Composting is nature's way of recycling organic waste into valuable fertiliser. It is a natural biological process in which microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi break down organic matter. Composting is an easy process but needs to be well controlled to optimise the compost quality and to avoid undesirable odours or germs and loss of nutrients. An optimal composting process will also reduce the volume and weight of organic waste significantly as the composting process converts much of the biodegradable component to gaseous carbon dioxide.
Further Authors:
X. Martínez-Farré - ESAB-DEAB, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya
The effectiveness of the composting process is dependent upon the environmental conditions present within the composting system, i.e., oxygen, temperature, moisture, material disturbance, organic matter and the size and activity of microbial populations. Among all the parameters, moisture and temperature are very helpful in process management. The content of water is given in order to allow microbial development, but always keeping aerobic conditions. Temperature is a consequence of the activity of these microorganisms that allows to higienisation of the material limiting the presence of pathogens and weed seeds. While the main biological and chemical parameters affecting the composting process are well known, the technological solutions available for monitoring and controlling the process are very limited. Temperature and moisture in the core of the material that is being composted are currently only measured from time to time and in a number of very limited points. Moreover, temperature is usually manually measured by inserting a probe, and the moisture is measured by extracting samples that need to be analysed in a laboratory. There is a clear need to provide composting operators with improved process control technology, especially in view of increasingly stringent and evolving regulations. Such regulations, along with market demands for high quality, stable and safe composting are clear drivers for bridging the current gaps in compost monitoring and control technology. The 3-year research COMPOBALL project (www.sensoball.eu) entitled Novel on-line composting monitoring system with grant agreement 243625 is funded by the European Commission and brings together 16 partners from 9 European countries. The aim is to develop a novel on-line wireless system for the measurement of temperature and humidity at various points in the composting material and to bring affordable wireless composting-sensors to the European composting industry.
Copyright: | © European Compost Network ECN e.V. | |
Quelle: | Orbit 2012 (Juni 2012) | |
Seiten: | 6 | |
Preis inkl. MwSt.: | € 6,00 | |
Autor: | Ing Horst Müller Marga López | |
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Umweltbildung mit #wirfuerbio
© Witzenhausen-Institut für Abfall, Umwelt und Energie GmbH (4/2023)
#wirfuerbio ist die bundesweite Kampagne der kommunalen Abfallwirtschaft zur Reduzierung von Störstoffen im Bioabfall. Mit einer starken Bandbreite unterschiedlicher crossmedialer Kommunikationsmittel und Maßnahmen verändert sich das Verhalten der Biotonnenbenutzer. Die Störstoffquote sinkt um mehr als 50 Prozent. Die Kampagne weist einen neuen Weg in der Umweltbildung. Mit der Abfallbox und der SpieleApp „#wirfuerbio das Sortierspiel“ wird Kreislaufwirtschaft in Form von Spaß und Spiel erlebbar. Der Beitrag zeigt, wie Abfallbox und Spiele-App didaktisch funktionieren und ein Bewusstsein für Kreislaufwirtschaft und Mülltrennung entwickeln.
Feldversuche zum Abbauverhalten von kompostierbaren Vorsammelhilfen in der technischen Kompostierung
© Witzenhausen-Institut für Abfall, Umwelt und Energie GmbH (4/2023)
Kompostierbare Vorsammelhilfen (zertifiziert nach EN 13432 und „OK Compost Home“) wurden zwei Versuchsmieten in „realitätsnahen“ Mengen zugesetzt, wobei eine theoretische Befüllung von 1 bis 1,2 kg Bioabfall pro Vorsammelhilfe erreicht wurde. Die Vorsammelhilfen fragmentierten bereits in den ersten beiden Rottewochen und verschwanden zwischen der zweiten und der vierten Woche in der Fraktion > 10 mm vollständig. Geringe Partikelanzahlen vom Typ der untersuchten Vorsammelhilfen konnten in der Fraktion 0,63 bis 0,2 mm in der Anlage 1 nach neun Wochen und in Anlage 2 nach zwölf Wochen nachgewiesen werden, wodurch gezeigt werden konnte, dass die untersuchten Vorsammelhilfen während der ordnungsgemäßen Kompostierung kaum zu Mikrokunststoffen fragmentiert.
Development of local municipal solid waste management in the Western Transdanubia region of Hungary
© Lehrstuhl für Abfallverwertungstechnik und Abfallwirtschaft der Montanuniversität Leoben (11/2020)
Hungarian municipal solid wastes (MSW) management has developed tremendously over the past 15 years. More than 3,000 landfills and dumps had been closed, just to mention one improvement. However, still, lots of work is necessary to accomplish the EU’s ambitious aim of decreasing landfilling and increasing recycling and composting.
Compost-like material or thermal valorization – impact on MBT Plant economics and environmental aspects – Case studies in Portugal and UK
© Wasteconsult International (5/2015)
The paper focuses on the utilisation of the solid product from the biological Treatment stages of three MBT Plants which treat the organic fraction of MSW by means of wet mechanical pre-treatment units followed by anaerobic digestion. The experiences of two MBT Plants in Portugal (CVO Valorlis and CVO Suldouro) which produce compost-like material are contrasted with the experiences at the MBT Bredbury Parkway (UK) which, by drying the digested solids, produces a RDF with low calorific value for further use in thermal valorisation. The impact of these two different approaches on the operating costs for the treatment of the digested solids as well as the environmental aspects for both valorization paths is discussed.
Post-treatment of Composting Leachate by Photocatalytic Process
© Wasteconsult International (5/2015)
In this study the capability of UV-ZnO photocatalytic process as a post Treatment method for composting leachate was examined at laboratory scale and in batch mode. The effect of some factors such as initial pH, oxidant concentration, light intensity and reaction time on the removal of organic load and color of leachate were investigated. Biological pre-treated leachate samples were collected from the effluent of leachate treatment facility of a composting plant in north of Iran. A Plexiglas column with 110 mm inner diameter and 300 mm height were used to conduct experiments. UVC lamps with different power levels in the range of 8-40W at the centre of the column were used as the source of irradiation. Based on the results of experiments, after 180 minutes of Radiation with 32W UVC lamps in pH 11 and in the presence of 1g.L-1 of slurry ZnO, maximum COD and color removal were achieved to be 57% and 67%, respectively.