Physical, Chemical and Biological Parameters for Compost Maturity Assessment: A Review

Abstract

New livestock production system based on intensification of large farms produces huge amounts of organic waste materials in the form of farm, animal, domestic and agro-industrial waste all over the world without enough agricultural land for their direct application as fertilizers. Compost stability/maturity has become a critical issue for land application of composts because immature compost can be determinant for plant growth and the soil environment. Evaluation of maturity of compost has been widely recognized as one of the most important problems concerning composting process and application of this product to land. In order to provide and review the information found in the literature about composting of different organic waste materials, the first part of this chapter explains basic concepts of composting process. Then a summary of physical, chemical and biological parameters affecting stability and maturity of high quality compost prepared from organic waste materials.