| dc.description.abstract | A pilot scale experiment was carried out to minimize the problems of urban kitchen
wastes (KW) as compost using different co-composting materials such as cow dung
(CD) and poultry litter (PL). For this experiment, three square shaped bins were used
with dimensions of 0.95 m long, 0.93 m wide and 0.83 m height (total volume of
0.733 m3
). The study was carried out in the research field of the Department of Crop
Physiology and Ecology, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology
University, Dinajpur, Bangladesh. To observe the composting process and assess the
compost quality, some physicochemical parameters (temperature, moisture content,
pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, volatile solids, total solid, total organic
carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium etc.) were measured at different
phases of composting. The duration of composting period was 80-85 days. The final
product had excellent physicochemical characteristics (C/N:14.10-33.56%,
germination index, GI: 134.63-178.05 % at 50% concentration, TKN: 1.15-2.55%,
OM: 40.46-45.65%). To obtain quality end product, kitchen waste should be used in
higher ratio than the other materials ((2:1:1= KW: CD: PL). Moisture also played an
important role in temperature evolution during composting. Based on the
experimental results, the problem of urban kitchen wastes could be minimized by
aerobic composting and it can be used in crop production. Nevertheless, composting
duration and co-composting materials and their ratios are crucial factors that
determine the quality of the final product. A full-scale compost unit could be
designed based on the experimental results. Therefore, an urban area consisting of
500-600 families requires about 10 m² area to compost the entire annual kitchen
wastes production. | en_US |
