A motorized cross-belt magnet removes ferrous materials. The feedstock is processed in a slow speed rotary shredder. After shredding, material is conveyed to a composting room where it is unloaded. Amendments can be added at this point. A front-end loader is used to put the material into the system.
Material is placed at a depth of about nine feet.
Aeration is provided both by forced negative air flow and agitation from the paddle, which passes through the compost about once a day. It takes 18 to 23 days to move the feedstock from one end of the vessel to the other. One large fan provides aeration for the bed with 13 different zones for control. The fan is sized such that all necessary aeration could be provided without movement of the paddle. At the end of the bed, the material is emptied onto the floor, then moved to the curing area where aeration is provided utilizing in-floor piping.