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Hi John I have asked a variety of people for some input on your question here and am awaiting some responses. Oxfam do a lot of research on the subject of composting but I'm not aware that they focus on anything in cold climates.

In theory you should be able to raise the compost to a higher temperature, more like 55oC, but this will be dependent on your system design and is likely to take more time than usual (maybe several weeks). As you know the composting process is an exothermic reaction, but is dependent on the 'fuel' composition, moisture content and aeration. The size of the compost heap or pit will also affect the process - you'll need to go back to your heat transfer lectures looking at heat loss relative to surface area compared to heat gain by the mass of the compost volume.

There is an excellent book about composting written by Roger Haug (The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering) but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be available in download-able format.

Please send through some details of your system (size, orientation, is it aerated or stirred, is it insulated, above ground or below, etc) and I will see if I can find some more specific advice.

All the best Harriette