Composting in a Laboratory Reactor: A Review

This paper is a synthesis of the expectations and limits of composting at a laboratory-scale in relation to engineering principles. These considerations are supported with literature results from a large number of reactors. Starting with the fact that a composting process can be characterized by the way it manages heat balance and oxygen and moisture supply to microorganisms (providing the same initial substrate), many constraints in down-scaling were identified and examined. These constraints concern enhanced heat losses through the substrate surface, the management of air pathways and some more specific considerations which can be associated with scientific research from a general point of view.