Compost and Farmyard Manure
Preparation methods, Characteristics, Effects
Kiyoshi Tsutsukihttp://timetraveler.html.xdomain.jp
Rice & wheat straw, husk Saw dust, bark
Animal manureCompostFarmyard M
Industrial wastes
Compost
Municipal refuse・Garbage
Human feces
Digested sludge
Organic fertilizer
Green manure
Agricultural soils
Slurry
Organic matter Input in Agriculture
Purpose of composting… 1
1 To make manure easy for handling andtransporting, by reducing dirty feeling, malodor,and stickiness.2. To prevent soil reduction and emission ofharmful gasses and the resulting inhibition incrop growth which is assumed to occur whenraw material is applied to soil.
Purpose of composting...23. To kill pathogens and parasites for human, animals,and plants.4. To kill the weed seeds which are mixed in feces,hays and feedstocks.5. To decompose phenolic compounds in feedstockssuch as straw and sawdust and low molecular weightorganic acids in feces which are assumed to causegrowth inhibition of plants.
Significance of composting
• Source of nutrients for crops.• However, the function of compost is not limited to
the value as nutrients.• Compost > Fertilizer
Significance of composting
• By composting, we can change the waste to resource.• Compost can supply energy to soil biota, and
stimulate their activity.• Compost is a source of humic substances, which
have physical, chemical, and physiological functions to crops.
Crops, forage
Plant residue
Soil animals
Microbes
Inorganic nutrients
Soil organic matter
Animals Human
FecesCO2
Reactions in composting
Aerobic and anaerobic treatments of cattle feces
Carbon compounds
Nitrogen compounds
Sulfur compounds
CO2
NH3
SO4-
NO3-
Low MW fatty acids
CH4・H2
NH3
H2S, CH3SH
Malodour & harmful substances
Anaerobic Aerobic
< 50℃2 days at
60℃Digitaria ciliaria Koeler 96 0Echinochloa spp. 72 0Cyperus spp. 56 0Chenopodiium album Linn. 26 0Percicara lapathiolia Linn. 8 0Portulaca olelacea Linn. 85 0Amaranthus lividus Linn. 68 0Acalypha australis Linn. 7 0Fatoua villosa Nakai 26 0
Germination rate of weed seeds in compost (%)
メヒシバ
ノビエ
カヤツリグサ
シロザ
オオイヌタデ
スベリヒユ
イヌビユ
エノキグサ
クワクサ
Japanese name
Digitaria ciliaria
Cyperus spp.
メヒシバ
カヤツリグサ
Chenopodium album Linn.
Percicara lapacifolia Linn.
シロザ
オオイヌタデ
Portulaca oleracea Linn.
Amarantus lividus Linn.スベリヒユ
イヌビユ
Acalipha australis Linn. Fatoua villosa Nakaiエノキグサ クワクサ
Compost turning (Ultra-high temperature composting plant)
堆肥Rの温度変化
-20
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
切返し後日数
温度 (℃)
温度1温度2温度3外気温
切返し
切返し
切返し
3月28日
4月10日
4月17日
4月24日
切返し
5月2日
仕込み
切返し
切返し
5月9日
5月15日
切返し
5月24日 切返し
6月2日
Compost temperature from late March to June in the ultra-high temperature composting plant
Days after mixing of raw material
Tem
pera
ture
℃
Fig. 1. Ferm entation tem perature of cow m anure depending ondifferent m oisture contents
(Shintoku Experim ent Station of Anim al H usbandry, 1998)
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 5 10 15
Days of piling
Tempe
rature ℃
M oisture44%
M oisture64%
M oisture72%
M oisture79%
M oisture87%
Fig. 1. Fermentation temperature of cow manure depending on different moisture contents.(Shintoku Experiment Station of Animal Husbandry, 1998)
turningturning
Change in compost temperature
40
60
80
20
℃
Days after mixing0 10 20 30 40
Low molecular carbohydrate, amino acid
Hemicellulose,cellulose
Lignin
Decomposition rates of different constituents incompost
Cellulose, hemicellulose
Lignin
Carbohydrates, amino acids
Humic substances
Change in organic matter constituents during composting
Microbial biomass
CO2
H2O
NH3
Meso-fauna
Thermophilic bacteria
Actinomycetes
Fungi, mushroom (basidiomycetes)
Succession of microbial fauna during composting
Criteria for the maturity of compost
NH4+,
NH3
Temperature change
NO3-
Detection of ammonium and nitrate ions during composting
Fig. 2. Suppression of the evaporation of Am m onia N from cowm anure by m ixing calcium perphosphate(C PP) (Shintoku Experim ent Station of Anim al H usbandry, 1998).
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
0 5 10 15 20 25
Days of piling
NH3-N evapo
ration
(mg/
300g cow-compo
st)
C PP 0%
C PP 2.5%
C PP 5%
Suppression of the evaporation of Ammonia N from cow manure by mixing calcium perphosphate.(Shintoku Experiment Station of Animal Husbandry, 1998)
High temperature(thermophilic)stage
60℃Mature stage
Temperature change during composting (simplified)
Change in pH of compost
• First rise in pH is due to ammonia formation.• Following decrease is due to the formation of nitrate,carbonate, and humic substances.
7
8
6
Increase in cation exchange capacity(CEC)
• Increase in CEC is remarkable in composts madefrom rice straw, woods, bark, sewage sludge, andmunicipal refuse
HOOC COOH
COOH
COOH
OH
OH
C/N ratio
•C/N ratio was higher than 30 in thebeginning, then reaches 15-20, it will bethe sign of maturity. However, when theC/N was low from the beginning (suchas cow manure), this criteria cannot beapplied.
Carbon
Organic nitrogen
Inorganic nitrogen
Soil Microbes
When soil microbes proliferate utilizing organic matter with wide C:N ratio, they also absorb soil inorganic nitrogen.
This causes nitrogen starvation for crops.
CO2
Earthworm method
•Put a compost sample in a cup.•Place a few earthworms on it.•Cover the cup with a black cloth.• If the earthworms creep into thecompost, it is mature.• If they try to escape, it is immature.
Earthworm escapes if your compost does not taste good.
Vermi-composting
• Earthworm can also be used for preparing compost itself.• Earthworm is a powerful decomposer of vegetable
wastes, and turn the wastes into valuable and safe compost.• Earthworm cast is enriched with nutrients and it is
a soil aggregate already.
Germination test• Seeds of Komatsuna(Brassica campestris), Cress(Lepidium sativum), or radish (Raphanus sativus)may be used, because these seed are small, quickto germinate, and sensitive to phytotoxic (plantdamaging) substances like the organic acidstemporarily present in immature composts. Usingthe water extract of the compost, germinating rateis compared with the control (distilled water).
Control (Distilled Water) Starting time of composting
24 hrs after composting 2 weeks after composting
Example of Failure Case in Composting
Germination Test
Seedling growth method• Compost (150 g) and soil (350 g) are mixed andput in a Neubauer pot. The control is only the soil(500 g). Each 35mg of N, P2O5, and K2O are appliedto each pot in forms of ammonium sulfate,ammonium phosphate, and potassium sulfate.Water is applied to about 60 % of the waterholding capacity. Twenty seeds of Brassicacampestris are sawn on the surface of mixture,and germination rate and growth rate areobserved.
Seedling growth method 2• Compost (equivalent to 100, 200, 300, 400 mg ofnitrogen) are mixed with soil (500 g) in Neubauerpots. The control is only the soil (500 g). 25 mg ofN, P2O5, and K2O are applied to each pot in formsof ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate, andpotassium sulfate. Water is applied to about 60 %of the water holding capacity. Twenty seeds ofBrassica campestris are sawn on the surface ofmixture, and germination rate and growth rate areobserved.
Growth of Brassica campestrisTo 500mL of soil, compost equivalent to 400mg of N was applied (1 week after seed sowing)
Soil + Chemical Fertilizer (control)
Raw Sewage sludge
After 1st
turningAfter 5th
turning
Effect of Sewage Sludge Compost on the Growth of Brassica campestris
To 500mL of soil, compost equivalent to 400mg of N was applied (19 days after seed sowing)
Soil + Chemical Fertilizer (control)
Raw Sewage sludge
After 1st
turningAfter 5th
turning
Difficulties in Compost Utilization
• Uneven distribution and deficiency of raw materials for compost making• Hard work for preparation and application of
compost• Special technology, skill, and facilities are required
for the production of compost• Variation in constituents and effectiveness of
compost
Difficulties in Compost Utilization 2
• Occurrence of microbes tolerant to antibiotics, and germ microbes (in case compost was produced at low temperature) • Enhancement of soil born plant disease for potato
and soy bean. • Contamination of raw materials by heavy metals(by radioactivity, recently)
Period, Quality, Amount
Obstacles in the Recycling of Organic Resources
Heavy metals
As
Residual Pesticides Antibiotics
Odor AmmoniaMoistureOil, salts
Foreign materials
50 ppm
5 ppm 2 ppm
Pathgenic microbes
Tolerant bacteria
Heaviness
O157, Foot and Mouth Disease, Potato scale
HeterogeneityMercaptane
VFA
CdHg
Conclusion 1• Production of compost is indispensable for
reducing the environmental load of dairy farming, maintaining the fertility of farm soils, and creating healthy soils and crops.The qualities of composts, however, differ considerably from product to product, because different kinds of raw materials are used besides animal feces and various methods of compost preparation are adopted.
Conclusion 2• Some of the composts may be unfavorable for
use in agriculture. It is important for us tokeep the principles in compost preparation(for example, activating aerobic process, experiencing the thermophilic period, providing enough duration for maturing, minimizing the mixing of heavy metals and foreign / artificial materials), in order to make safe and effective composts.
Conclusion 3• On the other hand, preparation and
utilization of compost both require a huge labor. Reward for this labor is not remarkable, because higher yield of crops can be achieved by the use of cheaper chemical fertilizers and cheaper crops may be imported from foreign countries.
Conclusion 4Community based organic matter recycling project --- Subsidyand the understanding from the consumer is,therefore, very important.
Awareness to environment, ecology, and healthhelps the utilization of compost.