In-Vessel Composter

Page 1: Introduction

» Page 2: Design Overview

Page 3: Design Details

Page 4: The Drive Mechanism

Page 5: Parts and Materials List

Design Overview

The basic idea idea was to have the drum supported on some sort of moveable frame. The composter would be placed near a pen that needed cleaning. Compostable materials would be loaded through a hatch in the wall of the tank. The composter would then be moved back to a central location, perhaps in a barn in very cold weather. The drum would then be rotated on the frame using some sort of drive mechanism. The temperature of the compost would be monitored and the drum rotated again when the temperature dropped below about 130 °F. When rotation ceased to cause the temperature rise, the finished compost would be dumped and a new batch loaded.

Many design option are possible to achieve this overall goal. Our ultimate design worked with the equipment we have on hand: a Case 1845C skid loader, a stick welder, and a metal-cutting bandsaw. Our design includes a re-purposed diesel drum mounted on rollers welded to a steel frame. The drive mechanism is a hydraulic motor powered by our skid loader hydraulics, driving a go-kart wheel and tire that turns the drum. Sort of.

In its first life, the drum was a 500 gallon diesel tank. It measures 61 inches long and about 50 inches in diameter. The wall thickness is a bit more than 1/16 inch, about 3/32 inch. The tank came with a rack to support it made of relatively thin-gage angle iron. Cut up, the rack provided reinforcement material for the tank. You should be able to pick up used tanks relatively cheaply - maybe even free, since it does not matter whether it leaks or not. We looked long and hard for a free one and ended up having to buy a second hand tank.

Although it would have been nice to find used parts for the rest of the materials, we did not. If you have access to a scrap yard you might be able to find used parts.

And now on to Page 3: Design Details