Date of Award
Fall 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
Mechanical Engineering
Director of Thesis
Dr. Joshua Gray
Second Reader
Larry Cook
Abstract
This project originates from a collaboration with the USC Office of Sustainability, which seeks to improve the handling and processing of food waste generated on campus. The primary challenge is the difficulty in composting certain types of food waste, such as avocado pits, pumpkin rinds, and other dense or fibrous organic materials that are not easily broken down using conventional methods. Existing commercial solutions are often too large and expensive, or electrically powered, and are thus not well suited for the volume or nature of USC's food waste. To address these limitations, our team designed a manually operated food waste crusher that supports composting efforts through a mechanically simple, yet robust solution. Our team has conducted multiple design iterations, engineering analyses, and material evaluations to ensure the proposed system balances cost, performance, safety, and manufacturability. The final design incorporates a meshing stainless steel blade assembly with a large plastic hopper, capable of processing 12 gallons of combined waste and sawdust and the selected combination of aluminum and stainless-steel parts ensure the machine can last in a corrosion prone environment.
First Page
1
Last Page
38
Recommended Citation
Pumphrey, Rori E.; Yaegel, Grace; Sawyer, Aaron R.; and White, Bradley, "Compost Grinder for the University of South Carolina Office of Sustainability" (2025). Senior Theses. 827.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/827
Rights
© 2025, Rori E. Pumphrey, Grace Yaegel, Aaron R. Sawyer, & Bradley White