This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Windrow composting is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
In agriculture, windrow composting is the production of compost by piling organic matter or biodegradable waste, like animal manure and crop residues, in long rows (windrows). This method is suited to producing large volumes of compost. These piles are generally turned to improve porosity and oxygen content, mix in or remove moisture, and redistribute cooler and hotter portions of the pile. Windrow composting is the most commonly used of farm scale composting methods. Process control parameters include the initial ratios of carbon and nitrogen rich materials, the amount of bulking agents added to assure air porosity, the pile size, moisture content, and turning frequency.
Contents |
Compost windrow turners
Compost windrow turners were developed to produce compost on a large scale. They are a traditionally a large machine that straddles a windrow of approximately eight feet high by 13 feet across. Although smaller machines exist for smaller windrows, most operations need the larger machines to be efficient. Turners drive through the windrow at a slow rate of forward movement. They have a steel drum with paddles that are rapidly turning. As the turner moves through the windrow, fresh air containing oxygen is injected into the compost by the drum/paddle assembly and waste gases produced by harmful bacteria are eliminated. The oxygen feeds the beneficial composting bacteria and thus speeds the eventual composting process. This process is then extended by windrow dynamics.
Utilization
To properly utilize a compost windrow turner, it is ideal to compost on a concrete pad; haul in the feed stocks, and place them into windrows. Heavy-duty compost windrow turners can be built that allow the user to obtain optimum results. By using 4-wheel-drive or tracks the windrow turner is capable of turning compost in windrows located in remote locations. With a self-trailering option this allows the compost windrow turner to convert itself into a trailer to be pulled by a semi-truck tractor. These two options combined allow the compost windrow turner to be easily hauled anywhere and to turn the compost in muddy and wet locations.
See also
External links
|
|||||
|
||||||||||||||
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 20 February 2008, at 16:41.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Windrow composting".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.