Considering the present push towards greener industrial and residential activities,聽composting is once again a hot topic amongst Ecological Engineers. Since a uniform聽composting system is necessary to ensure the removal of pathogens and to keep the聽whole system at the same composting stage at a given time, it is essential to maintain a聽homogeneous temperature throughout the media. Therefore, in the quest to accomplish聽the latter, a design consisting of a heater core, copper tubing and heat recycling, was聽designed and tested. Through two four-inch holes made both at the top and bottom of the聽barrel, air was able flow through the system, allowing for aerobic decomposition. Once聽composting gets underway and temperature rises, water flows through the copper piping,聽distributing the core heat throughout the medium and permitting uniformity.聽The results聽were obtained by inserting three thermocouples at different heights on a 200 liter plastic聽barrel fitted with the aforementioned apparatus, and comparing this barrel to another,聽without the device, run exactly at the same time. They demonstrated that our system聽accomplishes the objective of uniform heat distribution. In conclusion, temperature聽variations were significantly lower when run with the heat redistribution system,聽permitting uniform composting, quickening the process and reducing the risks of聽pathogens or other contaminants remaining active in the barrels.
