Can compost be burnt to speed up the process? Has any one tried this?

You won't end up with compost, you'll have ashes instead.
If you want faster compost turn and water it more. You can also shred the components before adding them to the pile.

FerdiDeLaRosa
I think all the microbes like bacteria and fungi would be destroyed in anything that was burned. I use compost for the bulk of organic matter and as a soil conditioner, so burning is not an option.
I don't think burning would speed up the process but would destroy the process and the purpose of the process.
Just curious what it is you compost that you would consider burning, and what you would expect to have after it was burned?

Burning concentrates soluble salts, primarily potassium, and destroys hydrocarbon chains through which compost enriches the earth by way of serving as provisions for soil biota.

Al

Gotcha, I was hoping burning or even baking could be a faster way to produce raw compost.

Sounds like burning would be best for getting potassium.

Thanks for the inputs, Ferdi.

FerdiDeLaRosa
If you are just interested in getting chemicals into the soil fast, commercial fertilizer is the way to go. If you are interested in building soil slow is the way to go.

Just a little input here, if one is in the city or urban areas one should check for
burning laws. I know here there is no burning in the urban boundaries.

Hi again 😃 So I used lump charcoal to "burn" compost, aiming to make biochar.



The middle black area is what I am aiming for. From my understanding, compost is made by keeping organic material in a certain range of heat. I am attempting to speed up the process if possible. I don't think my neighbors will allow me to do this too often, just clarifying what exactly I am trying to do.

No, dear, that is not what is desired for heat.
Your container looks too small to me to ever build up the natural heat of thriving microorganisms.

Heat is a by-product of the composting process. It's not the driver of the process.

I would imagine grilled compost has a very unappealing smell?

Seedfork said: I would imagine grilled compost has a very unappealing smell?

LOL, yes,

Don't burn your compost. You'll have nothing left. Your fire burns the carbon that the microbes need. If you want to use ashes, burn some wood or something.

Just chiming in here. I do not think burning the compost is going to speed things up. As Henderman has said, heat is generated because the bacteria and micro-organisms are doing their job. Heat is how you know they are working. Creating your own heat through burning will be counterproductive, as it will kill off all the good stuff that would otherwise be generating the heat.

My pile was not getting hot enough. The cause was not enough nitrogen. I went to starbucks and asked for a bag of their discarded coffee grounds. I mixed it in to my pile, and voila--within 3 days I went from 60 degrees to 115.

All that coffee causes high acidity though, and one thing you can do that is fire related is to add in wood ash. I just happen to heat my house with a wood burning stove, so I have plenty of that.

Anyway, good luck. Let us know how your compost journey is going.

RamMasterFlash said: All that coffee causes high acidity though, and one thing you can do that is fire related is to add in wood ash.

Despite the repeated hype that is not really an issue.

Coffee beans are acidic. Brewed coffee is acidic. The spent/used coffee grounds are only mildly acidic; the acidity largely winds up in your cup. Spent coffee ground are in the PH range that most plants do well in. That's before we get around to mixing them into soil directly or into a compost heap where their effect is going to be even smaller.

PattyPan said: Despite the repeated hype that is not really an issue.

Coffee beans are acidic. Brewed coffee is acidic. The spent/used coffee grounds are only mildly acidic; the acidity largely winds up in your cup. Spent coffee ground are in the PH range that most plants do well in. That's before we get around to mixing them into soil directly or into a compost heap where their effect is going to be even smaller.

Thats interesting piece of info I was not aware of. Thanks for sharing. I personally have a PH monitor probe that I use to test my spoil and my compost. Perhaps something else is causing the high acidity then.

I can get hot compost overnight in a tub that holds about 10-15 gallons. If I run greens and carbon with a couple handfuls of working compost through the chipper twice, I bet I could get it hot in 8 hours in the summer. The chipper/shredder is the key to fast compost.

RamMasterFlash said: I personally have a PH monitor probe that I use to test my spoil and my compost. Perhaps something else is causing the high acidity then.

It might also be your PH monitor misleading you. The typical consumer grade ones are notoriously inaccurate. Have you ever compared your results to the results from a lab run soil analysis?

or vinegar or lemon juice from your kitchen?