HAZARDOUS MATERIALS COMPOSTING

Hazardous materials composting involves the addition of hazardous wastes to a solid compost matrix that provides optimal environmental conditions for microbial metabolism. Microbial degradation of organics within the compost matrix proceeds at a rate sufficient to produce significant energy in the form of heat. This self-heating is characteristic of composting and serves to increase the rate of microbial metabolism. The hazardous substance(s) within the compost matrix may be degraded biologically, either directly or via cometabolism; or by chemical means. Parameters which affect the efficacy of aerobic composting include moisture content, porosity, concentrations of biodegradable carbon and inorganic nutrients, hazardous substance (s) loading, and oxygen tension. Composting has been used successfully at the field-scale to decontaminate explosives-contaminated sediments.