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Compost Broken Down for your Understanding

May 17, 2016

Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is used in fertilizing all tree and plant life and is the key ingredient in organic farming.

At the simplest level, the process of composting simply 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. The decomposition process is aided by shredding the plant matter, adding water and ensuring proper aeration by regularly turning the mixture. Worms and fungi further break up the material. Bacteria requiring oxygen to function (aerobic bacteria) and fungi manage the chemical process by converting the inputs into heat, carbon dioxide and ammonium. The ammonium (NH4) is the form of nitrogen used by plants. When available ammonium is not used by plants it is further converted by bacteria into nitrates (NO3) through the process of nitrification.

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, addition of vital humus or humic acids, 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 (see compost uses). Organic ingredients intended for composting can alternatively be used to generate biogas through anaerobic digestion.

Terminology

The term “composting” is used worldwide with differing meanings. Some composting textbooks narrowly define composting as being an aerobic form of decomposition, primarily by microbes.[citation needed] An alternative term to composting is “aerobic digestion”, which in turn is also referred to as “wet composting”.

For many people, composting is used to refer to several different types of biological process. In North America, “anaerobic composting” is still a common term for what much of the rest of the world and in technical publications people call “anaerobic digestion”. The microbes used and the processes involved are quite different between composting and anaerobic digestion.

Ingredients

Carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, water

Materials in a compost pile.

Food scraps compost heap.

Composting organisms require four equally important ingredients to work effectively:

Carbon — for energy; the microbial oxidation of carbon produces the heat, if included at suggested levels.

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 — in the right amounts to maintain activity without causing anaerobic conditions.

Certain ratios of these materials will provide beneficial bacteria with the nutrients to work at a rate that will heat up the pile. In that process much water will be released as vapor (“steam”), and the oxygen will be quickly depleted, explaining the need to actively manage the pile. The hotter the pile gets, the more often added air and water is necessary; the air/water balance is critical to maintaining high temperatures (135°-160° Fahrenheit / 50° – 70° Celsius) until the materials are broken down. At the same time, too much air or water also slows the process, as does too much carbon (or too little nitrogen).

The most efficient composting occurs with an optimal carbon:nitrogen ratio of about 10:1 to 20:1. Rapid composting is favored by having a C/N ratio of ~30 or less. Theoretical analysis is confirmed by field tests that above 30 the substrate is nitrogen starved, below 15 it is likely to outgas a portion of nitrogen as ammonia. If nitrogen needs to be increased, it has been suggested to add 0.15 pounds of actual nitrogen per three bushels (3.75 cubic feet) of lower nitrogen material. [For those not familiar with these types of units: 0.64g/L or 640 grams of actual nitrogen per cubic meter.] Two to 3 pounds of organic nitrogen supplement (blood meal, manure, bonemeal, alfalfa meal) per 100 pounds of low nitrogen materials (for example, straw or sawdust), supplies generally ample nitrogen and trace minerals in high carbon mixes.

Nearly all plant and animal materials have both carbon and nitrogen, but amounts vary widely, with characteristics noted above (dry/wet, brown/green). Fresh grass clippings have an average ratio of about 15:1 and dry autumn leaves about 50:1 depending on species. Mixing equal parts by volume approximates the ideal C:N range. Few individual situations will provide the ideal mix of materials at any point. Observation of amounts, and consideration of different materials as a pile is built over time, can quickly achieve a workable technique for the individual situation.

 

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