Composting

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Recycle biomass!
Reduce landfills!
Return nutrients to the Earth!
Produce Thermal Energy!
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http//www.quietyoutube.com/watch?vedH488k5Rng
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SoWe can decay biomass (living matter)by
using composting!
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Lets Talk About It!!
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What is Composting?

• Composting is the transformation of biomass
  through decomposition into a soil-like material
  called compost.
• Invertebrates (insects and earthworms) and
  micro-organisms (bacteria and fungi) help in
  transforming the biomass into compost.
• Composting is a natural form of recycling which
  continuously occurs in nature.
• During decomposition, bacteria and fungi feed,
  reproduce and give off great amounts of heat.

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Do you remember that Decay is a Chemical Change?
Do you remember evidence of chemical change?
Bubbling? Fizzing? Foaming? Becoming colder on
its own? Becoming hotter on its own? What
evidence of chemical change do you see here?
http//www.compost.org/conf2006/4ResearchMatters/E
xtractingHeatfromCompost.pdf
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Do you see evidence of thermal energy being
produced in this compost pile?
http//www.css.cornell.edu/compost/why.html
http//hotdogjam.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/compo
st_heap.jpg
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What if we couldcapture thatthermal energy and
put it to use?

• Heat water
• Run heated water under flooring to keep houses
  warm
• Heat greenhouses to grow food in winter
• What can you think of?

http//www.magicsoil.com/Heat/index.htm
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SoCompostingcanprovideenergy THERMAL
ENERGY!
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After the biomass has decayed, it is now rich in
nutrients (such as nitrogen) and can be added to
soil to help plants grow.
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http//extension.missouri.edu/explore/images/g0695
6figure01.jpg
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See the Whole Processon the Next Few Slides!
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See the Whole Process on the Next Few Slides!
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So..Why is Composting Good?

• Reduces landfills
• Decays biomass (which would be trash)
• Chemically changes bio-trash into nutrient-rich
  soil, which can be used as fertilizer
• Produces thermal energy, which can be harnessed

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What to compost

• To promote the breakdown of organic materials,
  you need 3 things
• A good carbonnitrogen ratio (4 parts carbon1
  part nitrogen)
• Sources of carbon (browns or dry, hard
  materials) are dry leaves, sawdust, shredded
  newspaper, hay, straw, and eggshells.
• Sources of nitrogen (greens or wet, soft
  materials) are manure, green plants, grass
  clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee
  grounds, and tea bags.
• Water, which you add whenever you add new dry
  materials to the pile
• Microorganisms, which are introduced by adding a
  few shovelfuls of dirt to the pile

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What not to compost

• Leftover cooked food (it attracts animals,
  contains fats and oils that are slow to break
  down, and contains salt that is harmful to
  plants)
• Meats (raw or cooked) and cheeses (they attract
  animals, contain fats and oils that are slow to
  break down, and contain salt that is harmful to
  plants)
• Inorganic material like plastic or metal (it
  wont break down)
• Cloth and glossy paper (they take too long to
  break down and contain chemicals that are harmful
  to plants )
• Pet waste (it makes it smell bad and can
  introduce disease)
• Living weeds with roots (they may grow in your
  bin)

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Important Information

• The plant materials should decompose into compost
  within 4 months in warm weather, longer under
  cool or dry conditions.
• The smaller the pieces of material, the faster
  they will compost. Shred newspaper, crumble
  eggshells, dry leaves, etc.
• Warning signs
• If the pile is not hot, it lacks either nitrogen
  or moisture.
• If the pile smells like ammonia, it is too wet or
  too tightly packed for oxygen circulation.
• If the compost is slow to break down, the pieces
  you added may be too large, or its too cold
  outside.
• When the compost looks like dirt, remove it from
  the pile and distribute to lawn and plants in
  your yard.
• Distribute evenly on top of dirt dont let the
  compost touch the stems of plants (unless they
  have bark) because the compost will weaken the
  structure of the stems.