Composting of spent pig litter in turned and forced-aerated piles

Abstract

A study was carried out to compare the composting efficiency of spent litter (a mixture of partially decomposed pig manure and sawdust) in turned and forced-aerated piles. Duplicate piles were built with manual turning (every 4 days) during composting, and duplicate piles were set up with forced aeration using an air pump. The present study demonstrated that the efficiency of composting in the turned and forced-aerated piles was similar. Spent litter in these piles reached maturity at the same time (60 days). The forced-aerated piles went through similar physical, chemical, and microbial changes with the turned piles during composting. The forced-aerated composting system was also as effective as the turned system in eliminating Salmonella sp. in the spent litter. These results suggest that a forced-aerated composting system could be used as an alternative method in composting spent litter. The similarities in temporal changes in temperature, chemical, and microbiological properties of the forced-aerated piles, compared with the turned piles, indicate that addition of a bulking agent under forced aerated composting of spent litter is not necessary. The partially decomposed sawdust in the spent litter provided enough free air space, allowing the delivery of oxygen for the microorganisms in the spent litter piles.