Chapter 4

Kompos

Oleh: Danny Dwi Saputra

What are we going to learn today??

What is composting?

What do we need to make compost?

Decomposer agent

Composting process

When is compost finished?

What is composting?
 Its recycling – its naturally

Using the natural process of decay to

change wastes into a valueable
humus-like material called compost
Composting – speeding up the natural decay process
In composting process
allows you to control
• Air
• Water
• Food (materials)
• Temperature

By managing theese factor we can

speeding up the process otherwise slow
natural decay process
Why composting?
What do we need to make a
compost?
Composting need?
o Raw materials ->
food for
decomposers
o Microorganisms as
decomposers ->
bacteria, fungi,
actinomycetes ->
composting working
crew
o Right amount of air,
water, and warmth
Materials to avoid..
o Avoid organic materials
that could cause problems
during and after
composting
 Oil, fat, grease, meat,
fish, dairy product,
unwashed egg shells
(tend to attract pests,
vermin)
 hard to kill weeds ->
could infest garden
area when compost is
used
Materials to compost..

o Composting will be most

rapid if the decomposers
are fed a mix of carbon
and nitrogen rich
materials
o Carbon rich organic
wastes are known as
“BROWN”
o Nitrogen rich organic
wastes are known as
“GREEN”
High carbon materials such as
Leaves
Straw
Paper
Sawdust
Animal bedding mixed
with manure (Manure
provides food for micro-
organisms which enrich the
soil)
High nitrogen materials such as
Vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds
Grass clippings
Manure-provides food for micro-
organisms which enrich the soil
– Cow
– Horse
– Poultry
– Hog
 Browns Greens
• Decay very slowly • Decay rapidly
• Coarse browns can keep • Poor aeration – may have
pile aerated foul odors if composted
alone
• Tend to accumulate in the • Tend to accumulate in
fall spring and summer
• Tie up nitrogen in soil if not • Supply nitrogen for
fully composted composting
• May need to stockpile until • Best composting if mixed
can mix with greens with browns
Decomposer Agent
Decomposer agent – main player
1. Bacteria:
major decomposers, breakdown
simpler forms of organic material

2. Actinomycetes:
degrade complex organics such as
cellulose, lignin, chitin, and
proteins –
earthy” smell, long “spider webs”
filaments

3. Fungi:
Break down tough debris, too dry,
too acidic or too low in nitrogen for
bacteria to eat
 What do microbes in compost do?
• Consume organic matter to grow
– Stabilize organic matter
– Aerobic oxidation produces CO2
– Anaerobic produces reduced compounds
organic acids, alcohols
• Mineralize nutrients
– Organic to inorganic forms (protein to NH4)
• Transform nutrients
– Nitrification – pH and temperature sensitive

• NOTE: invertebrates not important in high temperature composting, only in

cold
 Where do the decomposers come
from?
If you build it,
they will come…
• Soil
• Leaves
• Food scraps
• Manure, and
• Finished compost
Each of these will add
microorganisms
to the compost pile
One teaspoon of good garden soil added to
compost contains
• 100 million bacteria
• 800 feet of fungal threads
Numerous additives and starters are available
Composting process
 Composting process..
 Rapid decomposition
requires optimum water
content
• If too dry, bacterial
activity will slow or cease
• If too wet, loss of air in
the pile will lead to
anaerobic conditions

•Pile water content should be at 40-60%

•As wet as a squeezed out sponge
•If too dry, add water as you turn the pile
•If too wet, add browns and/or turn the pile
 The Science of Composting:
Physics
Important factors for compost physics:
• Temperature
– 3 Phases
– Want to maintain temperature between 55-600C
– Temperature impacted
• Heat generated by organism
• Heat lost to environment through conduction, convection
and radiation  shape and size of pile
• Moisture content (specific heat and heat capacity of water)
The Science of Composting
Three Phases of Thermophilic
Composting

60
Temperature (C)

50
40
30
20
10
0
0 10 20 30 40
Time (days)

Composting goes through three distinct phases that can

be characterized by temperatures.
• Mesophilic Phase (moderate temperature)
• Thermophilc Phase (high temerpature)
• Mesophilic Phase (moderate temperature again)
 The Science of Composting
• Mesophilic Phase 1 (10-40 0 C)
• Lasts only a few days
• Explosive growth of bacteria and fungi
• Rapid breakdown of soluble sugar and starches
•Thermophilic Phase (>40 0 C)
• Can last from several days to several months depending on size of system
• Mixed population of heat loving organisms
• High heat helps breakdown of proteins, fats, “tough” plant material like
cellulose
• High temperature (>55 0C) kill weeds and pathogen harmful to humans
• Higher temperature (>600C) kill organism needed for decomposition
•Mesophilic Phase 2 (10-40 0 C) “Curing Phase”
• Can last several months
• Bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes( mix between bacteria and fungus, give
“earthy” smell) predominate. Invertebrates active.
• Supply of organic material has decreased. Remaining organic material is
slowly broken down.
• Additional chemical reactions take place to make remaining organic
material more stable
 Is shredding necessary?
Smaller particles decompose faster Have greater surface
area per unit volume
Allows microbes to get
at more of the food

Chipping or shredding
coarse materials (twigs,
stems) will speed up
the rate at which they
decompose
 The Science of Composting:
Physics
Important factors for compost physics:
• Particle size
– Microorganism activity occurs on surface of organic
material
– The more surface area for organisms to attack, the
quicker the decomposition  want smaller particles
– Flip-side: The smaller the particles, the more dense
and compact the material resulting in poor oxygen
circulation
 Factors affecting the compost process

C:N
ratio

Size and
Aeration texture

NB. Moisture level also critical

When compost finished?
 When is compost finished?
Compost is mature when:
• The color is dark brown
• It is crumbly, loose,
and humus-like
• It has an earthy smell
• It contains no readily
recognizable feedstock
• The pile has shrunk to
about 1/3 of its original volume
 Benefits to Composting
• Reduce waste & trash
• Increase oxygen in soil (it is richer but not a
fertilizer)
* Biomass affects plants growth:
Biomass decaysdecomposers feed on
biomassdecomposers return nutrients back to
the soilPlants grow
• Use of organic matter in soil
• Nutrients in humus