A Scientific Perspective on Composting

What is Compost? Compost is sometimes called " black gold, " and has long been considered a gardener's best friend. Compost is the product resulting from the controlled biological decomposition of organic material that has been sanitized through the generation of heat and stabilized to the point that it is beneficial to plant growth. Compost bears little physical resemblance to the raw material from which it originated. Compost is an organic matter resource that has the unique ability to improve the chemical, physical, and biological characteristics of soils or growing media. It contains plant nutrients but is typically not characterizedas a fertilizer. How is Compost Produced? Compost is produced through the activity of aerobic (oxygenrequiring) microorganisms. These microbes require oxygen, moisture, and food in order to grow and multiply. When these factors are maintained at optimal levels, the natural decomposition process is greatly accelerated. The microbes generate heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide as they transform raw materials into a stable soil conditioner. Active composting is typically characterized by a high-temperature phase that sanitizes the product and allows a high rate of decomposition, followed by a lower-temperature phase that allows the product to stabilize while still decomposing at a lower rate. Compost can be produced from many " feedstocks " (the raw organic materials, such as leaves, manures or food scraps). State and federal regulations exist to ensure that only safe and environmentally beneficial composts are marketed.Compost can be made in a number of ways, from simply piling up old plant material, to using complicated plastic bins. Basically, plant waste + moisture + warmth + air + microorganisms + time = compost.

International Journal of Biological Research, 2016

Composting is one of the important and economical method of recycling organic waste. Composting process involve a number of microbes. Composting have several benefits, it improves manure handling , possible saleable product , improves land application, weed seed and pathogen destruction by high temperature in compost pile, minimum risk of different pollution problems, perfect soil conditioner. Composting is a process in which biological breakdown of organic waste under different controlled conditions takes place.

Sustainability, 2020

Composting is the controlled conversion of degradable organic products and wastes into stable products with the aid of microorganisms. Composting is a long-used technology, though it has some shortcomings that have reduced its extensive usage and efficiency. The shortcomings include pathogen detection, low nutrient status, long duration of composting, long mineralization duration, and odor production. These challenges have publicized the use of chemical fertilizers produced through the Haber–Bosch process as an alternative to compost over time. Chemical fertilizers make nutrients readily available to plants, but their disadvantages outweigh their advantages. For example, chemical fertilizers contribute to greenhouse effects, environmental pollution, death of soil organisms and marine inhabitants, ozone layer depletion, and human diseases. These have resulted in farmers reverting to the application of composts as a means of restoring soil fertility. Composting is a fundamental proces...

Ecology, Environment and Conservation, 2024

Composting is a technological waste management method in which organic material is broken down and stabilized into a biodegradable mixture in the presence of aerobic microbial activities, ultimately becoming compost. The breakdown of organic matter has garnered significant interest recently owing to its ecofriendly approaches that prevent further pollution of the environment. The process of breaking down of organic matter into carbon dioxide, heat, water, humus, and compost, a rather stable end organic product is facilitated by microorganisms such bacteria, fungus, and actinomycetes. Microorganisms break down the intricate lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose molecules during the composting process. The content of composite mixtures and temperature fluctuations throughout the composting process have an impact on the existence of various microorganisms. The temperature rises at the start of compression due to a large increase in microbial activity. The fungi that are most active during the compost maturation process take over from the initial dominance of bacteria. The most significant variables affecting the success of decomposition are the C/N ratio, temperature, humidity, particle size of the substrate, pH, oxygen content, and microorganisms. The final stable product, known as compost, is a sustainable fertilizer and soil improver that contains humified fraction similar to humus. It may be used to increase the efficacy of fertilizers, improve the physico-chemical features of the soil, and encourage crop growth. Humic materials enhance soils with minerals that are essential to plant growth, including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen. Additionally, composting, which recycles byproducts and is based on the circular economy model, is a clever and sustainable way to lessen the harmful environmental effects associated with waste management.

2009

Half of the quantity of waste products produced by the households is made of food remainders, vegetable and garden remainders and more of 50% of waste products are organic and they arrive in waste products storehouses, in cesspools or are burned, causing an important pollution. As an alternative to those, we can transform the organic material through a set of microbial, biochemical, chemical and physical processes into a valuable material with a humus appearance, named compost. To obtain a quality compost we need to lead the compost process, in accordance with the dimension, the humidity, the structure and the composition of residual materials, that these to be fast and efficient available to the microorganisms, making up an ideal substratum rich in nutrients for their development. The decomposition agents (bacterium, fungous, mites, Collembola, wooden lice, worms, diplopoda) need the azote to build the cells and some food remainders, ripped grass and green leaves. The chips of wood...

2016

• The use of compost in organic farming systems matches with the principles of ecology, and the efforts to reduce inputs by reuse and recycling of materials and energy. • In order to enhance the level of resilience, including the self-regulating capacity of the farming system, management strategies should foster high levels of biodiversity. • The application of compost can support soil ecosystem resilience by enhancing organic matter storage and transformation, nutrient storage and mineralization, and by improving aggregate stability leading to improved soil structure, water transport, water holding capacity and disease suppressiveness. • In order to decide the type and amount of organic amendment, a soil assessment can be helpful to identify the areas in which the soil, soil organisms and crops should be supported most.

2019

This paper discusses the composting process as one of the methods of biodegradable waste management. It presents the fundamentals of the composting process, an overview of raw materials for composting, the basic characteristics of composting products, as well as an example of composting within the public utility company “Mediana” from Niš.

Organic Agriculture, 2017

Economic growth and rising food consumption in the world have led to increased production of organic wastes due to an important intensification of the agricultural production systems. The analysis of macro elements (nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], and potassium [K]) in organic wastes reveals that the economic loss is significant with the intensification of the agricultural system. The good management of those wastes would be an effective means of organic matter restoration through carbon restitution to the depleted soils through organic amendments. Composting is a type of waste processing that has gained increasing acceptance over the years. As a rule, the process consists of the natural biological decomposition of organic waste components and involves diverse species of microorganisms. Those organic residues could reconstitute soils and be an important fertilization backup. Composts prepared from different organic wastes differ in their quality and stability, which further depends upon the composition of raw material used for the compost production. Compost quality is closely related to its stability and maturity. The wide variety of chemical and biological variations that occur during composting, and the range of methods suggested in literature, has made it difficult to agree on methods for the practical assessment of maturity. A literature review of the main start-up, monitoring and maturity parameters are discussed concerning different raw materials used and different composting methods practiced.

2016

• The management of the composting process depends on the periodical control of temperature, moisture content and oxygen concentration. • The determination of the quantities of ammonium (NH 4-N), nitrite (NO 2-N) and nitrate (NO 3-N) in the compost allows the evaluation of its maturity, the quality of the composting process and of the storage of the product, and the risk of N immobilization or release in the soil. • Plant phytotoxicity tests can assess the maturity and the quality of the produced compost. • The choice of the appropriate compost, application strategy and use, should be guided by analyses of pHvalue, salinity, intensity of colour extract and nutrient content. As described in chapter 2, there are various composting methods as well as a range of compost types. However, the biological process, described in chapter 3, is similar and independent of the technology used. Hence, the relevant parameters that allow the control of the composting process and the quality of the produced compost are basically similar for all systems. These parameters are important, in combination with a few others, for the determination of the quality of the composts produced and the selection of the right compost for the defined application. It is also important to produce a protocol for the process. 4.1 Production control measures 4.1.1 Temperature Due to the very intensive microbiological activity at the beginning of the composting process, the temperature in the windrow increases up to 60°C or more (Figure 4.1). After some time, the temperature decreases again and the composting process goes from the decomposition phase (Figure 4.1, yellow part) to the maturation phase (Figure 4.1, white part).