Composting 101 - Understanding An Aerobic Digestion Compost Facility

Composting is the process of turning waste materials, such as food waste and yard debris, into an all-natural fertilizer. By decomposing organic substances into simpler inorganic and chemical substances in a non-chemical process known as composting, this process recycles different organic materials otherwise considered as waste. Compost made from wastes containing probes, fungi, and bacteria is called composted material. A natural composting process yields an enriched compost with lots of micro-organisms, vital nutrients, and energy that can be converted into plant nutrients for your gardens or plants. High quality compost produced from organic wastes contains more energy and micro-organisms than that produced from fossil fuels.

The aerobic bacteria in composting decompose organic matter without being burned up. Anaerobic bacteria consume the organic materials, breaking them down into simpler compounds that the aerobic (oxygen-requiring) bacteria can consume. Aerobic bacteria feed on these materials, releasing the nutrients (carbon dioxide and water) that the soil needs to provide its microorganisms with what they need to decompose the materials and release the nitrogen and energy that these materials are composed of into the ground. This is why layers of compost are produced along the base of the compost pile.

For effective composting, certain conditions must be met. For most kinds of composting, open air temperatures are ideal because warm temperatures make it easier for the aerobic bacteria to decompose organic matter. Since hot composting creates heat, you should allow the composting process to finish at least one day before covering the compost in an additional layer of plastic, which will discourage insects from eating the compost. Since some pathogens can survive the high temperatures of composting, you may also want to consider raising the temperature of the composting area for a few hours after you have finished making it.

No matter which method you use for composting, you will not achieve the same results with traditional methods. Because you are adding soil, you are increasing the concentration of both carbon and nitrogen, both of which are necessary to aerobic composting, and which are very present in commercial fertilizers. However, you will not increase the total number of these two primary elements because you will not compost material with carbon-to-nitrogen ratios greater than about 2.5: one carbons for every nitrite atom in the soil. Because you add material that already has a nitrogen-to-carbon ratio, the final composting result will have a much higher nitrogen content than compost made with traditional methods. The end product from rapid composting will have a lower nitrogen content than compost made through traditional methods, but it will have a high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.

In addition to having a high nitrogen content, high-carbon materials also have a higher concentration of useful bacteria. As the plants break down the waste material, the bacteria decompose the organic matter by breaking it down into carbon-rich waste material, releasing the nitrogen and making it available for plant and animal life. This process releases energy, allowing your composting pile to produce more compost, or energy for your bio-system, and, in the form of "black dirt," the remaining residue will serve as a valuable resource for the bio-system. If you add manure, your composting pile will create a large supply of this useful fertilizer.

Soil that is not composted quickly loses most of its nutrients, which is why anaerobic digestion is favored over organic composting. A composting facility should be airtight and dark, and there should be at least two compartments separated by a thick layer of gravel. The compaction process should be fast - less than half an hour - so that the anaerobic bacteria to do their work as soon as the pile is turned over. This slow-cooking method produces a rich product ready for use by your plants, flowers and trees. An anaerobic digestion composting facility can be an extremely productive way to make compost quickly and easily, saving you time and money.