Re: BIO COMPOSTING

 

 

Subject: BIO COMPOSTING

Composting
Introduction
Composting is a natural process by which bacteria and other micro organisms break down organic matter into simple nutrients in the presence or absence of air (oxygen). Where the composting takes place in the absence of air, the process is called anaerobic composting and where it takes place in the presence of air, it is called aerobic composting.
Composting (wherein elements conducive for the process of breaking down of the organic matter like air, moisture, micro fauna, etc. are introduced) has been identified as the most efficient way of converting municipal organic waste into manure, thereby recycling nature’s resource - nutrients. Aerobic composting is the most widely accepted way of composting organic wastes. This can be carried out in several ways and stages.

 

The aim of organic composting is two fold - that of breaking down the complex organic matter into a simpler and acceptable form for the plants to absorb, and that of improving the nutrient (NPK - Nitrogen, Potassium, Phosphorous) value of the organic matter to increase yield by the plants. Correspondingly, aerobic composting is ideally carried out in two stages. 
 

 

Stage 1: BREAKING DOWN OF ORGANIC MATTER THROUGH
1. Aerobic Composting
Aerobic composting is the process by which organic waste is converted into compost in the presence of air.  It is a simple method where vegetable waste and dead leaves are converted into manure.
Principle of aerobic composting
The aerobic bacteria helps in disintegrating the vegetable matter into smaller particles.  During aerobic composting the water content in the vegetable matter which is more than 75% gets removed.  Aerobic composting reduces the waste into nearly one tenth of its original volume.  It takes about 2 months to 1 year (depending on the volume of garbage) for the garbage to get completely converted into manure.

 

A few easy tips
• Select an empty space, in your compound or you can even use plastic buckets or tubs.
• Build up an enclosure using bricks in a honeycomb fashion if you are laying the pit in the open.
• Sprinkle some water at the bottom of the soil.
• Spread the waste inside the enclosure.
• Sprinkle hand fulls of loose earth to supply aerobic bacteria.
• Sprinkle some water to keep the bed moist.  But the bed must not be flooded with water.
• When the enclosure is filled upto a height of 2.5", start piling up the garbage in another enclosure.
• The compost will be in the colour of earth and can be directly used for the plants.

 

Points to remember
• Non vegetarian food should not be put in the compost pit.
• During monsoons keep the pit covered to avoid flooding. 
 

 

2. Microbial Innoculum
The segregated organic waste is loaded into the chamber and while loading it, bacterial innoculum is applied after every 6 inches of waste. This pit is watered lightly to maintain the moisture content. The second and the third innoculum are carried out on intervals of 5 days. The compost is ready in 15 days or less.
 
3.  Bio-dung / Windrow Composting
The organic waste is deposited in layers, with animal dung slurry being sprayed after each layer. This ensures adequate bacteria in the waste to initiate composting. After reaching the full height of 3 feet, the heap is sprayed with a substantial quantity of animal dung slurry and covered with a black polythene sheet. The polythene sheet is held in place by perforated hollow bamboo poles or even plastic pipes inserted into the windrow pile by piercing the polythene sheet at intervals. This sheet will trap the heat from the sun and increase the internal temperature to about 70 C. This high temperature kills all pathogens and seeds of unwanted weed plants, which would otherwise hinder the yield and even contaminate it.  The moisture from the waste condenses on the underside of the polythene sheet. During the night, with the cooling of the ambient temperature, the moisture drips into the heap. This cyclic movement of water also cycles the bacteria aiding in rapid composting. The perforated bamboo poles or plastic piles circulate air within the pile to aid in aerobic composting.
The volume of waste decreases to almost one third the initial volume after 15 days. This is then transferred to the vermibed, where it will undergo the second stage of value addition - Vermicomposting. 
 

 

Advantages of Bio-dung Composting over Microbial Innoculum
Both the above methods of composting are equally effective and make use of bacteria though in different forms. During the course of the project, it was realised that bacterial innoculum was in the locally and readily available animal (usually cow) dung slurry was more feasible and sustainable over the long run, rather than the specially developed bacterial innoculum.
Stage 2 - VERMICOMPOSTING
In this method, the broken-down waste is subjected to the action of earthworms. The pit/chamber is filled with layers of gravel, sand and soil bottom upwards and hundreds of local varieties of earthworms are introduced into the soil. Lumps of cow dung are placed on the soil and covered with a layer of hay. This vermibed is moistened everyday by sprinkling water over it. On the 31st day, biodung / bacterial innoculum compost is loaded into the pit, on which the already multiplied earthworms act for a period of 30 days to produce high quality manure. The resulting compost is very high in NPK content due to the presence of special enzymes in the worms.
Stage 3 - SIEVING & PACKING
The compost is then sieved, weighed and packed into bags for sale.
 
 
 
 
How long is the composting process? All biodegradable materials are naturally converted to compost by the microbes. The limitation of this process is the time duration. It takes several months while on average, aerobic bio composting ( stirring of waste periodically ) takes only 25-30 days to produce fully stabilized compost. Aerobic bio composting accelerates biodegradation and results in the higher temperatures necessary for pathogen destruction. Use of a biological product such as Earthlife Bio Great Compost Activator can greatly accelerate the composting process.
 
                           
Advantages of Bio composting
 
  Fast and simple Process
Highly Efficient and high yielding.
No odour, pests, rodents
Highly Decentralized - Can be implemented at the ward, sub ward, society and even individual household level.
Low capital investment
 
 
                           
Why Make Compost? Compost is one of nature's best mulches and soil amendments, and you can use it instead of commercial fertilizers. Best of all, compost is cheap. Using compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil's water-holding capacity. Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms.
 
                           
Most gardeners have long understood the value of this rich, dark, earthy material in improving the soil and creating a healthy environment for plants. Understanding how to make and use compost is in the public interest, as the problem of

 

waste disposal climbs toward a crisis level. Landfills are brimming, and new sites are not likely to be easily found. For this reason there is an interest in conserving existing landfill space and in developing alternative methods of dealing with waste. Don't throw away materials when you can use them to improve your lawn and garden! Start composting instead.
 
                           
We are required to deal creatively with our own waste, as one by one, municipalities shall start refusing to haul off our leaves and grass clippings. About one third of the space in landfills is taken up with organic waste from our yards and kitchens, just the type of material that can be used in compost. With a small investment in time, you can contribute to the solution to a community problem, while at the same time enriching the soil and improving the health of the plants on your property.
 
Using Compost: Finished compost is dark brown, crumbly, and is earthy-smelling. Small pieces of leaves or other ingredients may be visible. If the compost contains many materials which are not broken down, it is only partly decomposed. This product can be used as a mulch, but adding partly decomposed compost to the soil can reduce the amount of nitrogen available to the plants. The microorganisms will continue to do the work of decomposing, but will use

 

soil nitrogen for their own growth, restricting the nitrogen's availability to plants growing nearby. You may use Microbe Mineral, plant food to prevent such a situation. 
 

 

Allow partly decomposed compost particles to break down further or separate them out before using compost on growing plants. Or add extra nitrogen such as manure or Microbe Mineral, to ensure that growing plants will not suffer from a nitrogen deficiency.
 
 
Compost serves primarily as a soil conditioner, whether it's spread in a layer on the soil surface or is dug in. A garden soil regularly amended with compost is better able to hold air and water, drains more efficiently, and contains a nutrient reserve that plants can draw on. The amended soil also tends to produce plants with fewer insect and disease problems. The compost encourages a larger population of beneficial soil microorganisms, which control harmful microorganisms. It also fosters healthy plant growth, and healthy plants are better able to resist pests.
 
 
SPECIAL FEATURES OF COMPOST BIO-FERTILISER
 
 It improves soil structure and moisture retention capacity of soil.
It brings life into degraded unproductive lands rendering them fertile.
Presence of Nitrogen fixing bacteria like Azotobactor & Azospirillum improves soil quality.
Presence of natural pesticides like Actinomycetes improves soil stability and nutrition.
It is a rich source of humus forming substances, plant nutrients, trace elements and other growth-promotion substances.
Continuous usage of Compost has shown improvement in yield by over 15 to 25%.
Usage of compost has shown improvement of flavour, colour and taste in fruits and vegetables.
 
 
Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms : Vermicomposting, or worm composting, is different than traditional composting. Worm composting is a process that uses red earthworms, also commonly called redworms, to consume organic waste, producing castings (an odor-free compost product for use as mulch), soil conditioner, and topsoil additive. Naturally occurring organisms, such as bacteria and millipedes, also assist in the aerobic degradation of the organic material. Vermi composting is harder to maintain, much slower a process & produces compost lower in quality compared to compost prepared through bio-composting. 
 
ADVANTAGES OF BIO COMPOSTING OVER VERMICOMPOSTING
 
CHARACTERISTIC

 

 VERMICOMPOSTING
 SPIRO BIO-COMPOSTING
 
 
 CUMBERSOME
 VERY SIMPLE
 
Investment cost
 Very high
 Very low
 
Operational cost
 High
 Low
 
Process cycle time
 High (60 to 90 days)
 Low ( 21 to 30 days)
 
Foul odour
 Yes
 No odours at all
 
Mosquitoes, flies, rodents
 Yes
 No problem at all
 
High temperature stability
 No
 Yes
 
Manpower requirement
 Skilled
 Unskilled
 
Leachate, run-off water
 Very high
 Virtually zero
 
Pathogen elimination
 Questionable
 Proven