Influence Of Composting Process At Different Volume And Methods

To explore a cost-efficient, easy composting method for production of high-quality compost, soybean dregs and maize straw were mixed for composting treatment at different volume of materials and methods using simple wood fermentation tanks as the containers. Four experimental groups, straw group, sandwich one-time-release group, sandwich continuous-release group and mixture group, were designated to observe the fermentation process of raw materials in terms of physical, chemical and biological analyses in 3 months. Main conclusions reached include as follows: According to the analyzing results concerning electrical conductivity(EC), pH value and C/N ratio, three months will be enough for the materials in the straw group, sandwich one-time-release group and mixture group to become sufficiently mature as compost, whilst the materials in the sandwich continuous-release group need more than three months for sufficient fermentation._As concern the three experimental groups using soybean dregs, sandwich continuous-release group and mixture group demonstrated better fermentation property than that of sandwich one-time release. As a result, continuous release of the materials well ventilates materials in lower-lay of the fermentation tank and supplies water content. Meanwhile, mixture of maize straw and soybean dregs of different conformation generated pores inside the mixture that functioned to increase the water-retaining property and aeration of fermentation tanks.. As for the sandwich one-time release group, large-volume soybean dregs with high moisture content generate smaller pores that negatively affected the aeration condition and further influenced the fermentation process. However, in the sandwich continuous-release group, water in the soybean would volatilize during the pauses and the moisture content decrease considerably. The aeration condition would be improved to ensure the performance of fermentation. The pH values for the four experimental groups are relatively low. There is consequently, the possibility of acidification of materials caused by negative aeration condition and bad fermentation resulted from water deficiency. In conclusion, in processing organic compounds from companies which generally produce large-volume materials with high moisture content, fermentation treatment method of organic mixture of straw with good aeration condition is highly recommend. And sandwich continuous-release method should be adopted in processing organic compounds from common household that usually produce fixed-volume organic wastes. Pile-turning strategy should also be considered accordingly.