Windrow co-composting of shredded office paper and Broiler Litter
by Romeela Mohee, Ackmez Mudhoo, Geeta Devi Unmar
International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM), Vol. 2, No. 1/2, 2008

Abstract: The co-composting of shredded waste office paper with Broiler Litter (BL) in windrows was analysed in this study. Two compost mixes were monitored for five weeks; Mix 1 comprised 322kg BL, 117 kg shredded paper and 310L water and Mix 2 consisted of 112 kg BL, 265 kg shredded paper and 290 L water. The initial wet moisture content, initial porosity and initial wet bulk density for Mix 1 were 54.6%, 74.7% and 337kg/m³, respectively. The respective parameters for Mix 2 were 48.6%, 87.7% and 185 kg/m³. The initial C:N ratio was kept at 20.8 in both mixes. Peak temperatures recorded for Mix 1 and Mix 2 at day 5 were 71.4°C and 62.7°C, respectively. Temperatures remained above 60°C for more than 10 days in both windrows. The pH for both mixes varied between 7.2 and 8.8. An increase in wet bulk density of 47.6% for Mix 1 and 150% for Mix 2 was obtained. The net decrease in Volatile Solids (VS) was of 57.1% (Mix 1) and 56.3% (Mix 2) at the end of week 5. The respiration rate peaked at 33.7 mg CO₂.C/day.gVS on day 3 for Mix 1 and decreased to 0.98 mg CO₂.C/day.gVS on day 37. The concentrations of lead, cadmium, total chromium and zinc were 612 mg/kg, 60.8 mg/kg 103.2 mg/kg and 5760 mg/kg, respectively, in the final compost of Mix 1. NPK content of the final compost from Mix 1 was 5-5-10 (dry matter basis) with a level of phosphorous of 20,817 ppm.

Online publication date: Sun, 03-Feb-2008

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