In the process of organic fertilizer fermentation, compost turners play a critical role, and their core functions and advantages can be summarized in the following six aspects:

1. Facilitating Oxygen Supply and Activating Microbial Activity

• Principle: Organic fertilizer piles tend to become compacted, creating anaerobic environments that inhibit the activity of aerobic microorganisms. Compost turners break up and aerate the material, significantly increasing air penetration and ensuring thorough contact between oxygen and the material.
• Effect: This activates aerobic microorganisms (such as thermophilic bacteria), accelerating the decomposition of organic matter and enhancing fermentation efficiency. Field data shows that using a compost turner can reduce the fermentation cycle by 30%-50%.

2. Uniformly Mixing Materials and Optimizing Fermentation Conditions

• Functions:
  • Raw Material and Additive Mixing: Blends livestock manure, crop residues, and other raw materials with fermentation agents or carbon-nitrogen ratio regulators to ensure consistent fermentation conditions.
  • Temperature and Humidity Control: Through turning operations, localized overheating (>70°C, which can kill beneficial bacteria) is prevented, while excess moisture is vented to maintain pile temperatures within the optimal range of 55-65°C.
• Case Study: In large-scale production, compost turners stabilize pile temperature fluctuations within ±2°C, significantly improving fermentation consistency.

3. Breaking Up Clumps and Improving Material Porosity

• Issue: During fermentation, the surface of the pile often forms dense clumps, reducing permeability.
• Solution: Compost turners use rotating blades or spiral augers to shatter clumps, restoring the pile’s loose, porous structure and increasing porosity to 30%-40%, ensuring oxygen circulation.

4. Regulating Moisture Content and Promoting Maturation and Drying

• Data: The initial moisture content of fermentation raw materials is approximately 65%, while finished organic fertilizer requires a moisture content below 20%.
• Role of Turning:
  • Evaporation: Turning accelerates moisture evaporation by venting water vapor.
  • Uniform Drying: Prevents localized over-wetting and spoilage, ensuring even drying of the material.

5. Enhancing Production Efficiency and Reducing Labor Costs

• Efficiency Comparison:
  • Manual Turning: Processing 10 tons of material requires 4 workers for 2 hours—labor-intensive and inefficient.
  • Mechanical Turning: A compost turner can process 10 tons in just 2 minutes, nearly 60 times more efficient.
• Scalability: Supports continuous operation with daily processing capacities exceeding 30 tons, ideal for production lines yielding thousands of tons annually.

6. Multi-Functional Integration for Diverse Needs

• Additional Features:
  • Crushing: Breaks down branches, plastics, and other debris to enhance fertilizer uniformity.
  • Quantitative Shifting: Directs material movement within fermentation tanks to streamline processes.
  • Smart Upgrades: Some models include spray systems for adding nutrient solutions or deodorizers during turning, improving fermentation quality.

Conclusion

Compost turners address critical challenges in organic fertilizer fermentation, such as anaerobic conditions, clumping, and temperature/humidity control, by aerating, mixing, breaking clumps, regulating moisture, boosting efficiency, and integrating multiple functions. They significantly shorten fermentation cycles, enhance product quality, and reduce labor costs, making them indispensable for large-scale organic fertilizer production.