Moisture is Very Important For Fermenting Biomass Fertilizer

In order to produce biomass fertilizer successfully, it is initial to maintain a certain amount of moisture. Because most microorganism are lack of water retaining mechanism, they are sensitive to water. When the moisture content is in the range of 35%~40%, the degradation ratio of microorganism will decrease greatly; when the moisture content is less than 30%, degradation process will completely stop. In general , organics will be inflatable and soft after absorbing water, which avail microorganism to degrade organics. The substance in water can provide nutrients and a good environment for microorganism to grow. If there is too less water in the raw material, microorganism’s activity will be limited, which will affect composting speed.

For most mixed compost, the recommended moisture content is in the range of 50%～60%. In order to calculate the best mixing ratio of compost material, we should know the maximum water holding capacity of different raw materials first, then we could adjust  moisture content according to the best mixing ratio.

Many matrixes like municipal refuse, agricultural wastes and courtyard wastes are always used to be composted in dry condition. In general, animal manure should go through air drying process before being composted. However, sludge and other wet materials don’t need to go through air drying process. The moisture content of municipal sludge is above 70%. Sludge doesn’t contain hydrophilic fibers. Thus, if you only use sludge cake as material to compost, air needs to be added by continuous mechanical stirring.