In‐Vessel Aerobic Rapid Composting Process (RCP) for Food Waste Amended With Cow Dung Manure

ABSTRACT Composting of food waste (FW), due to its physicochemical characteristics, including oil content, sticky nature, and heterogeneity, challenges conventional composting. The feedstock mixture was prepared by mixing 60 kg of shredded FW and 60 kg of cow dung manure. During Experiment 1 (E1), which used the rapid composting process (RCP), 60 kg of feedstock mixture, 2 kg of wood chips, and 600 mL of compost bio‐activator were processed for 1 day in an in‐vessel composter. Experiment 2 (E2) was conducted in a perforated plastic container with the same feedstock amount as E1. After 10 days of maturation in E1, the compost exhibited pH 6.73 ± 0.03, C/N ratio 19.53 ± 0.8, EC 0.84 ± 0.19 dS m −1 , moisture content (MC) 21.38 ± 0.41%, bulk density 0.83 ± 0.03 g cm −3 , total phosphorus (TP) 0.81 ± 0.02%, and total potassium (TK) 1.22 ± 0.05%, whereas in E2 the compost parameters were pH 6.45 ± 0.13, C/N ratio 27.33 ± 1.49, EC of 0.71 ± 0.05 dS m −1 , MC 32.06 ± 0.28%, bulk density 1.11 ± 0.39 g cm −3 , TP 0.62 ± 0.04%, and TK 0.99 ± 0.04%. Results showed that the technique developed in E1 successfully transformed FW into quality compost within 1‐day in‐vessel processing and 10‐day maturation. This is the pioneering work that establishes a process for the shortest duration of in‐vessel composting of FW matching with Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) standards.