Decomposition of Organic Matter during the Maturing Process of Cattle Waste Compost

Abstract

The characterization of maturing process during composting of cattle waste was attempted. Composting of cattle waste mixed with perlite or sawdust was performed in two ways: with forced aeration mechanical composting and without forced aeration pile-composting. The use of perlite, an inorganic substance inert to the biochemical reaction, as a bulking agent enabled us to characterize the maturing process of cattle waste per se. During composting, the contents of organic matter, total carbon, hemicellulose and cellulose decreased, while the contents of ash, total nitrogen and lignin increased relatively ; accordingly, C/N ratio decreased. Such changes may serve as indicators of maturity. In the pile-composting of the cattle waste-sawdust mixture, the maturing did not progress effectively, because the mixing of sawdust did not provide an efficient aeration. The perlite mixture was considered to be more effective in improving the aerobic condition for composting than sawdust.