Potentiality of Palm Oil Biowaste with Poultry Litter for Composting

The use of palm oil biowastes, mostly frond and the empty fruit bunch (EFB) with poultry litter in composting were studied. The objective of this study was to study the effect of poultry litter (PL) on composting process of palm oil biowaste (POB) to determine the best ratios of palm oil biowastes and poultry litter in composting process. In this study the characteristics and physicochemical changes in bin composting of palm oil biowaste (POB) and poultry litter (PL) were studied. The POB is the mixture of frond and empty fruit bunch (EFB) and the application of such biomasses for value-added purposes such as composting needs to be explored and investigated. Palm oil biowaste was mixed with poultry litter in 3 different ratios such as 3:1, 1:1 and 1:3 and adjusted to 40% moisture content. The decomposing materials were frequently watered and turned. It was placed under shade and allowed to decompose for 11 weeks. Poultry litter was mixed with POB to ensure a nutrient balance in the compost mixture. Results showed that the pH for all samples at the end of the process was near to natural value. All samples were in the optimum range of C:N ratio ( ≤ 25 ); however 1:3 ratio of POB and PL had the lowest C:N ratio