Resumen

PATERLINI, Hernán; GONZALEZ, María Virginia  y  PICONI, Liliana. Comparación de técnicas para compostar cama de pollo. Cienc. suelo [online]. 2017, vol.35, n.2, pp.385-394. ISSN 1850-2067.

The composting process has been gaining great attention as a good alternative technique to handle the manure excess generated by the poultry industry. The objective of this study was to evaluate two broiler litter composting techniques comparing turned and watered piles (PV) with those statics (PE), in order to get a valuable and stabilized product that can be applied to the soil. In the PV, 9 turnings and 8 irrigations were performed while the PE were subject to a single turning. Piles, 3 of each type, were exposed outdoors and had no cover. During composting period (101 days), 43 surface temperature measurements were performed, every 2 or 3 days, at 4 fixed points: 2 at half height on the two sides and 2 on top. At the end of the process, total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (NT), ammonium (N-NH₄⁺) and nitrate (N-NO₃^-) content were determined. In PV, temperature increases were recorded after each turning operation, reaching values that averaged between 58 and 62 ^oC on the top of piles, followed by decreases until the next turning operation. In PE, several temperature peaks were also observed but smaller, which were associated to the unique turning (42 ^oC) or intense rain (52 ^oC). After 60 and 80 days of composting in PV and PE; respectively, temperature stabilized and dropped to values close to room temperature, between 30 and 33 ^oC. Chemical indices of maturity evaluation such as C/N and N-NH₄⁺/N-NO₃^- ratio were similar between both composting techniques (9.56 and 0.11 for PV, and 11.33 and 0.12 for PE in C/N and N-NH₄⁺/N-NO₃^-, respectively). Both techniques generated a mature product; however regarding the control of pathogenic organisms PE did not achieve the maximum temperature advised to inactivate them.

Palabras clave : Poultry manure; Compost maturity; Composting technologies; Pile temperature.

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