Rapid Composting Technique

Rapid composting is the need of the hour for reducing the time required for obtaining good quality compost. This technology is especially suitable for recycling of kitchen waste and vegetable wastes. ICAR -IISS (Indian Institute of Soil Science) developed this technique in collaboration with ICAR-CIAE, Bhopal and ICAR-NBAIM, Mau. Lignocellulolytic thermophilic organisms were isolated, screened and identified by ICAR-IISS.

Ingredients Required

For the preparation of 100 kg compost, 150 kg fresh biomass (waste material), 50 kg fresh cowdung, 1.1 kg urea, 50 g fungal inoculum (10 ⁵ viable cell), 1 litre bacterial (10 ⁸ viable cell), and 1 litre actinomycetes (10 ⁸ viable cell) inocula are required.

Salient features

• A new technology has been developed to speed up the composting using consortium of Ligno-cellulolytic thermophilic organisms
• For this purpose, rapo-compost technology has been designed with a capacity of 100 kg
• Biowaste materials like domestic wastes and vegetable wastes are collected and partially dried
• Fresh cowdung mixed with the waste materials in the ratio of 1:0.2 (on dry weight basis)
• Microbial consortia are inoculated to accelerate the decomposition processes at 7 and 14 days of decomposition
• Moisture content is maintained throughout the composting period at 60% of water holding capacity
• Temperature is maintained at 55 ^oC during rst 21 days of composting
• Periodic turning is done using hand peddle to homogenize the inside materials

Impact and Benefits of Rapo-compost

• Rapo-compost would prepare compost within 1-1.5 months from domestic and vegetable waste
• The manurial value improved such as total nitrogen 0.89 to 1.75 %
• At 30 days of decomposition the colour of the compost was dark brown and with no foul odour
• C:N ratio of matured compost is 14:1, CEC reached to 94 cmol(p+)/kg, lignin/cellulose ratio increased to 2.4%, CEC/TOC ratio was 0.27 (initial) reached to 4.56 at 30 days of decomposition, water soluble carbon reached to 0.5% whereas the content of NH ₄ - N and NO₃ - N varied from 1.3-0.28 and 0.14-0.84 g/kg, respectively
• Large quantities of wastes materials may be recycled back to the field after converting them to quality manure
• The production of a valuable soil amendment from many organic materials which normally might be wasted
• Pathogens and weed seeds do not survive at high temperature during the composting process

Steps for Rapo-composting

1. Collection of biowaste materials
2. Segregation of non-biodegradable materials
3. Waste materials mixed with fresh cowdung
4. Inoculation with consortium of organisms
5. All materials mixed together and fed to rapo-compost bioreactor
6. After one month the humified organic manure was allowed for curing
7. Sieved (4 mm sieves) and stored at 25% moisture condition

Source : ICAR-IISS Technology Folder 2015