Effect of initial moisture content on the in-vessel composting under air pressure of organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Morocco

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of initial moisture content on the in-vessel composting under air pressure oforganic fraction of municipal solid waste in morocco in terms of internal temperature, produced gases quantity,organic matter conversion rate, and the quality of the final composts.for this purpose, in-vessel bioreactor was designed and used to evaluate both appropriate initial air pressure andappropriate initial moisture content for the composting process. moreover, 5 experiments were carried out withininitial moisture content of 55%, 65%, 70%, 75% and 85%. the initial air pressure and the initial moisture content ofthe mixture showed a significant effect on the aerobic composting. the experimental results demonstrated that forcomposting organic waste, relatively high moisture contents are better at achieving higher temperatures andretaining them for longer times.this study suggested that an initial moisture content of around 75%, under 0.6 bar, can be considered as beingsuitable for efficient composting of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. these last conditions, allowedmaximum value of temperature and final composting product with good physicochemical properties as well ashigher organic matter degradation and higher gas production. moreover, final compost obtained showed goodmaturity levels and can be used for agricultural applications.