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Sanitation by Composting

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Microbes at Work

Abstract

In composting, there is always a risk of pathogens and unwanted plant seeds being present. The risk of pathogen content varies with substrate and is the highest in sewage and excreta products. There are several functions regulating pathogen inactivation in composting, with the main effect deriving from the heat produced. Most pathogen inactivation starts at temperatures above 50°C, and it increases with increasing temperature. The compost conditions needed for reaching high temperatures are the available energy and oxygen. The temperature distribution within the compost varies depending on factors such as moisture content and external cooling from incoming air. In areas with lower temperatures, inactivation decreases and in some cases where the material is fresh, growth of pathogenic bacteria can occur. In a composting process, it is impossible to monitor all polluting pathogens and plant seeds, and therefore, the most appropriate management option is the validation of the process regarding its efficiency for pathogen inactivation. Thereafter, the sanitisation effect can be monitored via process parameters such as temperature, pH and product stability.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 7032, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Björn Vinnerås

  2. National Veterinary Institute, SE-751 89, Uppsala, Sweden

    Björn Vinnerås

  3. Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 7032, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    F. Agostini & Hakan Jönsson

  4. EcoSanRes, Stockholm Environmental Institute, Käftriket 2c, SE 106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    Hakan Jönsson

Authors
  1. Björn Vinnerås
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  2. F. Agostini
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  3. Hakan Jönsson
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Correspondence to Björn Vinnerås .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria

    Heribert Insam

  2. Inst. Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria

    Ingrid Franke-Whittle

  3. Inst. Mikrobiologie, Universität Innsbruck, Technikerstr. 25, Innsbruck, 6020, Austria

    Marta Goberna

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Vinnerås, B., Agostini, F., Jönsson, H. (2010). Sanitation by Composting. In: Insam, H., Franke-Whittle, I., Goberna, M. (eds) Microbes at Work. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04043-6_9

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