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Innovation Center of Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy , Belgrade , Serbia
Agence Francaise de Develompent Serbie , Belgrade , Serbia
Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade , Belgrade , Serbia
Composting is defined as the decomposition of wet, solid organic matter using aerobic microorganisms under controlled conditions. As a product, a useful material is obtained, similar to humus, which does not have an unpleasant smell and can be used as a soil conditioning agent or as a fertilizer. The main goals of composting different organic ingredients are: decomposition of the organic fraction of waste subject to rotting into a stable product, rich in nutrients, which can be used for soil conditioning, growing plants, covering landfills or for some other purposes; destruction of pathogens and reduction of the amount of biodegradable waste disposed of in landfills. The quality of the produced compost and the composting time depend on the composition of the initial raw material. There are six basic types of raw materials for composting: food processing residues; manure and agricultural by-products; residues from forestry and the wood industry; biowaste or waste sludge created by biological treatment of municipal and industrial waste water; plant residues as waste from yards, gardens and parks and separated organic waste containing sorted compostable fractions of municipal waste. Compost is stabilized solid matter dark brown to black which brings numerous benefits for both plant growth and soil quality. Compost quality is defined by several parameters: presence of pathogens, content of heavy metals, particle size, maturity, influence on plant growth and content of inert components. The composting process can be divided into four phases according to the change in temperature from the beginning to the end of the process: mesophilic (initial), thermophile, cooling and maturation phase.
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