Chemical and Biochemical Parameters During Composting of Lawn Clippings with Special Regard to the Efficiency of a Compost Starter Kit

Compost Science & Utilization, (2007), Vol. 15, No. 1, 40-46

Paul Illmer, Andreas Otto Wagner, Johannes Mair, Cornelia Malin and Sieglinde Farbmacher
Institute of Microbiology, Innsbruck, Austria

Lawn clippings were composted for 27 days to obtain an overview of chemical and biochemical changes taking place during the process. In particular, the influence of a special microbial compost starter kit (CSK) on the composting process with reference to the maturity and stability of the end-product, was studied. The starter kit consisted of an organic matrix and two seeded microorganisms, Geotrichum klebahnii and Trichoderma viride. Quality control of CSK was performed with common cultural techniques and by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) using a new primer set. For temperature, electrical conductivity, spectral absorption at 254, 400 and 600 nm, and for the concentration of total organic carbon, no significant differences could be observed depending on CSK-application. In contrast, the results connected with NNH4, NNO3, Nt, pH, percentage of dry weight and organic matter and the biomass and height of test plants pointed distinctly to better and faster degradation within the samples treated with compost starter compared to the untreated samples. Therefore the starter kit used within the present investigation seems to be an effecttive and useful tool for compost preparation on a household composting-scale.

Copyright 2003-2010, The JG Press, Inc.