Apparatus for producing composts

An apparatus for producing compost from a base compost mixture of previously fermented compost, and a slurry-like organic waste mixture added to said base compost, said apparatus comprising:

• a fermentation vessel containing said base compost therein, said vessel having a base plate, vertical side walls and end walls extending upward from said base plate, and an open top;
• feeding and stirring means for feeding said slurry-like organic waste within said base compost in said fermentation vessel and for simultaneously stirring said base compost and said slurry-like organic waste, said feeding and stirring means comprised of:
• at least one rotatable stirring shaft member extending downwardly into said vessel, said shaft member having a passage therethrough which said slurry-like organic wastes are fed within said base compost, and
• spiral member means fixed around the outside of said rotatable shaft for mixing said base compost and said slurry-like organic waste;
• air supply means at the base of said fermentation vessel for supplying air into said fermentation vessel, whereby said mixture of base compost and said slurry-like organic wastes is aerobically fermented;
• and
• gathering and carrying means at the top of said fermentation vessel above said mixture of base compost and organic waste for gathering an upper portion of predetermined thickness of said mixture, and carrying said gathered mixture out of and away from said fermentation vessel, said gathering and carrying means comprised of:
• first conveying means mounted across the top of said fermentation vessel having a length substantially the same as the width of the fermentation vessel for gathering the upper portion of said mixture, and
• second conveying means adjacent said first conveying means for carrying said mixture away from said fermentation vessel;
• said feeding and stirring means and said gathering and carrying means being movable in the longitudinal direction along the top of said fermentation vessel.