Two-way forced aeration composting simulation using Python

In a one-way forced-aeration pile, air repeatedly enters from the same side. That can produce vertical differences in temperature, oxygen availability and moisture. This project explores a two-way configuration in which the airflow direction is periodically reversed so the calculation order through the pile also reverses.

The kinetic framework is based on the forced-aeration composting model reported by Bari & Koenig (2012), with the computational project designed as an extension for alternating airflow.

The pile is represented as six vertical layers. At each simulation hour, the code determines the active airflow direction, sets the layer calculation order, processes each layer using information passed along the airflow path, updates state variables, stores outputs and repeats for the full simulation.

Under the example conditions documented in the repository, the two-way simulation produced a lower final compost mass and lower final water content than the one-way model. The layer-wise behavior was also reported as comparable between opposite layers, consistent with the intended alternating-flow logic.

This is a mathematical/computational model, not a substitute for full-scale compost-pile measurements. Its value is in reproducing and extending a published kinetic framework, testing airflow-reversal logic, and understanding how coupled state variables respond in a layered system. Model validation against dedicated two-way experimental data would be an important next step.