Temperature Control in Organic Fertilizer Composting Process

The temperature change of organic fertilizer pile is the macro reaction of composting process, and it is also an important factor that affects the microbial activity and whether composting can be carried out smoothly. The temperature rise is the result of microbial metabolism and heat production accumulation, which reflects the intensity of microbial metabolism and the conversion rate of compost material.

It is generally believed that the degradation efficiency of high-temperature bacteria on organic matter is higher than that of medium-temperature bacteria, and the current rapid, high-temperature aerobic composting technology takes advantage of this. At the beginning of composting, the temperature of the pile is generally close to the ambient temperature, after 1-2 days of the role of medium temperature bacteria, the compost heats up quickly, the temperature of the pile reaches 50-65 degrees, and generally maintains a high temperature period of 15-21 days to kill pathogenic bacteria, insect eggs, grass seeds, to achieve harmless indicators, and play a dehydration role. Finally the temperature is reduced to facilitate nutrient transformation and humus formation.

Too low a temperature will prolong the time of compost maturation, while too high a pile temperature (greater than 70 degrees) produces inhibition of compost microbial growth activities, excessive consumption of organic matter, and causes a large amount of ammonia volatilization, affecting the quality of compost.