COMPOST FERTILIZER MATURITY DETECTION SYSTEM BASED ON MULTISENSORS IN COMPOSTERS

Abstract

This invention relates to a multisensor-based organic compost fertilizer maturity detector. The sensors used consist of an odor sensor, a color sensor, and a weight sensor, all three of which are integrated into a microcontroller. Monitoring results using this detector indicate that the pungent, foul odor of high concentrations of ammonia gas due to the decomposition process continues to decrease as the fertilizer raw material matures. Meanwhile, the color of the fertilizer raw material shows a continuous change from a greenish color to a brownish-black color as the fertilizer matures. Weight loss also occurs as the fertilizer matures. Based on three parameters, namely odor, color, and weight loss, this organic compost fertilizer maturity detector has high accuracy because if there is an error in reading one parameter, it can be covered by another parameter.Furthermore, by not relying solely on temperature and humidity parameters, fertilizer maturity monitoring results are unaffected by changes in ambient temperature and humidity. Furthermore, the presence of this multisensor-based detector in the composter has made the decomposition process more practical, eliminating the need for manual inspection by opening and closing the composter, thus preventing contamination of the fertilizer raw materials and unwanted oxidation reactions.