Composting methods

Abstract

To provide a method for producing compost that can be used as a fertilizer or a soil conditioner with small amounts of spraying, and is welcomed at agricultural production sites due to the demand for compost which has a high fertilizer content and is easy to handle, as an alternative to chemical fertilizers, rather than disposal of waste as livestock businesses.SOLUTION: A compost production method that can mass-produce fully matured compost, in which beef cow manure and chicken manure from egg-laying hens, which are livestock species that are not usually mixed due to the difference in carbon content, are mixed in a 1:1 volume ratio suitable for easy mixing; an appropriate amount of return compost is mixed in to add microorganisms; when there are organic resources available in the neighborhood, they are mixed at an appropriate time, if desired; and the fermentation of the sediment is carried out over a period of 110 days or more in the entire process to produce compost, thereby replenishing an appropriate amount of water and performing a lot of stirring and movement. This method produces a mature compost having a heavy specific gravity that can pass through a small sieve, which can be an alternative to chemical fertilizers to be imported.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present invention relates to a compost production method for composting livestock manure.

Background Art

[0002] The composting of livestock manure is carried out within the same site as the livestock shed. For beef cattle, sawdust is mixed as bedding, and for laying hens, return compost is mixed to promote aerobic fermentation. Stirring and moving are carried out with heavy machinery such as a bulldozer, and stirring is carried out with a rotary stirrer, etc., to make it into a shape that is easy to use in agricultural land, parks, ordinary households, etc. by reducing moisture and reducing malodor.

[0003] Normally, composting is carried out with single manure such as cow dung in a cowshed or chicken dung in a chicken shed, and stirring fermentation is carried out. Even if the discharge of livestock manure of a different livestock species is seen in the neighborhood, generally, it is rarely seen that livestock manure, which is industrial waste, is moved from other facilities and mixed.

[0004] Strictly speaking, in terms of the accuracy of the term, deposits such as rice straw and fallen leaves are compost, and livestock manure is called manure. Nowadays, there are few people making rice straw compost, and generally, from the perspective of treating a large amount of livestock manure, all of the above are called compost, and rather, rice straw is likely to be called rice straw compost.

[0005] Since ancient times, as in the case of collecting rice straw, fallen leaves, pine needles, etc. and mixing them with human feces and urine, or horse dung and cow dung lying on the road, 60 years ago, calcium cyanamide was mixed with rice straw and pine needles, and about 40 years ago, calcium cyanamide etc. was mixed with cow dung (mixed with sawdust) for composting. Mixing high-carbon woody residues with human feces and urine and calcium cyanamide, which have a high nitrogen content, was the basis of compost production.

[0006] Also, when composting chicken dung etc. in a farmer's own compost shed, rice bran, rice husks, sawdust, etc. were mixed with chicken dung and stirred and moved with a bucket device attached in front of a tractor to produce homemade compost.

[0007] These days, individual farmers producing their own compost has become much less common, and it's rare to find farmers using rice straw or cow manure for composting. Composting using calcium cyanamide has also been almost forgotten. Over the past 35 years, farmers have been able to purchase compost from large-scale livestock farms cheaply in dump trucks, and high-quality compost is sold and distributed as packaged products. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6976627

[0009] [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4940444

[0010] [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 4087743

[0011] [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-085960 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] As of 2022, the situation in Ukraine, which has exacerbated the flattening of the global landscape, and China's export restrictions aimed at protecting its domestic agriculture, have led to soaring prices for mineral raw materials and fertilizers, resulting in Japanese trading companies losing out on bids. Combined with rising prices for agricultural materials such as pesticides and plastic sheeting, this has increased the cost of consumable materials for agricultural businesses.

[0013] The raw materials involved in this invention, livestock manure, is estimated to amount to over 80 million tons in Japan (7.9 million tons from laying hens and 23.6 million tons from beef cattle), and it appears that it contains phosphorus and potassium in amounts exceeding those of imported chemical fertilizers. In addition, livestock manure contains the five major elements of soil, including calcium and magnesium, trace elements such as manganese and boron, soil-building components such as silicic acid and iron, fundamental components of soil chemistry such as humic acid, diverse microbial cells, and probably all of the fertilizer components that are fundamental to plant cultivation.

[0014] The goal is to create high-quality compost that concentrates phosphorus and potassium, along with other active ingredients, to a high degree, while also being easy to use and inexpensive to produce, meeting the needs of agricultural practices.

[0015] In this context, the government enacted the so-called "Green Law" in May 2021, a law to reduce the use of imported chemical fertilizers by more than 30% by 2050, and to promote the effective use of unused organic resources such as livestock manure, food waste, and human waste. The effective use of livestock manure, in particular, is attracting attention, and it seems that the use of nitrogen, phosphorus, and especially potassium contained in chicken manure is being recommended.

[0016] The fundamental concept necessary for producing high-concentration, high-quality livestock manure compost is that by fermenting and decomposing the manure, the organic components, namely nitrogen and especially carbon, decrease, while the inorganic fertilizer component, ash, increases.

[0017] Most organic materials contain carbon in the molecular structure of proteins and fibrous materials (cellulose, lignin). Typically, when dried, they contain more than 45% carbon, and this can be recognized as the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C / N ratio) based on the ratio of carbon to nitrogen derived from proteins.

[0018] The raw materials for livestock manure start with feed, but the properties of the manure differ depending on the feed used. Chicken manure, cow manure, and pig manure each have their own characteristics, which are reflected in the differences in their carbon content. The standard carbon content for each type of livestock is 6 for chicken manure, 11 for pig manure, 16 for cow manure, 70 for rice straw, and 200 for sawdust. However, for beef cattle, the actual carbon content is around 30 because sawdust is used as bedding on the floor of the barn.

[0019] The purpose of composting livestock manure is to use it effectively as fertilizer and soil conditioner by spreading it on the soil, not to take it outside the livestock shed as waste. Legally, under the Fertilizer Control Act, it is classified as a special fertilizer, and its components must be analyzed and labeled. Businesses must submit a notification of fertilizer sales and fertilizer manufacture to the prefecture where they are located.

[0020] Prior Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6976627) considers the content of amino acids and the presence of specific microorganisms as patentable items, but these are not officially recognized items. The Fertilizer Control Law mandates the display of the five elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, lime, and magnesium, as well as carbon content, moisture content, and pH, in addition to the content of copper and zinc, which are growth-inhibiting substances if present in excess.

[0021] Compost is a fertilizer, and its quality should be judged by the content of the three essential elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It might seem that the degree of maturation and the quality of the fermentation process are irrelevant, but in order to achieve high concentrations of these three elements, the degree of maturation and the environment during the fermentation process do indeed have an impact.

[0022] The reason why carbon content labeling became mandatory in October 2000 is that at that time, large quantities of bark compost and immature cow manure were being added to the soil, causing excessive damage to the soil, resulting in base damage and nitrogen deficiency in various areas. This led to the adoption of carbon content labeling as a standard analytical requirement for compost.

[0023] In the past, fertilizer inspection offices existed in each prefecture as administrative organs and conducted free analysis of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, potassium, lime, copper, zinc, carbon ratio, moisture, and pH of harvested fertilizers. However, they were abolished after 2011, and analysis of compost products was no longer carried out. After that, the Livestock Environment Improvement Organization began to charge for compost component analysis, and our company has also been requesting analysis since 2015.

[0024] The inspection reports on compost components and the like by the Livestock Environment Improvement Organization analyze livestock manure compost across the country. In addition to the above nine elements, the basic analysis content also includes analysis of magnesia, iron, manganese, germination rate, and oxygen consumption, enabling the recognition of the superiority or inferiority of compost products through analysis.

[0025] At the agricultural production sites, there are no products that can distinguish the superiority or inferiority of compost components, and there has been no tendency to use them as a sales tool until now. However, the soaring price of fertilizers has made it impossible to overlook them as an expense in agricultural production. How to meaningfully utilize domestic resources such as livestock manure will have a great impact on future Japanese agriculture.

[0026] Regarding livestock manure compost, in the above 15 analysis items, the effect as a fertilizer on actual agricultural production generally first brings nitrogen to mind. Nitrogen is essential for the decomposition of organic matter, and it is consumed in the decomposition of fibrous substances. At the same time, nitrogen is also released as gases such as ammonia and nitrogen oxides together with carbon dioxide gas during decomposition. Therefore, nitrogen decreases as composting progresses.

[0027] In addition, the nitrogen fertilizer efficiency (fertilizer utilization rate) of mature compost depends on the carbon ratio of the compost, and the guideline has also been determined. The nitrogen fertilizer efficiency of compost with a high carbon ratio is about 10%, and even for materials with a low carbon ratio, it is about 35%. Therefore, the amount of nitrogen content cannot be used as an indicator to represent the superiority or inferiority of compost products. Also, when considering the nitrogen content, the low carbon ratio is important. This not only increases the above fertilizer efficiency but also makes the carbon ratio important as an indicator of the maturity of composting.

[0028] Next, regarding phosphorus, the fertilizer efficiency of compost products is said to be 80%, but the amount of phosphorus actually applied to farmland has long been excessive. This is because chemical fertilizers such as superphosphate of lime have very poor fertilizer efficiency in soils with a low silica / alumina ratio (silicate / alumina), which is the average phosphorus absorption coefficient in Japan. This is because water-soluble phosphorus temporarily combines with alumina and iron oxide in the soil and becomes insoluble depending on the soil's pH, and more than necessary was being applied, including the insoluble portion.

[0029] While the fertilizer components actually absorbed in agricultural production are known, the amount of phosphorus absorbed is, on average, 1 / 7 of nitrogen and less than 1 / 10 of potassium across all agricultural products. The phosphorus content of mature compost is higher than that of nitrogen and potassium in all livestock species, and it can be recognized that the amount of phosphorus is sufficient when mature compost for livestock is applied relative to the amount of potassium applied. Furthermore, since organically derived, non-water-soluble phosphorus is not considered to become insoluble, it is an excellent phosphorus fertilizer with better fertilizer efficiency than chemical fertilizers.

[0030] Based on the above, the potassium content among the three elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is the target of this invention, which is to provide a fertilizer component that can serve as a substitute for imported chemical fertilizers and contribute to agricultural cultivation through the production of compost using livestock manure as a raw material.

[0031] Potassium has a soil application efficiency of 90% relative to its potassium content, making it an essential fertilizer for crops. In regions where fertilizers are expensive and cannot be purchased internationally, the use of potassium from plant ash obtained through slash-and-burn agriculture has become a global environmental problem in areas such as the Amazon and Southeast Asia.

[0032] Geopolitically, potassium is concentrated in Canada and Belarus. Furthermore, with international public opinion pushing for the prohibition of slash-and-burn agriculture due to global warming concerns, all nations in a flattened economic landscape need potassium for their own agricultural production and export. As a result, rising potassium ore prices and Japanese trading companies being outbid will likely continue to be a problem.

[0033] Therefore, the most important challenge for the future of agriculture through the composting of livestock manure is to produce compost with a high potassium content, which will also solve the phosphorus problem by containing more phosphorus than necessary. Furthermore, in order to effectively utilize the nitrogen components, it is necessary to decompose the compost until the carbon content is as low as possible.

[0034] The need is not for waste disposal as a livestock farmer, but for compost that is easy to handle, has a high fertilizer content, and can be used as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. The manufacturing method and component content of the compost produced are such that it can be used as a fertilizer and soil conditioner in small amounts and would be welcomed in agricultural production sites, and that it has a high potassium content and a low carbon ratio. i, crude ash content of 50% or more The objective of this invention is to provide a method for producing compost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0035] In the production of compost from livestock manure, a high potassium content and a high carbon ratio are desirable. Low, crude ash content of 50% or more This section explains methods for producing compost.

[0036] The ultimate goal of fully matured compost is to decompose even hard carbon-rich organic matter, such as lignin, using microorganisms like wood-decaying fungi, thereby reducing the carbon content. Furthermore, the guideline for achieving this perfect maturation is... Crude ash content there is.

[0037] To achieve the above-mentioned fully matured compost, even if not perfectly, the first step is to mix livestock manure according to the type of livestock, taking into account the carbon ratio; the second step is to provide an environment necessary for good fermentation by ensuring a suitable gas phase and a pile shape that has sufficient specific surface area for temperature maintenance, an appropriate moisture content for good hydrolysis, and to allow for the maximum possible number of stirrings and pile length to complete the fermentation and decomposition process.

[0038] One possible condition is that the ideal mixture would be one in which beef cattle manure, a material with a high carbon content, is combined with egg-laying hen manure, which contains nitrogen and lime such as calcium cyanamide, resulting in a final carbon content of 10 or less. However, this refers to the carbon content of the final mature compost product, not the numerical carbon content at the time of mixing. In practice, using a wheel loader is the best method, and its size is not a problem; it is simpler to use the volume of each wheel loader's bucket when it is fully loaded.

[0039] Cow manure mixed with sawdust and chicken manure, which is rich in protein and lime, have different apparent specific gravities. Mixing them by weight is impossible because the weight will vary depending on the moisture content of the livestock species. Measuring the weight of the manure in the bucket of a wheel loader with a platform scale and then adjusting it to the same weight would require measuring it each time and manually adjusting it with a shovel, which would be extremely inconvenient, depending on the accuracy of the scale.

[0040] Patent Document 1 (Patent No. 6976627) uses chicken manure and cow manure, but the mixture is done by weight ratio. However, as mentioned above, it seems difficult to actually do this. The chicken manure:cow manure ratio of 1:1 to 15 (by weight) in the document is different from the 1:1 volume ratio of the present invention, because the apparent specific gravity of chicken manure is generally heavier than that of cow manure, and therefore the apparent specific gravity of chicken manure is generally heavier.

[0041] Furthermore, since the objective of the invention described in the above-mentioned patent document is to reduce clopyralid in cow dung, it is necessary to process a large amount of cow dung. As a result, the carbon ratio was not considered in this invention, which is reflected in the introduction that chicken manure is mixed in a smaller amount than cow dung. Incidentally, we can report that in compost produced using a method similar to the present invention prior to ours, the clopyralid content was <0.01 mg / kg. (Analysis by Tsukuba Analysis Center, March 2017, reception number 17001051-001)

[0042] The ideal volume ratio for mixing beef cattle manure with laying hen manure is 1:1. For example, achieving an accurate 10:9 ratio would require 19 containers of work, which is inconvenient. While pursuing the ideal carbon ratio is good, considering the rising costs of vehicles such as diesel fuel and labor, unnecessary pursuit is not advisable. It is important to first mix the nitrogen and calcium components contained in the chicken manure with the beef manure.

[0043] Next, regarding the moisture content during the fermentation period, this can be managed using measuring instruments such as a moisture meter or by measuring the apparent specific gravity. However, before considering the moisture content during stirring and movement, if the moisture content is appropriate, a white layer of mycelium will always be visible in the piled compost (30-5 cm from the surface), and differences in the color of the piled compost can also be used to determine if the moisture content is appropriate based on experience.

[0044] For workers who regularly use wheel loaders to mix and move the compost on a daily basis, this method can be easily learned and implemented. Monitoring temperature changes inside the compost using a thermometer is also an effective method, and if the moisture content is insufficient, the necessary amount of water can be added by installing an irrigation system.

[0045] The same applies to the period of stirring and moving; experience shows that mycelial growth is very small within 3 days (within 5 days), while beyond 12 days, the mycelium actually decreases over time and the temperature inside the compost also drops. Based on this experience, ambient temperature, season, the airtightness of the compost shed, and lighting conditions, workers can easily learn and implement this based on the mycelium and compost temperature. However, given the current 7-day calendar, stirring and moving every 7 days seems ideal from the perspective of worker welfare.

[0046] Ultimately, the key to determining whether the compost can become ideally matured compost lies in the accumulation and stirring period. This period includes stirring and moving the compost every seven days, not just a period of standing still. In nature, humus, formed from accumulated fallen leaves in forests, gradually turns into soil from the surface in contact with the soil, but it is said that it takes 60 to 100 years for 1 cm of soil to form. It is a natural law that if given enough time, it will eventually become ideal compost. Moreover, even in nature, the compost is constantly being trampled by animals and moved by wind and rain, so it cannot always remain still.

[0047] In old-growth forests, insect remains, animal excrement, and especially the excrement of birds as they take flight fall onto the accumulated dead leaves. Even cicadas excrete urine when they take flight, adding nitrogen from their excrement to the high-carbon dead leaves and fallen tree remains. This demonstrates that even in the natural order, a mixture of high-carbon plant residues and nitrogen-rich excrement, animal remains, and insect remains is occurring.

[0048] Compost production requires labor and fuel costs, so the number of stirring and stirring cycles and the stirring period cannot be continued indefinitely. Within the target carbon ratio, potassium content, and crude ash content, Crude ash content of 58.7% or more That is the ultimate goal.

[0049] The carbon and potassium content at that point was initially determined by the mixture of cow manure, chicken manure, and returned compost. and This is merely a consequence of the nitrogen, carbon, and potassium contained in the organic resources that were subsequently mixed, and it seems that nothing more can be expected.

[0050] Based on this logical progression, it seems that determining the end of the manufacturing period is most economical for compost with a crude ash content of 50% or more. Compost with very few fertilizer components, such as cow manure or rice straw compost, is meaningless, so we should strive to produce fertilizer that contains a high amount of potassium if possible. The target value would be 4% or more potassium.

[0051] Incidentally, in organic fertilizers, the maximum amount of potassium contained is about 2% in oilseed meal. Typical organic fertilizers are mixtures of nitrogen and phosphorus materials such as blood meal, feather meal, oilseed meal, fish meal, and bone meal, but blood meal, feather meal, and fish meal do not contain potassium. Mixed organic fertilizers are made from a mixture of potassium sulfate and potassium chloride, which is permitted under the Organic JAS Law. This potassium raw material is a chemical fertilizer derived from imported mineral resources.

[0052] As a means of solving the problems in this invention, based on the above considerations, the problem can be solved by mixing egg-laying hen manure and cow manure from beef cattle that use sawdust as bedding in a volume ratio of 3:3:1 at the beginning of production, adding 7-15% of other organic resources that can be mixed in nearby at an appropriate time, and stirring and moving the compost at intervals of 5-12 days more than 12 times. [Effects of the Invention]

[0053] According to the compost manufacturing method of the present invention, it becomes possible to mass-produce compost that is trusted by compost users, which has a high and stable fertilizer content, with less than 30% moisture, a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C / N ratio) of less than 10, more than 50% crude ash, and more than 4% potassium, and does not cause problems when applied to the soil.

[0054] The compost produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention has properties similar to heavy soil with a apparent specific gravity, making up 50% or more of the gross proportion. This allows for the provision of a high-quality product that can be sieved to a size of 8 mm or less. This eliminates the need for pelletizing or granulation, which would increase the selling price, and enables the mass production of easy-to-use and inexpensive compost that can be spread by crop farmers using backpack spreaders, lime sowers, etc.

[0055] The compost produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention can be used to determine the amount to be added to agricultural products intended for cultivation, based on the required potassium content. Furthermore, since the application of fertilizer is carried out in sufficient quantities without excess of specific components other than potassium, such as phosphorus, lime, magnesium, and manganese, all fertilizers except for nitrogen, which may be deficient, are applied, it becomes possible to replace chemical fertilizers, which are imported mineral resources.

[0056] The compost produced by the manufacturing method of the present invention clarifies the purpose and amount of compost to be applied, thereby establishing a circular utilization system for local organic resources and realizing sustainable agriculture with appropriate input. This will contribute to achieving the goals formulated in the Green Food System Strategy. [Modes for carrying out the invention] [Examples]

[0057] Egg-laying hen manure and beef cattle manure (from cattle that use sawdust as bedding) are transported from their respective barns to the composting center's raw material storage area in 4-ton dump trucks. The manure is then stacked alternately in buckets full with a wheel loader, and after being piled up in a mound shape three times, previously produced mature compost is added as return compost in buckets full, and then mixed. In this mixture, egg-laying hen manure: beef cattle manure: return compost = 3:3:1.

[0058] Eight loads (four 4-ton dump trucks) of compost are mixed using the method described above, and then piled up in a mound shape measuring 5m wide, 16m long, and 2.5m high. This is the primary treatment and the beginning of the compost production method of the present invention. By mixing chicken manure with cow manure mixed with sawdust, which has a high air-fill ratio, aerobic fermentation of easily decomposable organic matter is promoted without the need for forced ventilation from the floor.

[0059] This initial mixing is done with carbon ratio in mind, and the returned compost is used as a microbial additive. While there is a prior patent for a composting method that employs carbon ratio (Patent Document 4, Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-085960), this method aims to promote aerobic fermentation and achieve composting in a short time by mixing livestock manure, including cow manure, with plant residues that have a high carbon ratio, and then adding peroxides. However, because peroxides are expensive and mixing them with plant residues reduces the fertilizer components, this method is not considered effective at present.

[0060] Furthermore, Patent No. 4087743 in Patent Document 3 is a patent for an invention by our company. However, the compost manufacturing method at that time used a 1:1 volume ratio of chicken manure and cow manure, and because it utilized anaerobic putrefaction with a high moisture content, nitrogen and potassium were leached out, resulting in compost with low levels of these components (Table 1). In contrast, the present invention incorporates novel features such as the addition of recycled compost and the use of aerobic fermentation, demonstrating that it was more innovative than 20 years ago.

[0061] Patent document 2, Patent No. 4940444, describes a method that utilizes the carbon ratio in the mixing of organic materials, but it considers the carbon ratio in the context of degreasing food waste and is not applicable to livestock manure. Furthermore, although the components of the invention are described, while it is effective as a nitrogen fertilizer, the carbon ratio is only about 10, so the fertilizer efficiency is only about 20-30%, meaning that its actual use as a fertilizer is probably only about 1 / 4 that of oilseed meal. In addition, the amounts of phosphorus and potassium are too small to be effective as a fertilizer.

[0062] In this fermentation state of livestock manure, based on considerations of the carbon ratio, the distinctive malodors of chicken and cow manure are reduced, and even the strong ammonia odor becomes undetectable, resulting in very few coprophagous insects and flies. At this time, depending on the properties of the chicken manure, especially the dry moisture content, the moisture content is often not appropriate. However, since excessive moisture induces malodors in the fermentation of easily decomposable organic matter through aerobic fermentation, the focus should be on mixing after mixing and during the first stirring and moving after 7 days, and no water should be added even if the moisture content is low.

[0063] It appears that food residues can also be mixed in, but whether or not they can be mixed will be determined by the degree of mycelial growth, moisture content, and odor characteristics of the compost during the next and third stirring and transfer. If the final compost components deviate from the target values, the mixing ratio will be reconsidered or reviewed.

[0064] From experience, by the fourth stirring and moving cycle, the decomposition of easily decomposable organic matter continues but is no longer the main component, and the process shifts to the decomposition of fibrous materials such as cellulose. In conventional compost production methods, the process is completed after about 4 to 6 stirring and moving cycles. The reduction in odor due to the general completion of easily decomposable organic matter, the decrease in compost color and moisture content, indicates that the composting process is complete and the product is ready for sale. For example, beef cattle manure sold in bulk by truck is transferred and sold with a moisture content of around 50% (Table 1), as shown in the table.

[0065] [Table 1]

[0066] In the case of chicken manure and pig manure, the above number of stirring cycles is insufficient to remove the foul odor, so the material is moved to a rotary stirring device and stirred and dried until the moisture content is reduced to about 30% (Table 1). It is common practice to move the material in a stacking and stirring cycle five or fewer times. After moving it to the rotary stirring device, it is stirred and moved daily for drying purposes, which seems to hinder the fermentation and decomposition of recalcitrant organic matter, resulting in a low germination rate for egg-laying hen compost and pig manure compost (Table 1).

[0067] As a different organic resource in the vicinity, we utilize spent mushroom substrate from the buna-shimeji mushroom, which is located at our bagging plant and composting center, as an additive. The mixing time is four weeks after the fourth stirring and transfer, as it is mainly composed of sawdust with a high carbon content. At this point, aerobic fermentation mainly of easily decomposable organic matter is nearing completion, and it is thought to be transitioning to the decomposition of difficult-to-decompose organic matter, which enables lignin decomposition by wood-decaying fungi.

[0068] The initial mixing ratio of 3:3:1 has decreased in volume due to fermentation, but here too, we mixed cow manure, chicken manure, and recycled compost in a 6:1 ratio with 6 buckets of mixed compost and 1 bucket of spent mushroom substrate, using a full load of tire loader buckets. This spent mushroom substrate also contains organic resources that beef cattle and laying hens do not feed, and this process will mix all kinds of unused organic resources, and the addition of wood-decaying fungi derived from mushrooms is expected to decompose difficult-to-decompose organic matter.

[0069] The mixture is then stirred and moved repeatedly, but in production up to Mazeta-kun Neo (May 2021), the compost was not of high quality, possibly because it was stirred and moved about 10 times without adding water, followed by drying by tractor stirring. (Table 1)

[0070] The crucial step in compost production according to this invention begins here. During the fourth and subsequent stirrings, depending on the degree of mycelial growth and the actual visible moisture content, the necessary amount of water is irrigated using agricultural irrigation materials such as sprinklers and irrigation tubes to replenish the moisture before the next stirring. Depending on the surface area of ​​the compost pile at this time, spraying equivalent to 20-30 mm of rainfall seems appropriate.

[0071] Previously, the work involved stirring and moving the substrate every 7 days, and this will continue to be done daily using a wheel loader. Currently, 16 stirring and moving operations are performed, so the facility has 20 storage locations, and stirring and moving operations are performed at 3 locations daily. The initial preparation involves a 4-ton dump truck with 7 cubic meters of substrate, which becomes 60 cubic meters, and with the addition of spent mushroom substrate, it amounts to 70 cubic meters. However, the volume decreases with each stirring and moving operation, and each stirring and moving operation takes about an hour.

[0072] The moisture content of piled compost dries quickly in the summer, so the moisture may decrease after three stirrings. If necessary, water it using the method described above at that point. It is actually difficult to recognize the apparent changes in the properties of the compost after the eighth stirring, and there were doubts about the necessity of further stirring. Based on the test results of Mazeta-kun Neo in May 2021, we decided to stir it 16 times and for a period of more than 120 days. The following year, in June 2022, we analyzed Mazeta-kun Neo and the test results showed that what seemed like unnecessary work was actually an essential step.

[0073] Through weekly stirring and movement of the compost 16 times over a period of more than four months, the compost achieved its target quality. The analysis results for Mazeda-kun neo (Table 1) showed a moisture content of 27.4%, a carbon ratio of 9.2%, a crude ash content of 58.7%, and a potassium content of 4.4%, clearly demonstrating the significance of all the processes in this invention.

[0074] For over 20 years, our company has been producing and selling a mixture of cow and chicken manure compost. However, due to variations in compost quality, our agricultural customers have requested features such as pelletization and the inability to spread the compost with lime sowers, which seemed impossible. With our new product (Mazeta-kun neo), available from this year, 2022, it is now easy to spread using a backpack spreader and can also be spread with a lime sower.

[0075] Conventional compost made from beef cattle did not decompose sawdust residue or cow hair, resulting in a product with a low apparent specific gravity. This made it difficult to pass through small sieves, and because it contained light, large particles and fibrous material, it was necessary to spread more than 500 kg per 1000 square meters using manure spreaders or blend casters.

[0076] Therefore, the compost was processed into pellets and other products, requiring expensive equipment investment and power costs for the system, resulting in high selling prices. In the matured compost of the present invention, fibrous components and hair are clearly decomposed, resulting in a compost with a high specific gravity. While ordinary cow manure compost is sold in 8kg / 20-liter bags at home improvement stores, the matured compost of the present invention is packaged in 12kg / 20-liter bags.

[0077] The low carbon ratio and carbon content of 21.2% result in a soil-like texture with a high proportion of heavy silicic acid, potassium, and other coarse ash. This allows it to pass through stainless steel mesh with 7.4mm spacing, enabling application using backpack spreaders and lime saws without the need for expensive pelletization.

Claims

1. A method for producing compost, comprising mixing beef cattle manure with bedding containing sawdust, which has a high carbon content; laying hen manure with a low carbon content containing nitrogen and lime such as calcium cyanamide; and already produced compost as a return compost in a volume ratio of 3:3:0.5 to 2, for the purpose of adding microorganisms to promote fermentation and decomposition; and piling the mixture in a mound shape with a base width of 4.5m or more, a height of 2m or more but less than 3m, and a length of 12m or more as the primary treatment; thereafter stirring and moving the mixture at intervals of 5 to 12 days, and irrigating as needed to maintain a moisture content that allows aerobic fermentation by hydrolysis to proceed; and passing through 15 or more of the aforementioned stirring and moving processes and a production period of 110 days or more from the primary treatment.

2. A method for producing compost, wherein, during an appropriate production period after the primary treatment of the production method of claim 1, organic resources such as manure from livestock species other than those used in claim 1, food residues, and spent mushroom substrate may be mixed in at a volume ratio of 15% or less of the pile-shaped deposit from the primary treatment, and the mixing timing is such that materials with a carbon ratio of 13 or less are mixed at the time of primary treatment, and materials with a carbon ratio of 15 or more are mixed four weeks after primary treatment.

3. A method for producing compost, comprising spreading compost produced by the manufacturing methods of Claim 1 and Claim 2 on a flat surface to a pile height of 50 cm or more and less than 100 cm, drying it to a moisture content that is easy to spread as a fertilizer and soil conditioner by tilling with a tractor or agitating with a rotary agitator, and sieving the compost to a particle size of 8 mm or less to obtain the compost as the product.

4. A method for producing compost, wherein the compost produced by the method of claim 3 and used as a product has inspection results in a compost component analysis report, etc., of less than 30% moisture, less than 10 carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C / N ratio), 50% or more crude ash, and 4% or more potassium.

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