Abstract

OVIEDO-OCANA, Edgar Ricardo; MARMOLEJO-REBELLON, Luis Fernando  and  TORRES-LOZADA, Patricia. Advances in Research on Biowaste Composting in Small Municipalities of Developing Countries. Lessons from Colombia. Ing. invest. y tecnol. [online]. 2017, vol.18, n.1, pp.31-42. ISSN 2594-0732.

Composting is one of the most used technologies for biowaste recycling. However, its adoption has been ineffective in developing countries; one of the causes being the limited research for implementation in these contexts. This paper presents a contribution around progress in research on biowaste composting in small municipalities from developing countries, based on results from six years of studies conducted by the authors. Three topics are addressed: i) analysis of the physicochemical quality of substrates; ii) assessment of alternatives for improving the process and product quality; and iii) development of tools for planning and operation of composting installations. This progress has allowed reducing processing times, improve the conditions for material sanitization, fulfil the standards of product quality, identify tests for improving in situ control and monitoring of product maturity and stability, and developing tools to select bulking and amendment materials. Research together with pilot-scale projects is a significant strategy for positioning biowaste composting as an appropriate alternative for managing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste.

Keywords : resource recovery; biowaste; composting; small municipalities; developing countries.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )