ROTARY DRUM COMPOSTING OF

MIXED ORGANIC WASTE BASED ON

DIFFERENT C/N RATIOS
By
AJAY S. KALAMDHAD
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, ROORKEE
ROORKEE 247667 (INDIA)
SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
(INDIA)
WASTE GENERATION
TEMPORARY STORAGE
PRIMARY COLLECTION
SECONDARY COLLECTION
TRANSPORTATION
PROCESSING & RECOVERY
DISPOSAL
Costly processes
40-50% Organic fraction
DECENTRALIZED
COMPOSTING
ROTARY DRUM COMPOSTING
Compost Compost
Rotary Drum Rotary Drum
Composter Composter
Waste Segregation & Shredding Waste Segregation & Shredding
Organic Waste Organic Waste
One of the promising decentralized composting technology.
Excellent composting concept for smaller communities or
in projects that require a rapid and enclosed pathogen kill
process.
Short composting period
Temperature reaches up to 65-70
o
C
No Odor problem
Ease in Operation
Yield uniform marketable compost
Environment Friendly
No Leaching or Spillage
Less Space requirement
ADVANTAGES OF ROTARY DRUM
ROTARY
DRUM
FUNCTION OF ROTARY DRUM
The tumbling action of the drummixes, agitates and
moves the material.
Rotation expose the material to air, add oxygen and
release heat and gaseous products.
Maintain favorable environmental conditions.
Aerobic microbes flourished and work more quickly to
breakdown the waste.
FACTORS AFFECTING COMPOST
QUALITY
Low
degradation rate
H
I
G
H
E
R
L
O
W
E
R
Nitrogen loss
C/N RATIO
Initial moisture content
Temperature
Aeration
Ingredients & Proportion
Test the performance of the Rotary drum for biodegradation
of various types of organic wastes on different C/N ratio.
1) C/N = 15
2) C/N = 22
3) C/N = 30
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
METHODOLOGY
Waste Selection & Collection
Shredding
Waste Combinations based on C/N ratios
Rotary Drum Composting
Operation of Composting Process
Compost
Cow dung, Food
waste, Vegetable
waste, paper waste,
Saw dust
Particle size < 2 cm
Quality check
Volume 250 L,
Manual turning
24 h turning, No
water addition
C/N = 15
C/N = 22
C/N = 30
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
TEMPERATURE
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Time of composting (Days)
T
e
m
p
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

(
o
C
)
C/N=15
C/N=22
C/N=30
Ambient
C/N=15 observed 70
o
C (maximum in all three) and longer
thermophilic phase (6 days) due to higher amount of grass cutting.
C/N=30 required 5 days, a comparative longer time, to reach a
maximum temperature of only 50
o
C less than C/N=15 and 22.
MOISTURE CONTENT
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
M
o
i
s
t
u
r
e

c
o
n
t
e
n
t

(
%
)
C/N=15
C/N=22
C/N=30
C/N=15 observed the higher initial moisture content of 68% due to
the higher content of grass cutting and food waste.
Lower final moisture content observed in C/N=22 (44%) indicates
the lower microbial activities.
pH
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
p
H
C/N=15
C/N=22
C/N=30
pH is lower (6.25) at the beginning of C/N=30 than C/N=15 and
30 due to larger amount of food and vegetable waste.
The decrease in pH at the later stage of composting was caused by
the volatilization of ammonical nitrogen.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
T
O
C

(
%
)
C/N=15
C/N=22
C/N=30
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
Lower final TOC observed in C/N=22.
Around 30% of the available carbon in C/N=15 and C/N=30 were
utilized by micro-organism as a source of energy as compare to
22% in C/N=22.
TOTAL PHOSPHORUS
0
1
2
3
4
5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
T
o
t
a
l

P
h
o
s
p
h
o
r
u
s

(
g
/
k
g
)
C/N=15
C/N=22
C/N=30
The higher initial total P (organic and inorganic) in C/N=15 observed
than C/N=22 and 30 due to the higher content of grass cutting.
Increase in total P (organic and inorganic) in C/N=22 and 30 depicted
30% compared to 19% in C/N=15.
NITROGEN DYNAMICS
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
1 3 5 8 10 12 15 17 20
Time of composting (Days)
N
i
t
r
o
g
e
n

(
%
)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
I
n
o
r
g
a
n
i
c
-
N
(
%
)
Total Nitrogen Organic nitrogen Ammonium Nitrate
C/N=15
C/N=15 observed 15% loss of N
T
due to the low C/N ratio.
Nitrogen may be lost by the escape of ammonia or other volatile
nitrogenous gases from the composting material to the atmosphere.
C/N=22
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
1 3 5 8 10 12 15 17 20
Time of composting (Days)
N
i
t
r
o
g
e
n

(
%
)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
I
n
o
r
g
a
n
i
c
-
N
(
%
)
Total Nitrogen Organic nitrogen Ammonium Nitrate
The N
org
decreased due to the ammonificationof N
org
to NH
4
-N
by the fourth day in C/N=22.
A further increase in the N
org
in C/N=22 can be attributed as a
consequence of strong degradation of organic carbon compounds.
C/N=30
0
1
2
3
4
5
1 3 5 8 10 12 15 17 20
Time of composting (Days)
N
i
t
r
o
g
e
n

(
%
)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
I
n
o
r
g
a
n
i
c
-
N
(
%
)
Total Nitrogen Organic nitrogen Ammonium Nitrate
C/N=30 contained significantly higher N
T
(4.34%) throughout
composting because of the higher amount of food/vegetable waste
used in the experiment.
COLIFORMS
C/N=15
1.00E+00
1.00E+02
1.00E+04
1.00E+06
1.00E+08
1.00E+10
1.00E+12
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
B
a
c
t
e
r
i
a
/
g
Total coliform
Fecal coliform
Fecal streptococci
The more decrease in total coliform achieved in C/N=15 in the
initial one week of composting due to the higher temperature
(70
o
C) as compared to the C/N=22 and 30.
C/N=22
The percentage reduction of fecal coliforms and fecal streptococci
in C/N=15 and 22 are higher comparing to C/N=30.
1.00E+00
1.00E+02
1.00E+04
1.00E+06
1.00E+08
1.00E+10
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
B
a
c
t
e
r
i
a
/
g
Total coliform
Fecal coliform
Fecal strptococci
C/N=30
1.00E+00
1.00E+02
1.00E+04
1.00E+06
1.00E+08
1.00E+10
1.00E+12
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time of composting (Days)
B
a
c
t
e
r
i
a
/
g
Total coliform
Fecal coliform
Fecal streptococci
C/N=30 observed 2.5 10
5
fecal coliforms and 2.1 10
4
fecal
streptococci higher comparing to C/N=15 and 22.
BOD & COD
C/N=15
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1 3 5 8 10 13 15 17 20
Time of composting (Days)
B
i
o
d
g
r
a
d
a
b
l
e

o
r
g
a
n
i
c
m
a
t
t
e
r

(
m
g
/
l
)
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
B
O
D
/
C
O
D

r
a
t
i
o
BOD
COD
BOD/COD
C/N=22
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1 3 5 8 10 12 15 17 19 22
Time of composting (Days)
B
i
o
l
o
g
i
c
a
l

o
r
g
a
n
i
c

m
a
t
t
e
r
(
m
g
/
l
)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
B
O
D
/
C
O
D

r
a
t
i
o
BOD
COD
BOD/COD
C/N=30
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1 3 5 8 10 13 15 17 20
Time of composting (Days)
B
i
o
d
g
r
a
d
a
b
l
e

o
r
g
a
n
i
c
m
a
t
t
e
r

(
m
g
/
l
)
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
B
O
D
/
C
O
D

r
a
t
i
o
BOD
COD
BOD/COD
POINTS OF DISCUSSION
Total Nitrogen = 2.1%
Total Phosphorus = 3.5%
NH
4
-N = 0.036%
TOC = 24.82%
Fecal Coliform = 7.5 10
2
Fecal Streptococci = 2.3 10
3
BOD/COD ratio = 0.23
Total Nitrogen = 4.35%
Total Phosphorus = 2.42%
NH
4
-N = 0.21%
TOC = 35.3%
Fecal Coliform = 2.5 x 10
5
Fecal Streptococci = 2.1 10
4
BOD/COD ratio = 0.6
Total Nitrogen = 2.08%
Total Phosphorus = 4.62%
NH
4
-N = 0.37%
TOC = 18.72%
Fecal Coliform = Nil
Fecal Streptococci = 2.1 10
2
BOD/COD ratio = 0.41
C/N = 22
C/N = 30
C/N = 15
M
ax. T
em
p. =
50
o
C
M
oisture =
56%
M
ax. T
em
p. =
60
o
C
M
oisture =
44%
M
ax. T
em
p. =
70
o
C
M
oisture =
54%
CONCLUSIONS
Rotary Drum composting of mixed organic waste at
initial C/N ratio of 22 resulted in the compost reaching
maturity after 20 days of composting.
While initial C/N ratio of 30 can produce quality compost,
but it would require a composting period of more than 20
days.
Consequently, loss of nitrogen observed at low C/N ratio
of 15, which is not suitable for composting in Rotary
drum.
EXTENDED WORK (Dr. A. A. Kazmi and Ajay S. Kalamdhad)
(Financially supported by DST, Govt. of India)
0 0 15 Grass cutting
64.93
29.61
69
5
10
4
10
25
18
Run C
61.12 68.04 Moisture content (%)
21.77 15.2 C/N ratio (Kg)
60 45 Initial weight (Kg)
5 5 Manure (Kg)
10 0 Saw dust (Kg)
0 0 Paper waste (Kg)
20 15 Vegetable waste (Uncooked) (Kg)
0 10 Food waste (Cooked) (Kg)
25 0 Cattle manure (Kg)
Run B Run A Ingredients/ Initial characteristics
Parameter analyzed
Temperature
Moisture content
pH
TOC
Total Phosphorus
Nitrogen Dynamics (N
T
, N
org
, NH
4
+
, NO
3
-
)
Coliforms (Total, Fecal & Fecal Streptococci)
BOD & COD