An innovative thermal composter to accelerate food waste decomposition at the household level

Abstract

An innovative, portable thermal composter was developed to accelerate the decomposition of food waste at household. The study aimed to evaluate the performance of the composter by assessing the quality of the compost produced. Food waste was chopped, mixed, stirred at 80 rpm, and heated to ∼55 °C; thereafter, a bulking agent and stimulated microorganisms were added to the mixture. The composter mixing speed was assessed to calculate the feasible composting time. The results revealed that the active phase of composting process could be completed in a day, producing good quality compost. The pH, electric conductivity, and C/N ratio of the compost was 6.72, 1148–1179 μScm−1, and 20.38, respectively. The lowest ammonia emissions (i.e., 7.2 g/Nm3) were produced on the sixth day. The total cost required to process 1 kg of food waste in a day was only 2097.76 Indonesian Rupiah (IDR), highlighting the feasibility of this technology.