Decomposition Notes.ppt
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Transcript Decomposition Notes.ppt
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Decomposition Notes
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Plants
will die
and the
process
can start
over 4
Waste materials
such as leaves
and grass
1
decompose
Its Recycling…
This rich soil is
now used to grow
3
plants
The material has
decayed and is
now considered
nutrient rich soil
Naturally
2
Organic materials that go in a compost bin:
What is composting?
Speeding up the natural process of decay
to change organic/living material wastes
into a valuable material called compost
Grass clippings
Food scraps
Compost
Leaves
Write the composting definition ONLY.
Then, read information in the thinking map.
Speeding up the decomposition
By managing these factors you can speed up the
otherwise slow, natural decay process.
A compost pile or bin
allows you to control
• Air (oxygen)
• Water
• Food, and
• Temperature
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Interesting Composting Facts:
Why compost yard and kitchen wastes?
• National Composting Council estimates the
average US household generates 650 lbs of
compostables every year.
• Limited landfill space should be reserved for
materials that cannot be recycled or composted.
• Garbage handling is the 4th largest expense for
many cities. Composting can reduce these
costs.
• Near 35% waste in Texas is food.
What do you need to make compost?
1. Decomposers
2. Food for the decomposers: The organic materials to
be composted
3. The right amount of:
• Air
• Water
• Warmth
Decomposers
• Decomposers – organisms that break down dead or
decaying organisms in order to carry out the
natural process of decomposition.
Examples:
– bacteria (microbes)
– fungi (such as mushrooms)
– worms
Energy transformation
in decomposition
• Chemical energy thermal energy
– “When bonds are broken, HEAT is released”
• All living things give off heat as they go about with daily
functions (Ex: moving, eating, reproducing)
Draw this diagram to
show the release of
thermal energy
Where do the decomposers
come from?
If you build it,
they will come…
• Soil
• Leaves
• Food scraps
• Manure, and
• Finished compost
Each of these will add
microorganisms (microbes)
to the compost pile that will
continue the decomposition.
Microbes
•Microscopic (extremely small)
bacteria and fungi responsible
for most of the decomposing
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Microbes
• Microbes obtain energy from their environment. Like humans, many
microbes do this by eating plant and animal material. A typical microbe
buffet consists of waste from humans and other animals, dead plants and
animals, and food scraps. Bacteria, fungi and algae all take part in
decomposing — or breaking down — this waste material. Without them,
the world would quickly be overrun with discarded food scraps, raw
sewage and dead organisms.
• Microbial decomposition releases nutrients into the environment that are
needed by other organisms. Microbes are also involved in the cycling of
many other important compounds in — and between — ecosystems,
including oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. Many microbes use the energy of
sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, which we need to breathe.
As they do this, they create new organic material — themselves — which
are then eaten by other organisms. In this way, the cycling of nutrients
and energy continues.
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One teaspoon of good garden soil added to
compost contains
• 100 million bacteria
• 800 feet of fungal threads
What is the best food for decomposers?
All organic (living) materials will compost, but not all should be
added to a backyard compost pile.
Organic wastes that should be composted include:
Garden
trimmings
Leaves
Grass
clippings
Kitchen scraps
Also:
• Used potting soil
• Manure
• Sawdust
• Hair
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Materials to avoid…
Avoid organic materials that could cause
problems during or after composting
– Oil, fat, grease, meat, fish or dairy products, unwashed
egg shells (tend to attract pests, vermin)
– Hard to kill weeds (bindweed, quackgrass) and weeds
that have gone to seed (could infest garden area when
compost is used).
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Is shredding necessary?
Smaller particles decompose faster
•Chipping or
shredding coarse
materials (twigs,
stems) will speed up
the rate at which they
decompose
•Smaller particles
have greater surface
area per unit volume
which allows microbes
to get at more of the
food.
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When is compost finished?
Compost is mature when…
• The color is dark brown (nutrient-rich)
• It is crumbly, loose,
and humus-like
• It has an earthy smell
• It contains no readily
recognizable materials
• The pile has shrunk to
about 1/3 of its original volume
Benefits to Composting
• Recycles biomass (stored energy from nutrients in
organic matter) to fertilize soil for producers.
– Plants get their energy from the sun (photosynthesis) but
decomposition does allow for nutrients (stored energy) to
be recycled back into the soil.
• Law of Conservation of Energy states that “Energy
cannot be created nor destroyed- it only changes
form.” When an organism dies, the energy is released into
the soil to be passed on to the plants which is then passed
onto animals and so on.
• Improves plant growth and health
Biomass affects plants growth:
Biomass decaysdecomposers feed on
biomassdecomposers return nutrients back to
the soilPlants grow
Assignment:
In a paragraph, (5-8 sentences)
Explain how
decomposition
helps recycle
energy.
Include examples of
decomposers and discuss
how heat is lost.