Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors

Huge quantities of palm tree residues are available annually in Saudi Arabia; they are often disposed of by burning, leading to large environmental pollution and health problems. Enclosed composting may be a successful method for utilizing these residues. Effective composting in a rotary bioreactor...

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Main Authors:	Fahad Alkoaik, Abdulelah Al-Faraj, Ibrahim Al-Helal, Ronnel Fulleros, Mansour Ibrahim, Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	MDPI AG 2019-12-01
Series:	Sustainability
Subjects:	aeration bioreactor compost palm tree residues rotation rural area
Online Access:	https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/201

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record_format	Article
spelling	doaj-79d0e93c886d4510b4690ec67e119ce22020-11-25T02:19:36ZengMDPI AGSustainability2071-10502019-12-0112120110.3390/su12010201su12010201Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating BioreactorsFahad Alkoaik0Abdulelah Al-Faraj1Ibrahim Al-Helal2Ronnel Fulleros3Mansour Ibrahim4Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany5Department of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Agricultural Engineering, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi ArabiaHuge quantities of palm tree residues are available annually in Saudi Arabia; they are often disposed of by burning, leading to large environmental pollution and health problems. Enclosed composting may be a successful method for utilizing these residues. Effective composting in a rotary bioreactor depends on the composting materials and the frequencies of the rotation−aeration process. Here, we attempted to determine the optimal method for composting these residues in a bioreactor. Four identical pilot-scale bioreactors (D1−D4) were used. The respective aeration−rotation frequencies were continuous (D1), and 20 min per 1 h (D2), 2 h (D3), and 3 h (D4); the rotation speed of the bioreactors was 3 rpm. Three periods were analyzed; their names and their respective lengths for D1, D2, D3, and D4 were as follows: the lag period was 10 h for each, the mesophilic periods were 13, 14, 89, and 231 h, and the thermophilic periods were 0, 55, 71, and 17 h. The peak compost temperatures (<i>T</i><sub>c, max</sub>) for D1, D2, and D3 were 65.2, 57.2, and 46.9 °C, and were achieved at 36, 71, and 108 h of operation, respectively. In D1, <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> quickly declined after reaching <i>T</i><sub>c, max</sub> due to limited microbial activity at <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> > 60 °C. In D2, a <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> of 50−57.2 °C was maintained for 61 h, and the highest organic matter degradation (OMD) of 0.30 was achieved. During the composting period, the carbon to nitrogen (<i>C/N</i>) ratio and moisture contents (<i>MC</i>) remained in the optimal ranges for microorganisms and did not affect the composting process. The results indicated that combined aeration−rotation for 20 min every hour (D2) gave the best results for composting palm tree residues, it ensured the hygiene safety of the end product, and it also consumed less power for aeration and rotation than D1.https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/201aerationbioreactorcompostpalm tree residuesrotationrural area
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Fahad Alkoaik Abdulelah Al-Faraj Ibrahim Al-Helal Ronnel Fulleros Mansour Ibrahim Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany
spellingShingle	Fahad Alkoaik Abdulelah Al-Faraj Ibrahim Al-Helal Ronnel Fulleros Mansour Ibrahim Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors Sustainability aeration bioreactor compost palm tree residues rotation rural area
author_facet	Fahad Alkoaik Abdulelah Al-Faraj Ibrahim Al-Helal Ronnel Fulleros Mansour Ibrahim Ahmed M. Abdel-Ghany
author_sort	Fahad Alkoaik
title	Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
title_short	Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
title_full	Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
title_fullStr	Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
title_full_unstemmed	Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors
title_sort	toward sustainability in rural areas: composting palm tree residues in rotating bioreactors
publisher	MDPI AG
series	Sustainability
issn	2071-1050
publishDate	2019-12-01
description	Huge quantities of palm tree residues are available annually in Saudi Arabia; they are often disposed of by burning, leading to large environmental pollution and health problems. Enclosed composting may be a successful method for utilizing these residues. Effective composting in a rotary bioreactor depends on the composting materials and the frequencies of the rotation−aeration process. Here, we attempted to determine the optimal method for composting these residues in a bioreactor. Four identical pilot-scale bioreactors (D1−D4) were used. The respective aeration−rotation frequencies were continuous (D1), and 20 min per 1 h (D2), 2 h (D3), and 3 h (D4); the rotation speed of the bioreactors was 3 rpm. Three periods were analyzed; their names and their respective lengths for D1, D2, D3, and D4 were as follows: the lag period was 10 h for each, the mesophilic periods were 13, 14, 89, and 231 h, and the thermophilic periods were 0, 55, 71, and 17 h. The peak compost temperatures (<i>T</i><sub>c, max</sub>) for D1, D2, and D3 were 65.2, 57.2, and 46.9 °C, and were achieved at 36, 71, and 108 h of operation, respectively. In D1, <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> quickly declined after reaching <i>T</i><sub>c, max</sub> due to limited microbial activity at <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> > 60 °C. In D2, a <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> of 50−57.2 °C was maintained for 61 h, and the highest organic matter degradation (OMD) of 0.30 was achieved. During the composting period, the carbon to nitrogen (<i>C/N</i>) ratio and moisture contents (<i>MC</i>) remained in the optimal ranges for microorganisms and did not affect the composting process. The results indicated that combined aeration−rotation for 20 min every hour (D2) gave the best results for composting palm tree residues, it ensured the hygiene safety of the end product, and it also consumed less power for aeration and rotation than D1.
topic	aeration bioreactor compost palm tree residues rotation rural area
url	https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/201
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Toward Sustainability in Rural Areas: Composting Palm Tree Residues in Rotating Bioreactors

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