Might be the forced aeration an alternative to improve the efficiency of composting and quality of fertilizer?

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of forced aeration and season on hatchery waste composting in static windrows with perforated walls. there were three well-defined thermophilic phases during composting, with the first occurring immediately after the formation of the windrows and the others occurring after turnovers at 50 and 70 days of composting. Aeration resulted in greater degradation (p<0.01) of volatile solids (VS), carbon (C), and lignin in the composting windrows during the summer up to 50 days of process, in comparison to no aeration piles. However, at 70 and 90 days of composting, the results were similar between aerated and nonaerated windrows. The greatest (p<0.01) degradation of nitrogen (N) occurred during the winter and in the absence of aeration (55.25%). Season influenced (p<0.05) the concentrations of humic acids, and they were higher in the compost generated during the summer than generated during the winter. The concentrations of Mg, Fe and Na were influenced by the season, with higher values (p<0.01) in the summer, however they were not affected by aeration. In the winter, aeration is recommended after 50 days of composting, whereas in summer, forced aeration is beneficial for N conservation and humic acid formation.