Effects of the membrane-covered technology and superphosphate on the compost quality and nitrogen-containing gas emissions during aerobic composting

Abstract

A lab-scale experiment was conducted to assess effects of the membrane-covered technology and superphosphate on the compost quality and emissions of nitrogen-containing gases during aerobic composting. The results showed that the membrane-covered technology increased the temperature of the compost pile and accelerated degradation of organic matter. The membrane-covered (T1) sample attained a germination index (GI) of 50% and 80%, approximately 2 and 9 d earlier, respectively, relative to the control (CK) sample. However, the application of superphosphate might have an adverse effect on the GI value. The NH3 and N2O emissions during the aerobic composting were decreased by 25.8% and 13.1%, respectively, for the T1 sample compared to the CK sample, while these were reduced correspondingly by 21.3% and 27.2% for the superphosphate addition (T2) sample. Compared with the superphosphate addition, the membrane-covered approach reduced the NH3 emission but not the N2O emission. Thus, the membrane-covered aerobic composting is a potential technology for the adequate utilization of organic waste as a resource.

Effects of membrane covers and biochar on compost quality and greenhouse gas reduction in aerobic composting

“…The concentrations of CH4, N2O, and CO2 in the gas samples were determined through gas chromatography (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). The pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and GI were measured using published methods (Cao et al 2022), in which the pH and EC values were measured using a pH meter (model FE28, Mettler Toledo), and the GI of each treatment group was calculated using the following formula: 𝐺𝐼 = seed germination (treatment group) (%) × root length (treatment) (mm) seed germination (control group) (%) × root length (control) (mm)…”