A method for bringing gases into contact with compostible or partially composted material, in which the material placed in the form of a mass on a layer of particulate material and gas, preferably air, is passed through the material, the air being introduced into the mass through gas-distributing means embedded in or covered by the layer of particulate material, and in which the layer comprises a first part-layer of relatively coarse particulate material intended to serve as protection for the gas-distributing means and as a distributing filter for the through-flowing gas, and a second part-layer arranged upon the first part-layer and comprising relatively fine particulate material, the second part-layer being intended to distribute the through-flowing gas before the gas is introduced into the compostible or partially composted material. The second part-layer of the layer comprises a mixture of the relatively fine particulate material, as ballast material, and a binding agent and has such a particle size distribution and the ingredients are present in such mixing proportions that the second part-layer obtains an open porous structure having a pressure drop suitable for uniform gas distribution while, at the same time, being able to withstand the weight of heavy vehicles.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 270,990, filed June 5, 1981 and now abandoned and the benefits of 35 USC 120 are claimed relative to it.
An apparatus and method for using cotton gin trash or the like to build a compost pile. The apparatus includes a support surface for supporting a compost pile with at least a portion of the support surface being porous; a conveyor for conveying compostable material along a path above the support surface and for dispensing the compostable material onto the support surface; and a mechanism for adding a fluid to the compostable material as the compostable material is received in the inlet of the conveyor.
Raw waste is first composted into a bioreactor to produce a crude compost. At the outlet of the bioreactor, the crude compost is separated from the non-compostable waste fraction. Then, the separated crude compost is conveyed to a compost maturation area where the crude compost is recycled. The composting process is conducted in at least one closed building area maintained at a negative pressure for aspirating and directing odorous substances to a biofilter. This biofilter extracts the odorous substances whereby the process can carried out in urban areas without affecting the air quality and accordingly without disturbing the neighbourhood. Also, the composting process can be run with a number of employees as small as three, to produce high quality compost substantially free of pathogenic microorganisms.
