In-vessel composting: enclosed, controlled aerobic conversion of organic waste.

It means the aerobic composting process is carried out inside a closed container (a drum, tunnel or insulated vessel) with forced aeration, rather than in open windrows or pits. The enclosure lets the operator hold temperature and airflow within range and keeps odour, leachate, rain and pests contained.

Windrow composting is cheaper and needs no vessel, but it needs land, is exposed to rain, and is difficult to run without odour in a populated area. In-vessel costs more in capital and power but fits a small footprint, controls emissions, and holds the thermophilic phase reliably. On most urban premises the deciding factor is available area and tolerance for odour, not cost.

Because it is what sanitises the material. Sustained elevated temperature during active composting reduces pathogens and weed seeds, which matters particularly for waste streams from hospitals' kitchens, hotels and food processing. An enclosed, aerated vessel holds that phase far more consistently than an open heap exposed to ambient conditions.

Measured wet-waste quantity in kg per day with its peak, the composition and moisture of that waste, the available floor area and headroom, the power supply, and the drainage point for leachate. Retention time inside the vessel is a design parameter, so the throughput and the vessel volume have to be reconciled rather than assumed.

Yes. Material discharged from the vessel is stabilised but generally not mature; it needs a curing period in covered bays before use. Curing area is often omitted from the layout at design stage and then improvised badly, so we treat it as part of the system rather than an afterthought.

Daily input quantity, bulking agent added, process temperature, and any odour or leachate observation, along with output quantity and its destination. Those records are also what a municipal inspection asks for, so the log should be designed to answer that question directly rather than reconstructed later.