Laboratory Scale Composting: Techniques

An easily duplicated laboratory scale system for studying the composting of solid wastes has been developed. This system exhibits a high degree of reproducibility and should permit more reliable results to be obtained in composting investigations. A synthetic garbage has been developed which is based on simply chemically defined materials. The aerobic decomposition of this feed appears similar to that of undefined feed materials used in previous studies. A new aeration technique called impulse aeration has been developed which permits efficient aeration of small masses (100 g) of compost without excessive heat and moisture losses. Data are presented to indicate the behavior and precision of this system. Comparisons with the reported studies are given.