Quite commonly, pH is not a primary concern within a compost system; however, pH can impact microbial efficiency and compost quality. pH is a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14 that measures a substance’s acidity or alkalinity. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, while a pH below 7 is acidic, and above 7 is …
Quality compost usually consists of three components – the primary substrate, amendments, and bulking agents. The primary substrate is the waste of interest to be decomposed (e.g. food waste or animal mortalities). Amendments are mixed with the primary substrate to balance the compost’s carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C:N between 25:1 to 30:1) and regulate moisture. Bulking agents …
The Use of High Carbon Materials as Bulking Agents Read More »
Different methods can be used to create compost. Many of our blog posts have provided details on hot (active) composting to support Actium equipment best practices. The other composting method we discussed for comparison is the slower “set it and forget” cold (passive) composting method. An additional way to decompose organic matter is through vermiculture. …
Canadian Council of Ministers of Environment (CCME) Quality standards for Selling and Distributing Compost in Canada Composting is a natural process; however, it was not until the 1990s that medium to large-scale composting technologies became a public interest (Golueke and Diaz, 1996; Zheng et al., 2020). During the nineties, the public became more concerned and …
The Details in the Carbon Wood shavings, dried grasses, leaves, straws, stalks, and paper products are plant dry matter commonly added to compost as “browns” for their carbon richness. Brown materials aid in effectively decomposing nitrogen-rich (a.k.a. “greens”) waste products such as manure, food waste, and animal mortalities. In addition, brown materials are used as …
The Actium compost drums are used in a variety of climates. In the tropical and subtropical climates, the composter is used year-round. In temperate climates, the Actium Batch Compost Drum can be used year-round because the drum is insulated. However, the decaying process can be slowed where winter temperatures are below freezing for a prolonged …
Determining and sourcing organic materials for Composting Along with having the right composter for the task, the Fort Albany First Nation (FAFN) community needed to determine what organic materials would be added to the Actium Batch Compost Drum and where we could obtain these materials. There are two types of organic materials we wanted to …
Our Ideal Design The Actium Batch Compost Drum has become an essential tool for Fort Albany First Nation’s community garden. This article details why Fort Albany First Nation needed a composter and why the design of the Actium Batch Compost Drum suited our needs. Why was a composter needed in a remote subarctic community? Fort …
Greens and Browns: Composting Input Management Actium Composting equipment allows for environmentally sustainable disposal and reuse of organic materials in the form of compost. The program I work with invested in an Actium Batch Composter Drum, to primarily create local fertilizer for subarctic community gardens located in Fort Albany First Nation, Ontario, Canada. As a …
Regulating Compost Moisture during Hot Composting Hot composting is most effective at decomposing organic waste when moisture levels are approximately 50%. A compost with excessive moisture will cause Excessive moisture while composting does not provide a viable environment for aerobic decomposers to thrive. Too much moisture reduces the oxygen supply to aerobic decomposers; as a …
