Characteristics of night soil and leaf co-composting using aerobic static method

Abstract

The main purpose of this work is to investigate the characteristics of night soil and leaf co-composting using aerobic static composting method. Three influencing factors, including proportion of night soil and leaf, aeration rate and aeration pattern, were investigated through the evolution of the principal physicochemical properties, i.e., temperature, oxygen consumption rate, organic matters, moisture content, carbon, nitrogen, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and Germination index (GI). It was found that the 3∶1 (w∶w) mixture of night soil and leaf was capable of achieving the highest composting temperature, longest retention time of high temperature (55°C), and fastest organic matter degradation. The 0.14 m³·min^-1·m^-3 aeration rate was most beneficial to composting, and the mixture of night soil and leaf maintained the highest temperature for the longest duration and achieved the highest CO₂ content and GI. The continuous aeration pattern during composting was superior to an intermittent aeration pattern, since the latter delayed the composting process.

Keywords

night soil / leaf / aerobic compost / aeration rate / aeration pattern

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Hi-tech Olympics Special Program of the National Sci & Tech. Supporting Program of China (No. 2007BAK1211), Guangxi Scientific Research and Technological Development Program (GuiKeGong 10123010-16), and the Program to Sponsor Teams for Innovation in the Construction of Talent Highlands in Guangxi Institutions of Higher Learning (GuiKeRen 2007-71).

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2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg