Assessment of composting processes in an automated aerobic fermentation system based on key parameters

Tamas Magyar; Rebecca Mayes; Peter Tamas Nagy

doi:10.5937/ror2001001M

Authors

Tamas Magyar University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Water and Environmental Management, Debrecen, Hungary Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3973-6053
Rebecca Mayes University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Water and Environmental Management, Debrecen, Hungary Author
Peter Tamas Nagy University of Debrecen, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management, Institute of Water and Environmental Management, Debrecen, Hungary Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8024-3824

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5937/ror2001001M

Keywords:

Chicken manure, Fermentation, Composting, Temperature and moisture distribution model, Key parameters

Abstract

The poultry (broiler) industry is continuously increasing all over the world, therefore, the amount of waste generated in these facilities is also increasing. As a consequence of the above mentioned, the more efficient conversion of chicken manure to organic fertilizer is a key problem. The aims of the study are to investigate the changes in temperature and moisture content during composting of chicken manure in the oval tank fermentation system and to create a model for the evaluation of the performance of biodegradation processes. The moisture and temperature distribution models of the oval tank were created in Hydrus software. The results showed that the oval tank fermenter can be divided into two main zones. In the first zone, where the rate of biodegradation was relatively high, a heterogeneous temperature zone was found with continuously decreasing moisture content. The second zone was more homogenous in both temperature and moisture content. This stage represents the weak fermentation part of the technology and results in an elongated post fermentation section. Furthermore, statistically significant correlations were found between composting key parameters, such as ammonium content with temperature and organic matter content with organic nitrogen content. It was also concluded that the exact location of the manure turning and chopping mechanical system (MTCM) used for aeration had a high effect on the composting processes, as well as on the quality parameters of the mature compost.

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