ISHS Acta Horticulturae 549: International Symposium on Composting of Organic Matter
DIFFERENT METHODS FOR MEASURING COMPOST STABILITY AND MATURITY |
| Authors: | O. Reinikainen, M. Herranen |
| Keywords: | tunnel composting, growing trials, self-heating, FTIR |
| Abstract:
Composting is a microbiological process of great complexity. During composting the organic waste is biologically decomposed under controlled aerobic conditions. The process involves extensive microbiological, chemical and physical transformations of the organic matter. When discussing compost quality, stability and maturity are the characteristics most widely used. In the composting literature these terms are often used interchangeably. Numerous methods for evaluating compost stability and maturity have been introduced in the literature. So far there is no single, universally accepted method. It is likely that a combination of methods should be used, depending on the case. The purpose of this study was to find out the correlation between some of the most common methods used for the evaluation of compost stability and maturity with growing trials. Samples of tunnel-composted sewage sludge, biowaste and manure were analysed (pH, EC, water soluble nutrients, self-heating, O2 consumption, plant growth, infrared spectroscopy) and the results are discussed. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
