ISHS Acta Horticulturae 549: International Symposium on Composting of Organic Matter
COMPOSTING OF SOURCE SEPARATED MSW: AN APPROACH TO RESPIROMETRIC TECHNIQUES AND BIODEGRADATION KINETICS |
| Authors: | K.E. Lasaridi, E.I. Stentiford |
| Keywords: | respiration, stability, maturity, biowaste, SOUR, temperature profile, compost |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.549.8 |
| Abstract:
Windrow composting of source separated MSW was monitored using simple parameters (temperature, moisture and organic matter content) while compost stability was assessed via respirometric techniques. The temperature of the pile was monitored 3-4 times per week at 28 points along the cross section of the pile, to monitor the temperature profile changes during processing. The pile was turned at weekly intervals resulting in high core temperatures (up to 74 °C). Temperature profiles were typical for windrow composting. Moisture content and volatile solids variations were also typical for the type of substrate and the process used. Compost stability may be assessed through respirometry, as microbial activity is assumed to be proportional to the amount of the remaining biodegradable organic matter. A novel respirometric technique for measuring stability, the SOUR test (Specific Oxygen Uptake Rate) was developed, which measures the respiration rate of an aqueous compost suspension at 30 °C using a standard dissolved oxygen probe. The SOUR value gradually dropped from 56 mg O2/g VS/hr for the raw compost (1-week old) to 3 mg O2/g VS/hr for the 5-week old compost. The SOUR values of mature composts (>2 months of maturation) were lower than 2 mg O2/g VS/hr. | |
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