Testing the Stability of Compost - Applications Note

Method: A full-scale compost plant was faced with the need to determine the stability of the compost in the active bays during the compost operation. Samples were collected at 24-ft intervals (2 days of operation) through the length of one bay of the in-vessel compost system and placed into sealed glass reactors. Air was recirculated through the compost material using a peristaltic pump. A caustic scrubber was placed in the recirculation line to remove carbon dioxide (Figure 1). The reaction vessels were connected to a Challenge AER-200A respirometer system for measuring the oxygen uptake.