Technical procedures of operating a facility for treating food waste into compost in Vietnam

Technical procedures of operating a facility for treating food waste into compost in Vietnam

1. Preparation work

- Arrange workers to receive and process food waste; operate weighing stations, vehicle washing stations; monitor the fermentation and maturation process; refine, package, store finished compost; operate transportation vehicles, mixing equipment; environmental sanitation and other tasks;

- Prepare personal protective equipment (protective clothing, shoes, boots, helmets, gloves, masks, etc.); brooms, shovels and other necessary tools to serve the work of receiving, processing food waste; ferment food waste into compost; refine, package, store; collect, treat wastewater;

- Prepare lime powder, deodorizing agents, insecticides, microbial agents, enzyme fermentation, water and other necessary chemicals, materials to serve the work of receiving, processing food waste; ferment food waste into compost; refine, package, store; collect, treat wastewater;

- Check machinery and equipment in the area of receiving and processing food waste (weighing station, vehicle washing station, crushers, cutters, rotary screens, vibrating screens, metal separators, nylon separators, etc.); area for processing food waste into compost (chemical spraying machine, chemical pump, air blowing equipment, mixing equipment, forklifts, transportation vehicles, electric pumps, rough vibrating screens, metal separators, etc.) and other necessary machinery and equipment to meet technical requirements as regulated.

2. Receiving, processing food waste

- Check transport orders, refuse to accept waste that does not comply with the reception plan of the facility;

- Guide vehicles transporting food waste through the weighing station when entering and leaving the processing facility to determine the weight; issue weighbridge tickets for waste collection and delivery; record the data of solid household waste received;

- Guide vehicles to dump food waste into the processing area; through the vehicle washing station to ensure environmental hygiene before leaving the processing facility;

- Spray deodorizing agents, insecticides, microbial agents, and enzyme fermentation to promote the decomposition process in the processing area. Transfer food waste to the loading funnel, through crushers, cutters, rotary screens to separate food waste with suitable sizes for treatment technology; large waste is returned for further crushing, cutting, screening to suitable sizes or taken for treatment;

- Transport food waste by conveyor belt to vibrating screens, metal separators, nylon separators (if any) to remove waste that does not meet requirements. Check the size, density, carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), moisture content of food waste; supplement microbial enzyme fermentation products when necessary;

- Collect, transfer waste for treatment that is not sent for fermentation as regulated.

3. Fermenting food waste into compost

- Fermentation (hot fermentation)

Transfer food waste from the processing area to fermentation pits or mounds in the fermentation area. Provide oxygen through air blowing equipment to control temperature; add water to ensure moisture, temperature as required (may use leachate during fermentation); add organic enzyme fermentation products to carry out the fermentation process;

Ferment food waste for the required period to obtain raw compost (not fully mature compost);

- Maturation

Transfer raw compost from the fermentation area to fermentation pits or mounds in the maturation area. Regularly control moisture, temperature; add water, nutrients, and microbial products as necessary; mix raw compost to ensure even maturation process;

Mature raw compost for the required period to obtain mature compost that meets technological or product requirements as regulated.

4. Refining, packaging, storing

- Transfer mature compost to the loading funnel, through the rough vibrating screen system to obtain compost of the required size, large compost is returned for further maturation or taken for treatment as regulated;

- Transfer mature compost through metal separators to remove impurities. Fine screen to obtain finished compost;

- Pack and store finished compost

5. Collection, treatment of wastewater

- Collect wastewater from various sources (leachate, wastewater from sanitation in workshops, vehicles, machinery, equipment, tools, etc.) into wastewater collection tanks for reuse in the fermentation stage, the remainder is treated or transferred for treatment as regulated;

- Treat wastewater by a combination of physical, chemical, biological methods, settling, filtering, disinfection or other appropriate methods to ensure treatment meets technical standards for wastewater before discharging into the environment as regulated;

- Collect, store, classify, and treat, manage sludge generated from the wastewater treatment system as regulated.

6. End of work shift

- Inventory, check, hand over machinery, equipment, materials, tools to the next shift;

- Clean, gather tools and equipment in designated locations;

- Clean the environment, machinery, and equipment in each department at the end of the work shift;

- Sweep waste on internal roads, corridors, areas receiving solid household waste; clear drainage systems; spray deodorizing agents, insecticides;

- Statistics, report information, data on the processing of food waste, finished compost as regulated.

Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT is effective from February 3, 2025.

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