Chicken Manure Valorisation by Forced Aeration In-Vessel Composting at Laboratory Scale

Intensive rearing of different animals has led to significant amounts of farming animal derived wastes, such as chicken manure, an important biodegradable waste that is still frequently applied in direct land fertilization as a method of disposal. Unfortunately, this is not a sustainable treatment option for chicken manure due to its intrinsic properties. In line with the waste management hierarchy options and with circular economy principles, chicken manure valorisation is possible after biological or chemical treatment, the first being even more desirable because it mimics the natural cycles. However, various materials must be added to the chicken manure to make susceptible to biodegradation. This study proposes the experimental laboratory-scale investigation of an in-vessel forced aeration process applied for the treatment and valorisation of chicken manure. The most suitable bulking agent out of 4 materials (sawdust, wheat straw, lignite and charcoal) and the various C:N ratio in waste-bulking agent mixtures were investigated. The results indicated that lignite is the most suitable bulking material, while a C:N ratio of a chicken-manure lignite mix of 10:6 is considered to give the best composting results.