Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems

Kutsanedzie F.; Ofori V.; Diaba K. S.

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems

Kutsanedzie F., Ofori V., Diaba K. S.

Published in International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 3, Issue 4)

Received: 19 June 2015 Accepted: 2 July 2015 Published: 14 July 2015

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Abstract

Two composting systems: passive aerated system, horizontal-vertical system; active aerated system, turned windrow system was designed, constructed and studied for thirteen weeks to compare the maturity and safety of compost processed in them. Waste materials with the following percentage composition: river reed (75%), clay (10%), banana stalk / stem (5%), cow manure / dung (4%), rice chaff (4%), cocoa seed husk (1%), and poultry manure (1%) was processed in the two different systems. Compost materials were weekly sampled from top, bottom and mid portions of the compost masses in each of the systems and bulked to constitute a representative sample for the respective systems. From the weekly representative samples for the two systems, 5g subsamples were used for the determination of the germination index and microbial load for the compost masses. However temperature readings of the compost masses in both systems were recorded insitu daily at three different points using a long stem thermometer and the their respective averages used as the weekly readings for the systems. Temperature and the germination indices of composts processed in the two systems were used as parameters to assess the maturity; and the microbial load and its survival to assess the safety of the compost churned out. There were significant differences in the temperatures recorded in the two different systems during the composting period (p-value = 4.75 x 10-7, at α = 0.05). The total viable counts recorded in HV and TW ranged between 6.90 - 7.75logCFU/g of compost and 7.11–7.79logCFU/g of compost respectively which were significantly different (p-value = 0.027, at α = 0.05). The total fungi counts recorded in HV and T-W ranged between 1.11 – 2.32logCFU/g of compost and 1.68 - 2.40logCFU/g of compost respectively. Compost masses in all the systems had germination indices more than 150%.T-W had a higher rate of decomposition and maturity comparatively, hence a better composting system based on compost maturity. Penicillium spp. survived the process and it is known to produces mycotoxins which cause illnesses in humans. It is recommended that compost end-users, farmers, and producers use protectives and observe good hygiene in order to safeguard their health.

Published in	International Journal of Science, Technology and Society (Volume 3, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24
Page(s)	202-209
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Passive Aerated Systems, Active Aerated Systems, Germination Index, Maturity

References

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[2]	Collins, C.H. & Lyne, P.M. Microbiological Methods. 5th ed. Butterworth and Co, London,1983, pp.5, 89.
[3]	Composting Council of Canada. A Summary of Compost Standards in Canada. Available at: www.compost.org/ standard.html, 2008. (accessed on 31 May 2015).
[4]	Compost Microbiology and the Soil Food Web 2008. Available at: http://w ww.ciwmb.ca.gov /publications/Organics/, 2008 (accessed on 5 January 2015).
[5]	Cunha Queda, A.C., Vallini, G., Agnolucci, M., Coelho, C.A., Campos, L. & de Sousa, R.B. Microbiological and chemical characterization of composts at different levels of maturity, with evaluation of phytotoxicity and enzymatic activities. In:Insam, H., Riddech, N., Krammer, S. (Eds.), Microbiology of Composting. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg, pp. 345–355, 2002.
[6]	Epstein, E. The Science of composting. Technomic Publishing Company, Inc., Lancaster, PA, 1996.
[7]	Garcia, C., Hernandez, T., Costa, F. & Ayuso, M. Evaluation of the maturity of municipal waste compost using simple chemical parameters. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal, 23:1501–1512, 1992.
[8]	Hao, X.Y., Chang, C., Larney, F.J. & Travis, G.R. Green gas emissions during cattle feedlot manure composting. J. Environ. Qual., 30:376-386, 2001.
[9]	Hoitink, H.A., Stone, A.G., and Han, D.Y. 1997,Suppression of plant diseases by compost HortScience, 32:184 -187, 1997.
[10]	Hue, N.V. & Liu, J. Predicting compost stability. Compost Science and Utilization, 3:8–15, 1995.
[11]	Ikeda, K., Koyama, F. Takamuku, K. & Fukuda, N. The Efficiency of Germination Index Method as a Maturity Parameter for Livestock Faeces Composts. Bulletin of the Fukuoka Agricultural Research Center, 25: 135-139, 2006.
[12]	Inbar, Y., Chen, Y., and Hoitink, H.A. 1993, Science and engineering of composting: design, environmental, microbiological and utilization aspects, H.A.J.Hoitink and H. M. Keener (Eds.), Renaissance Publications, Worthington, OH, 669, 1993.
[13]	Lopez-Real, J. & Baptista, M. A preliminary comparative study of three manure composting systems and their influence on process parameters and methane emissions. Compost Sci. Util., 4:71-82, 1996.
[14]	Sherman, R. Large-scale organic materials composting. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. Available at: http://www.bae. ncsu.edu/bae/programs/extension/publicat/vermcompost/ag593 .pdf., 2005( accessed on 23 January 2015).
[15]	Strom, P.F. Effect of temperature on bacterial species diversity in thermophilic solid-waste composting. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 50(4): 899-905, 1985.
[16]	Sundberg, C. Improving Compost Process Efficiency by Controlling Aeration, Temperature and PH. Doctoral Thesis No.2005:103, Faculty of Natural Resources and Agriculture, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden, pp. 10,11,16-17, 2005
[17]	USDA. Composting. Part 637, National Engineering Handbook, NRCS, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., 2002.
[18]	Zucconi, F., Forte, M., Monaco, A. & De Bertoldi, M. Biological evaluation of compost maturity. BioCycle, 22: 27-29, 1981.

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Kutsanedzie F., Ofori V., Diaba K. S. (2015). Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 3(4), 202-209. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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ACS Style

Kutsanedzie F.; Ofori V.; Diaba K. S. Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2015, 3(4), 202-209. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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AMA Style

Kutsanedzie F., Ofori V., Diaba K. S. Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2015;3(4):202-209. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24,
  author = {Kutsanedzie F. and Ofori V. and Diaba K. S.},
  title = {Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {202-209},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  abstract = {Two composting systems: passive aerated system, horizontal-vertical system; active aerated system, turned windrow system was designed, constructed and studied for thirteen weeks to compare the maturity and safety of compost processed in them. Waste materials with the following percentage composition: river reed (75%), clay (10%), banana stalk / stem (5%), cow manure / dung (4%), rice chaff (4%), cocoa seed husk (1%), and poultry manure (1%) was processed in the two different systems. Compost materials were weekly sampled from top, bottom and mid portions of the compost masses in each of the systems and bulked to constitute a representative sample for the respective systems. From the weekly representative samples for the two systems, 5g subsamples were used for the determination of the germination index and microbial load for the compost masses. However temperature readings of the compost masses in both systems were recorded insitu daily at three different points using a long stem thermometer and the their respective averages used as the weekly readings for the systems. Temperature and the germination indices of composts processed in the two systems were used as parameters to assess the maturity; and the microbial load and its survival to assess the safety of the compost churned out. There were significant differences in the temperatures recorded in the two different systems during the composting period (p-value = 4.75 x 10-7, at α = 0.05). The total viable counts recorded in HV and TW ranged between 6.90 - 7.75logCFU/g of compost and 7.11–7.79logCFU/g of compost respectively which were significantly different (p-value = 0.027, at α = 0.05). The total fungi counts recorded in HV and T-W ranged between 1.11 – 2.32logCFU/g of compost and 1.68 - 2.40logCFU/g of compost respectively. Compost masses in all the systems had germination indices more than 150%.T-W had a higher rate of decomposition and maturity comparatively, hence a better composting system based on compost maturity. Penicillium spp. survived the process and it is known to produces mycotoxins which cause illnesses in humans. It is recommended that compost end-users, farmers, and producers use protectives and observe good hygiene in order to safeguard their health.},
 year = {2015}
}

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TY - JOUR
T1 - Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems
AU - Kutsanedzie F.
AU - Ofori V.
AU - Diaba K. S.
Y1 - 2015/07/14
PY - 2015
N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24
DO - 10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24
T2 - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JF - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
JO - International Journal of Science, Technology and Society
SP - 202
EP - 209
PB - Science Publishing Group
SN - 2330-7420
UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24
AB - Two composting systems: passive aerated system, horizontal-vertical system; active aerated system, turned windrow system was designed, constructed and studied for thirteen weeks to compare the maturity and safety of compost processed in them. Waste materials with the following percentage composition: river reed (75%), clay (10%), banana stalk / stem (5%), cow manure / dung (4%), rice chaff (4%), cocoa seed husk (1%), and poultry manure (1%) was processed in the two different systems. Compost materials were weekly sampled from top, bottom and mid portions of the compost masses in each of the systems and bulked to constitute a representative sample for the respective systems. From the weekly representative samples for the two systems, 5g subsamples were used for the determination of the germination index and microbial load for the compost masses. However temperature readings of the compost masses in both systems were recorded insitu daily at three different points using a long stem thermometer and the their respective averages used as the weekly readings for the systems. Temperature and the germination indices of composts processed in the two systems were used as parameters to assess the maturity; and the microbial load and its survival to assess the safety of the compost churned out. There were significant differences in the temperatures recorded in the two different systems during the composting period (p-value = 4.75 x 10-7, at α = 0.05). The total viable counts recorded in HV and TW ranged between 6.90 - 7.75logCFU/g of compost and 7.11–7.79logCFU/g of compost respectively which were significantly different (p-value = 0.027, at α = 0.05). The total fungi counts recorded in HV and T-W ranged between 1.11 – 2.32logCFU/g of compost and 1.68 - 2.40logCFU/g of compost respectively. Compost masses in all the systems had germination indices more than 150%.T-W had a higher rate of decomposition and maturity comparatively, hence a better composting system based on compost maturity. Penicillium spp. survived the process and it is known to produces mycotoxins which cause illnesses in humans. It is recommended that compost end-users, farmers, and producers use protectives and observe good hygiene in order to safeguard their health.
VL - 3
IS - 4
ER -

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Author Information

Kutsanedzie F.

Research and Innovation Department, Accra Polytechnic, Accra, Ghana
Ofori V.

Agricultural Engineering Department, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
Diaba K. S.

AgriculturalEngineering Department, Anglican University College of Technology, Sunyani, Ghana

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APA Style

Kutsanedzie F., Ofori V., Diaba K. S. (2015). Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. International Journal of Science, Technology and Society, 3(4), 202-209. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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ACS Style

Kutsanedzie F.; Ofori V.; Diaba K. S. Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. Int. J. Sci. Technol. Soc. 2015, 3(4), 202-209. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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AMA Style

Kutsanedzie F., Ofori V., Diaba K. S. Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems. Int J Sci Technol Soc. 2015;3(4):202-209. doi: 10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24

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@article{10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24,
  author = {Kutsanedzie F. and Ofori V. and Diaba K. S.},
  title = {Maturity and Safety of Compost Processed in HV and TW Composting Systems},
  journal = {International Journal of Science, Technology and Society},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {202-209},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijsts.20150304.24},
  abstract = {Two composting systems: passive aerated system, horizontal-vertical system; active aerated system, turned windrow system was designed, constructed and studied for thirteen weeks to compare the maturity and safety of compost processed in them. Waste materials with the following percentage composition: river reed (75%), clay (10%), banana stalk / stem (5%), cow manure / dung (4%), rice chaff (4%), cocoa seed husk (1%), and poultry manure (1%) was processed in the two different systems. Compost materials were weekly sampled from top, bottom and mid portions of the compost masses in each of the systems and bulked to constitute a representative sample for the respective systems. From the weekly representative samples for the two systems, 5g subsamples were used for the determination of the germination index and microbial load for the compost masses. However temperature readings of the compost masses in both systems were recorded insitu daily at three different points using a long stem thermometer and the their respective averages used as the weekly readings for the systems. Temperature and the germination indices of composts processed in the two systems were used as parameters to assess the maturity; and the microbial load and its survival to assess the safety of the compost churned out. There were significant differences in the temperatures recorded in the two different systems during the composting period (p-value = 4.75 x 10-7, at α = 0.05). The total viable counts recorded in HV and TW ranged between 6.90 - 7.75logCFU/g of compost and 7.11–7.79logCFU/g of compost respectively which were significantly different (p-value = 0.027, at α = 0.05). The total fungi counts recorded in HV and T-W ranged between 1.11 – 2.32logCFU/g of compost and 1.68 - 2.40logCFU/g of compost respectively. Compost masses in all the systems had germination indices more than 150%.T-W had a higher rate of decomposition and maturity comparatively, hence a better composting system based on compost maturity. Penicillium spp. survived the process and it is known to produces mycotoxins which cause illnesses in humans. It is recommended that compost end-users, farmers, and producers use protectives and observe good hygiene in order to safeguard their health.},
 year = {2015}
}

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