MATURITY AND STABILITY EVALUATION OF COMPOSTED POULTRY MANURE

Abstract

Composting is one of the most popular recycling processes for organic waste. Compost is an inherently variable product produced from a wide variety of organic source materials known as feedstocks. The aim of our research was to examine the process of composting with maturity and stability parameters. The windrow composting experiments were set up in the composting area of the University of Debrecen, Institute for Water and Environmental Management and a mixture of broiler and hen manure was composted by adding zeolite (0, 1, 2, 5, 7 w/w %). The time for composting experiments was 62 days. We continuously measured the main parameters describing the composting processes: moisture content (w/w %), temperature (°C), pH, electrical conductivity (mS/cm), organic matter content (w/ w%). Based on our results, it can be concluded that the 50 w/w % moisture content is sufficient for composting in the case of the mixtures of substances tested by us. The four stages of composting can be separated by temperature, and the thermophilic phase is longer with increasing zeolite mixing. The value of pH ranged from pH 6.63 to 8.0, with lower pH values at the beginning and neutral at the end of the composting process. Electrical conductivity values decreased at the end of the composting process. Adding a higher percentage of zeolite reduced the content of organic matter, thereby increasing the mineral content. Overall, the parameters studied by us are suitable for determining the maturity of compost and for describing the composting process.

Keywords

• composting
• manure
• maturity
• stability
• poultry manure