Abstract
This study was performed to evaluate the effects of input ratios of bulking material in aerobic composting of food wastes on variation of colony forming units of heterotrophic bacteria. Wood chips were used as a bulking material. Volume ratios of food wastes to wood chips in reactor of Control, WC-1 and WC-2 were 10/0, 10/5 and 10/10, respectively. Reactors were operated for 24 days with 1hour stirring by 1rpm and 2 hours of the forced aeration per day. WC-2 reached high temperature range faster than WC-1, and the maximum temperature of WC-2 was higher than that of WC-1. This means that the reaction velocity of composting of WC-2 was faster than that of WC-1. Judging from the profile of pH changes, composting of WC-1 proceeded slowly and continuously. Composting of WC-2 proceeded rapidly in the former half reaction period, and kept steady state of high pH in the latter half reaction period. Namely, composting of WC-2 was nearly completed in the former half reaction period. In the case of WC-1 and WC-2. the maximum temperature was followed by the rapid pH increase in 2-3 days, and this was followed by the maximum Colony Forming Units(CFU) in 3 days. But, these three items of WC-2 always appeared faster and higher than those of WC-1.
