Food waste composting Objectives At the end of this experiment students should be able to: 1.

Carry out lab scale food waste composting. 2. Understand the factors influence composting process Introduction Composting (from the Latin compositum, meaning mixture) refers to a biodegradation process of a mixture of substrates carried out by a microbial community composed of various populations in aerobic conditions and in the solid state. The exothermic process produces energy in the form of heat, which results in an increase of the temperature in the mass. The composting process passes through the mesophilic (25-40C) phase, thermophilic (35-65C) and again the mesophilic at the end of the process. During composting there is a temporary release of phytotoxins (intermediary metabolites, ammonia etc.). At the end of the process, this phytotoxicity is completely overcome and the final product beneficial to plant growth. The composting process leads to the final production of carbon dioxide, water, minerals and stabilized organic matter (compost). The process starts with the oxidation of easily degradable organic matter. This first phase is called decomposition. The second phase, stabilization includes not only the mineralization of slowly degradable molecules, but also includes more complex processes such as the humification of lingocellulosic compounds. Substrates used for composting All organic materials, e.g. plant wastes or residues can be used in making compost. The materials include dry and wet materials. Dry Material: Little water content, with high carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio which decomposes slowly. e.g. Rice straw, sugarcane residues, banana leaves, rice husk, tree leaves. Wet Materials: high water content, with low C/N ratio which decomposes quickly. e.g. Chicken manure, animal manure, green manures, leaves of leguminous trees, grass clippings. The mixture used in compost usually is: 6 dry materials: 3 wet materials: 1 soil.

C:N Ratio All living organisms are made of large amounts of carbon (C) combined with small amounts of nitrogen (N). The balance of these elements in an organism is called the C/N ratio. This C : N ratio is an important factor determining how easily bacteria can decompose organic waste during the composting process. The microorganisms in compost use carbon (C) for energy and nitrogen (N) for protein synthesis. The proportions of these two elements used by the bacteria averages about 30 parts of carbon to 1 part of nitrogen. Given a steady diet of C : N at 30:1 ratio, bacteria can work on organic material very quickly.

Materials Food waste (all food waste except animal bone) Bulking material dry grass or sawdust Soil Polystyrene container (medium size) Thermometer Soil scoop Kitchen basket (medium size) Crucible Oven 105C CHNS analyzer Procedures 1. Prepare a composting bin (i.e plastic/polystyrene/Aluminum container). Make small holes around and the bin to allow sufficient aeration during composting. Make several holes at the bottom of the bin for leachate flowing. 2. Place 1 baskets of filtered wet waste into the bin. Add about 2 baskets dry waste and 1 scoop of soil into the bin. Mix the mixture with soil scoop. 3. Record the initial temperature of the mixture. 4. Take sample for initial moisture and C: N analysis. Moisture content is determined based on sample drying at about 103-105C until constant weight achieved. C and N elements are measured using CHNS analyzer. 5. Close the composting bin lid. 6. Monitor the composting process for about 3 weeks. Mix the materials daily for about 10-15 minutes to allow aeration. Record temperature profile each day and moisture content for every 3 days. Determine the C:N ratio each week and at the end of the composting process. 7. Discuss food waste composting process occurred throughout the experiment period. Use your data to explain the mespohpilic, thermophilic and maturity stages of composting.