Biocomposting

Biocomposting is an ancient technique and is being successfully applied for removal of the
garbage. The scientific basis of biocomposting is fully understood and is found to be quite helpful
in keeping the environment neat and clean. It is also helpful in preventing the growth of
undesirable pathogenic bacteria over the domestic garbage. The compost, an ultimate product of
biocomposting, has proved to be an alternative of excess use of chemical fertilizers. It does not
involve capital costs. It is sustainable approach to increase the soil fertility.

Biocomposting is defined as a process involving biochemical conversion of organic matter into

humus by mesophilic and thermophilic microorganisms. Thus, the biocomposting seeks to
harness the natural forces of decomposition to secure conversion of organic waste into organic
manure.

Compost

Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil
amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming.

The process of composting requires making a heap of wetted organic matter known as green
waste (leaves, food waste) and waiting for the materials to break down into humus after a period
of weeks or months. Modern, methodical composting is a multi-step, closely monitored process
with measured inputs of water, air, and carbon- and nitrogen-rich materials.

Compost is rich in nutrients. It is used in gardens, landscaping, horticulture and agriculture. The
compost itself is beneficial for the land in many ways, including as a soil conditioner, a fertilizer,
and as a natural pesticide for soil. In ecosystems, compost is useful for erosion control, land and
stream reclamation, wetland construction and as landfill cover.

Mechanism of Composting

Microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes as well as larger organisms such as
insects and earthworms play an active role in decomposing the organic materials. As
microorganisms begin to decompose the organic material, they break down organic matter and
produce carbon dioxide, water, heat and humus (the relatively stable organic end product). This
humus end product is compost.

Benefits of Compost

i. Compost improves the quality of soil, and for this reason it is considered as a soil
conditioner.
ii. It contains a variety of the basic nutrients required for healthy growth of plants.
iii. In addition to, nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, certain micronutrients viz.
manganese, copper, iron, and zinc also found in compost which helps them to control
diseases and insects.
iv. Compost improves the structure and texture of the soil enables them to retain nutrients,
moisture, and air for the betterment of growth of plants.

Ingredients

A. Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water

Composting organisms require four equally important ingredients to work effectively:

Carbon - for energy; the microbial oxidation of carbon produces the heat

 High carbon materials tend to be brown and dry.

Nitrogen - to grow and reproduce more organisms to oxidize the carbon.

 High nitrogen materials tend to be green (or colorful, such as fruits and vegetables) and
wet.

Oxygen - for oxidizing the carbon, the decomposition process.

Water - to maintain activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

B. Materials to compost

The materials that will be put into a compost pile have a major impact on the composting process
and the quality of the final compost. The key to good composting is to have a variety of materials
including and a balanced carbon to nitrogen ratio. Variety increases the types of microorganisms
at work in the pile and chances of obtaining nutrient rich compost.
Commonly used compostable materials include grass clippings, fruits and vegetables, coffee
grounds, manure (preferably organic) and kitchen scraps e.g., stale bread, egg shells, citrus rinds
fruit and vegetable peels and tea bags.

Compostable materials that need special handling include leaves, bark, straw, woodchips, sawdust,
nut shells, shredded newspaper, receipts, cardboard brush (chopped) and corn stalks.

Materials that should be avoided include bones, pet wastes, human excrement, oil, grease, wood
ash, meat/fish scraps, dairy products, diseases plants and weed seeds.

C. Microorganisms involved in composting

There are many types of microorganisms found in active compost of which the most common are

Bacteria

 Bacteria are the smallest living organisms and the most numerous in compost.
 They make up 80 to 90% of the billions of microorganisms typically found in a gram of
compost responsible for most of the decomposition and heat generation in compost.

 At the beginning of the composting process (0-40°C), mesophilic bacteria predominate.

 Heats up above 40°C, thermophilic bacteria characterized by members of the genus
Bacillus e.g., Bacillus brevis,B. subtilis take over.
 At the highest compost temperatures, bacteria of the genus Thermus dominate.

Actinomycetes

 Actinomycetes are organisms that resemble fungi but actually are filamentous bacteria.
The characteristic earthy smell of soil is caused by actinomycetes.
 They play an important role in degrading complex organics such as cellulose, lignin, chitin,
and proteins. Their enzymes enable them to chemically break down tough debris such as
woody stems, bark, or newspaper.
 Some species appear during the thermophilic phase, and others become important during
the cooler curing phase e.g., Actinobifida chromogena, Microbispora bispora, Nocardia
spp

Fungi
  They help break down materials that bacteria cannot, especially lignin in woody material.
 Fungal species are numerous during both mesophilic and thermophilic phases of
composting.

 Most fungi live in the outer layer of compost when temperatures are high e.g., Aspergillus
fumigatus, Humicola grisea

Protozoa

 They help consume bacteria, fungi and micro organic particulates.

Rotifers

 Rotifers are microscopic multicellular organisms also found in films of water in the
compost. They feed on organic matter and also ingest bacteria and fungi.

Earthworms

 Earthworms are the most important of the large physical decomposers in a compost pile.
 Earthworms ingest organic matter and digest it with the help of tiny stones in their
gizzards.
 The worms leave dark, fertile castings behind. A worm can produce its weight in castings
each day.
 These castings are rich in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, and
phosphorus that might otherwise be unavailable to plants.

Parameters in Composting

For optimal composting, several parameters are critical which included the following -

 C to N ratios should not be greater than 40: 1. Lower nitrogen content does not permit
the formation of a sufficient microbial biomass. Excessive nitrogen (C: N = 25: 1) leads to
volatilization of ammonia causing odor problems.
 Adequate moisture (50-60% water content) must be present, but excess moisture (70%or
above) should be avoided as it interferes with aeration and lowers self-heating.

 The optimum pH range is between 6 and 8.

 The optimum temperature range is between 32 and 60 C.
  10 to 15% oxygen concentration is considered adequate, although a concentration as low
as 5% may be sufficient for leaves.

Phases of Composting

Under ideal conditions, composting proceeds through three major phases:

1) Initial decomposition is carried out by mesophilic microorganisms, which rapidly break

down the soluble, readilydegradable compounds.
2) As the temperature rises above about 40°C, the mesophilic are replaced by thermophilic.
At temperatures of 55°C and above, many microorganisms that are human or plant
pathogens are destroyed. During the thermophilic phase, high temperatures accelerate the
breakdown of proteins, fats, and complex carbohydrates like cellulose and hemicellulose,
the major structural molecules in plants.
3) Temperature gradually decreases and mesophilic microorganisms once again take over for
the final phase of "curing" or maturation of the remaining organic matter. The phase is a
long and important one. A long curing period (e.g., a year after the thermophilic stage)
adds a safety net for pathogen destruction.

Process of Composting

There are mainly two types of microorganisms involved in the composting -

1) Anaerobic microorganisms, which perform their work in the absence of oxygen and
2) Aerobic microorganisms, which perform their work in the presence of air.

1. Anaerobic Process

Main characteristics of the anaerobic composting are –

1) Process is lengthy and extends over a period of 4-12 months

2) Anaerobic composting is low temperature and destruction of pathogen is accomplished by
exposure to unfavorable environment.
3) The gaseous products are methane. H2S and ammonia giving foul odor.

2. Aerobic Process

Aerobic composting is characterized by –

 1) Rapid decomposition normally completed within 4-6 weeks.
2) The high temperature conditions attained during processing of the compost leads to
destruction of pathogens.

Composting methods

Static pile composting

The static pile process is simple but relatively slow, typically requiring many months for
stabilization. Under favorable conditions, self heating in static piles typically raises the temp inside
a compost pile to 55-60 C or above in 2-3 days. O2 concentrations in the compost are usually 5
times lower than in ambient air.

Aerated Static Pile composting

The aerated pile process achieves substantially faster composting rates through improved aeration.
The mixture is usually placed on perforated piping, providing air circulation for
controlled aeration. Inside the pile the temperatures rise to 70-80 C .The heat generated by the
biodegradation process is effectively used in evaporating water and results in dryer and more stable
compost. The aerated pile process goes to completion in about 3 weeks.

Windrow composting

In windrow method, the composting materials are put on the ground in a straight alignment. This
method is suited to producing large volumes of compost. These rows are generally turned to
improve porosity and oxygen content, mix in or remove moisture and redistribute cooler and
hotter portions of the pile.

In-vessel composting

In-vessel composting generally describes a group of methods that which confine

the composting materials within a container or vessel. In-vessel composting systems can consist of
metal or plastic tanks in which air flow and temperature can be controlled, using the principles of a
"bioreactor". The reactor is maintained at thermophilic temperature. Here composting is complete
in 2-4 days but the method is expensive.

Vermicomposting
Worm composting is using various species of worms, usually red wigglers, white worms, and
earthworm to recycle food scraps and other organic material into a valuable soil amendment
called vermicompost, also known as worm castings. It is a mesophilic process, utilizing
microorganisms and earthworms that are active at 10–32° C.

The process is faster than composting; because the material passes through the earthworm gut,
whereby the resulting earthworm castings i.e., rich in nutrients. Earthwormsconsume various
organic wastes including food preparation residuals and leftovers, scrap paper, animal manure,
agricultural crop residues and reduce the volume by 40–60%.