Compost Research Runs “Hot” and “Cold” at La Trobe University

▪ Careful monitoring of the composting process — physically, chemically and biologically — enables managers to determine key nutritional and ecological factors vital to production of a quality compost. At La Trobe University, trials compared composts which achieve high temperature (80° C) with those controlled at moderate thermophilic temperatures (45 — 55° C) to demonstrate whether the hot phase is essential or whether composts of equal nutritional status can be produced by processing at lower temperatures.