, and it could be relevant to understand changes in the composting process. However, it is currently a controversial parameter and requires being complemented with other variables and indicators in order to evaluate the stability of a compost, as it is done in this study (Adhikari et al, 2012c;Karnchanawong and Suriyanon, 2011;Storino et al, 2016aStorino et al, , 2016b. Despite this considerations, other authors and environmental authorities have suggested a C: N ratio between 10 and 20 for defining compost stabilization (Mazzarino et al, 2012;Papadopoulos et al, 2009).…”

“…This suggests the need to carefully consider temperature average values (i.e. instead of the absolute minimum ones) as a reliable parameter to predict pathogen eradication in these systems, since sanitization requirements could not be reached in every sector of the composting mass, as it was previously observed in other decentralized composting experiences (Abdullah et al, 2013;Adhikari et al, 2012aAdhikari et al, , 2012bBarrena et al, 2014;Storino et al, 2016aStorino et al, , 2016b.…”

“…For example, as an alternative to this standard, Storino et al (2016a and2016b), recalculated the number of thermophilic days (NTD) to consider the days that the temperature of the compost was higher than 45°C. Also, these authors calculated the thermophilic heat sum (THS) as the sum of the daily differences between the temperature reached by the compost and the thermophilic threshold temperature (45°C).…”

“…However, these parameters behaviour could be quite different in small-scale composting, and it has not been fully understood yet. Compost bins without a homogenization mechanism are the simplest, common and more promoted small-scale composting devices (Smith and Jasim, 2009;Storino et al, 2016aStorino et al, , 2016b. In these composters, the process usually starts when the first of various batches of organic waste is incorporated through an opening at top of the device, and it would end when the final product can be collected from a door usually placed in the bottom part of the composter.…”

Comparison between aerated static piles and vermicomposting in producing co-compost from rural organic wastes and cow manure

“…Conditions for piles containing 25% cow dung are slightly better than piles containing 100% organic wastes. Compost moisture content had an influence on the temperature during the composting process, especially during the later stages of monitoring when the external temperature was higher (Storino et al 2016). …”