Abstract
This research aimed to assess the outcome of adding cow dung as a microbiological inoculum and sawdust as a bulking agent to swine waste in the invessel-composting process. The biodegradation was conducted using a rotary drum composter (RDC), which raised the feedstock's temperature to > 40°C in just 24 hours, promoting thermophilic decomposition. Surprisingly, the cow dung-amended trial (RDC1) maintained the thermophilic phase for 16 days, whereas the sawdust-amended trial (RDC2) only lasted 7 days. After 20 days, the RDC1 product exhibited superior nutritional characteristics, boosting a total nitrogen content of 2.52%. Moreover, the coliform drastically decreased in RDC1, and the overall weight loss was 25%. These findings highlight that incorporating cow dung (10% w/w) into swine waste and bulking agents through RDC produces high-quality compost in just 20 days. Thus, the livestock industry benefits significantly from this proven method of improving waste management by producing valuable bioproducts employing RDC.