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Actium Batch Compost Drum is a 4 ft. diameter X 5 ft. long insulated rotating drum. The recommended loading rate is up to 500 lb. per week of fresh organics and dry amendment. You can add more for a short period of time. This may be necessary for example at the end of a poultry production cycle when the weight of mortalities are generally higher.
Simply place the composter at a convenient location and add organics as required. It requires no energy input from electricity or fuel with the standard manual crank. There is no need to have access to electricity. An electric reversing gearmotor is also available. Dry, absorbent carbon amendment, (bulking agent) needs to be added once or twice per week. This is determined by your rate of loading. More on this below.
It is our smallest model of rotating compost drums. The Batch Composter’s 2 cubic yard (1750 liter) capacity is large enough to develop the heat required for efficient hot composting. We designed and manufacture it with more insulating value than our larger models. It has 2″ of high density mineral fiber insulating the drum and 2″ of Styrofoam SM insulation in the ends. As a result, more of the heat produced by the composting micro-organisms is retained, resulting in Hot Composting. The insulation is protected by a stainless steel jacket.
it is important for successful composting in our drums to be mindful of the moisture content of the material in the drum. If it is too wet, then the condition in the drum become anaerobic This will result in slow or no composting and the production of methane,(bad greenhouse gas) hydrogen sulfide (rotten eggs) and ammonia (also stinky).
The aeration of our rotating drums alleviate this to a certain extent, but there is nothing better to prevent this than the addition of a dry, absorbent bulking material that is also high in Carbon. Much of our food waste and other organics is high in Nitrogen, so the Carbon is required to raise the C:N ratio. Ideally this is about 30:1. Shredded cardboard, kiln dried wood shavings, dry sawdust or a combination of these will all work. Some dry hay or grass is good. Other materials are also possible. We can assess what you have available. I can provide you with a compost mix calculator to assess the recipe you are using. And I am also always available for a discussion to fine tune.
The Batch Composter has mixing paddles welded inside the drum. Turning the drum with the manual crank or optional electrical gearmotor mixes the composting organics with the bulking agent (wood shavings, sawdust or other dry absorbent carbon source). This ensures that all the material in the drum is equally composted.
When the Actium Batch Compost Drum is full, empty it and you can use the compost for your landscaping or gardening needs. It produces a compost rich mulch. It is a good practice to leave some of the compost in the drum when emptying. This will provide a starter microbial culture for the next batch.
Alternatively, one of our customers is adding his material once per week after removing enough compost from the drum to allow for this addition. In this way, he operates the drum nearly full, and everything is in the drum for one week. He turns the drum once per day to aerate and mix the material. He has a weekly supply of finished compost.
The Actium Batch Compost Drum has optional steps and handrails available. For most applications, they are not required.
Turning the drum puts the compost on the far side of the drum away from the loading/unloading opening. The opening can then be positioned at a convenient height for adding materials. The opening’s 2 ft diameter is large enough to add an entire bale of wood shavings. This results in less mess from handling the wood shavings You can also easily use a standard green garbage can for additions.
Contact Us Today for More Information on the Actium Batch Compost Drum!
(519) 527-2525
