Energetics of compost production and utilization

Developments during the past decade have led to a fairly clear delineation of the role of composting in municipal solid waste (MSW) management. However, before that role can be accepted and implemented on a practical scale, certain important environmental and economic factors must be resolved. Of the economic factors, the energetics of composting in waste management is in urgent need of further elaboration and exploration. This need prompted an attempt on the part of the authors of this paper to resolve basic questions regarding the energetics involved in the production and utilization of compost from urban solid waste and municipal sludges, and peripherally, the applicability of these findings to the management of other wastes (e.g., agricultural). Progress made in pursuing this attempt is described in the present paper.