(US5023178-A)      Compositing appts. comprises a ram for moving material through a vessel chamber from an inlet to an outlet, orifices in the vessel for the admission of pressurized air, and a mechanism to provide a surge of air of sufficient intensity to move the material through the chamber with reduced effect from the ram.    Aerators communication with the orifices aerate the material.    ADVANTAGE -   Reduced costs and energy consumption. @(9pp)    (EP449946-A)      A composting appts. is used for the accelerated aerobic decomposition of organic matter. It consists of a chamber having an inlet and an outlet with a ram movable to push organic matter deposited in the chamber through the inlet towards the outlet. When the ram is acting on the organic matter, a surge of pressurized air is delivered to the vessel, its intensity being sufficient to cause movement of the matter through the chamber with less force from the ram. Thus less compaction of the organic matter occurs.    USE/ADVANTAGE -   The appts. is used to compost organic waste such as sludge from a waste water treatment facility, or garbage. The operating costs and energy consumption of the appts. are less than with known caposting appts. A larger composting vessel may be used without increasing the degree of compaction. @(28pp Dwg.No.0/4)    (EP449946-B1)      A method for composting organic matter comprising the steps of: depositing organic matter into a chamber (20) of a vessel (12), which contains a set of orifices (40) for the introduction of pressurized air into the vessel (12); and exerting a compressive force on said organic matter in said chamber (20) to advance the organic matter through the chamber (20) characterized in that during at least part of said exerting step, delivering into said chamber (20) a surge of pressurized air of such intensity as to effect movement of said organic matter through said chamber (20) at an application of compressive force produced by said exerting step which is substantially less than the compressive force required to move the organic matter absent such surge of air, thereby providing a substantially less dense mass of organic matter moving through the chamber of the vessel than would be produced absent said surge delivering step.