The composting of agricultural wastes and the new parameter for the assessment of the process

The aim of this study was to determine the optimum mixture ratios for composting cattle manure and greenhouse waste, and to ascertain the usability of the value of the area lying below the temperature as a function of time for assessing the success of the composting process. Dairy manure is considerably rich in nitrogen. However, composting with cattle manure alone is not suitable due to its low C:N ratio. For this reason, greenhouse waste was added as a source of carbon in order to balance the C:N ratio of the mixture. Experiments were performed in laboratory- type composting reactors. During the composting process, the process temperatures, CO2 concentrations moisture and organic matter content of the mixtures were monitored. Results showed that a mixture consisting of 60% cattle manure and 40% greenhouse waste allowed for the highest process temperature and organic material decomposition. Consequently, this mixture was determined as the optimum mixture for the composting process. Based on the experiments, the area lying below the temperature as a function of time was also determined as a suitable parameter for assessing the success of the process. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.