Evaluation of thermophilic fungal consortium for organic municipal solid waste composting

• Composting of OFMSW employing fungal inoculum is a rapid and low cost technology.
• Inoculation of fungal consortium significantly improved compost humification.
• T. viride, A. niger and A. flavus are effective at a wide range of temperature.
• Weekly turning frequency is effective for OFMSW windrow composting.

Influence of fungal consortium and different turning frequency on composting of organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) was investigated to produce compost with higher agronomic value. Four piles of OFMSW were prepared: three piles were inoculated with fungal consortium containing 5 l each spore suspensions of Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus and with a turning frequency of weekly (Pile 1), twice a week (Pile 2) and daily (Pile 3), while Pile 4 with weekly turning and without fungal inoculation served as control. The fungal consortium with weekly (Pile 1) turning frequency significantly affected temperature, pH, TOC, TKN, C/N ratio and germination index. High degradation of organic matter and early maturity was observed in Pile 1. Results indicate that fungal consortium with weekly turning frequency of open windrows were more cost-effective in comparison with other technologies for efficient composting and yield safe end products.