Effects of turning frequency on fermentation efficiency and microbial community metabolic function of sheep manure composting on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract

This study explored the effects of turning frequency on fermentation efficiency and microbial metabolic function of sheep manure composting on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP). Five treatments with different turning frequencies were set up in this study: turning every 1 day (T1), 2 days (T2), 4 days (T3), 6 days (T4), and 8 days (T5). Results showed that the high temperature period for T1 and T5 lasted only 4 days, while that for T2–T4 lasted more than 8 days. The germination index of T1 and T5 was lower than 80%, while that of T2–T4 was 100.6%, 97.8%, and 88.6%, respectively. This study further predicted the microbial metabolic function of T2–T4 using the bioinformatics tool PICRUSt2 (Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States) and determining the activities of various functional enzymes. The results showed that carbohydrate metabolism, protein metabolism, and nucleotide metabolism were the main metabolic pathways of microorganisms, and that T2 increased the abundance of functional genes of these metabolic pathways. The activities of protease, cellulase, and peroxidase in T2 and T3 were higher than those in T4, and the effect of T2 was more significant. In conclusion, turning once every 2 days can improve the quality of sheep manure compost on the QTP.

Keywords

Sheep manure composting / Qinghai–Tibet Plateau / Turning frequency / Fermentation efficiency / Microbial community metabolic function

References

[1] Arias O, Vina S, Uzal M, Soto M. Composting of pig manure and forest green waste amended with industrial sludge. Sci Total Environ, 2017, 586: 1228-1236.

[2] Awasthi MK, Awasthi SK, Wang Q, Awasthi MK, Zhao J, Chen H, Ren X, Wang M, Zhang Z. Role of Ca-bentonite to improve the humification, enzymatic activities, nutrient transformation and end product quality during sewage sludge composting. Bioresour Technol, 2018, 262: 80-89.

[3] Awasthi MK, Duan Y, Awasthi SK, Liu T, Zhang Z. Effect of biochar and bacterial inoculum additions on cow dung composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 297: 122407.

[4] Awasthi MK, Duan Y, Awasthi SK, Liu T, Zhang Z. Influence of bamboo biochar on mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and nitrogen loss during poultry manure composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 303: 122952.

[5] Cai R, Cui X, Zhang S, Xu C. Effects of regular water replenishment on enzyme activities and fungal metabolic function of sheep manure composting on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022, 19(19): 12143.

[6] Cai R, Cui X, Cao X, Jiang X, Wang R, Xu C. Crushing combined with high–frequency turning can promote material degradation of sheep manure compost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau by improving the microbial metabolic function. J Environ Chem Eng, 2023, 11(2): 109535.

[7] Cai R, Zhang S, Cui X, Xu C. Reasonable water replenishment strategies can improve the fermentation efficiency and bacterial community of sheep manure composting on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. J Mater Cycles Waste, 2023, 25(2): 1204-1215.

[8] Chen Z, Wang Y, Wen Q. Effects of chlortetracycline on the fate of multi-antibiotic resistance genes and the microbial community during swine manure composting. Environ Pollut, 2018, 237: 977-987.

[9] Chen H, Awasthi SK, Liu T, Duan Y, Ren X, Zhang Z, Pandey A, Awasthi MK. Effects of microbial culture and chicken manure biochar on compost maturity and greenhouse gas emissions during chicken manure composting. J Hazard Mater, 2020, 389

[10] Cong P, Wang J, Li Y, Liu N, Dong J, Pang H, Zhang L, Gao Z. Changes in soil organic carbon and microbial community under varying straw incorporation strategies. Soil till Res, 2020, 204

[11] Duan H, Ji M, Xie Y, Shi J, Liu L, Zhang B, Sun J. Exploring the microbial dynamics of organic matter degradation and humification during co-composting of cow manure and bedding material waste. Sustainability, 2021, 13: 13035.

[12] Duan Y, Awasthi MK, Wu H, Yang J, Li Z, Ni X, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Li H. Biochar regulates bacterial-fungal diversity and associated enzymatic activity during sheep manure composting. Bioresour Technol, 2022, 346

[13] Eivazi F, Tabatabai MA. Glucosidases and galactosidases in soils. Soil Biol Biochem, 1988, 20(5): 601-606.

[14] Feng J, Wang B, Zhang D, Chu S, Zhi Y, Hayat K, Wang J, Chen X, Hui N, Zhou P. Streptomyces griseorubens JSD-1 promotes rice straw composting efficiency in industrial-scale fermenter: evaluation of change in physicochemical properties and microbial community. Bioresour Technol, 2021, 321

[15] Feng Y, Wang G, Liu Y, Cheng D, Fan S, Zhao Q, Xue J, Zhang S, Li Z. The impacts of oxytetracycline on humification during manure composting can be alleviated by adjusting initial moisture contents as illustrated by NMR. J Integr Agr, 2021, 20(8): 2277-2288.

[16] Guan SY. Soil enzymes and its methodology, 1986, Beijing: Agriculture Press.

[17] Guo AG. Basic Biochemistry, 2009, Beijing: Higher Education Press.

[18] Guo R, Li G, Jiang T, Schuchardt F, Chen T, Zhao Y, Shen Y. Effect of aeration rate, C/N ratio and moisture content on the stability and maturity of compost. Bioresour Technol, 2012, 112: 171-178.

[19] Guo N, Wu Q, Shi F, Niu J, Zhang T, Degen AA, Fang Q, Ding L, Shang Z, Zhang Z, Long R. Seasonal dynamics of diet-gut microbiota interaction in adaptation of yaks to life at high altitude. NPJ Biofilms Microbi, 2021, 7(1): 38.

[20] Iqbal MK, Shafiq T, Ahmed K. Characterization of bulking agents and its effects on physical properties of compost. Bioresour Technol, 2010, 101(6): 1913-1919.

[21] Jiang D, Zheng M, Niu D, Zuo S, Tian P, Li R, Xu C. Effects of steam explosion pretreatment and Lactobacillus buchneri inoculation on fungal community of unensiled and ensiled total mixed ration containing wheat straw during air exposure. J Appl Microbiol, 2020, 128(3): 675-687.

[22] Jiang J, Wang Y, Guo F, Zhang X, Dong W, Zhang X, Zhang X, Zhang C, Cheng K, Li Y, Zhu G. Composting pig manure and sawdust with urease inhibitor: succession of nitrogen functional genes and bacterial community. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020, 27(29): 36160-36171.

[23] Jiang X, Deng L, Meng Q, Sun Y, Han Y, Wu X, Sheng S, Zhu H, Ayodeji B, Egbeagu UU, Xu X. Fungal community succession under influence of biochar in cow manure composting. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2020, 27(9): 9658-9668.

[24] Jiang Z, Meng Q, Niu Q, Wang S, Yan H, Li Q. Understanding the key regulatory functions of red mud in cellulose breakdown and succession of beta-glucosidase microbial community during composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 318: 124265.

[25] Li R, Wang JJ, Zhang Z, Shen F, Zhang G, Qin R, Li X, Xiao R. Nutrient transformations during composting of pig manure with bentonite. Bioresour Technol, 2012, 121: 362-368.

[26] Li Z, Lu H, Ren L, He L. Experimental and modeling approaches for food waste composting: a review. Chemosphere, 2013, 93(7): 1247-1257.

[27] Li C, Li H, Yao T, Su M, Li J, Liu Z, Xin Y, Wang L, Chen J, Gun S. Effects of microbial inoculation on enzyme activity, available nitrogen content, and bacterial succession during pig manure composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 306: 123167.

[28] Li G, Zhu Q, Niu Q, Meng Q, Yan H, Wang S, Li Q. The degradation of organic matter coupled with the functional characteristics of microbial community during composting with different surfactants. Bioresour Technol, 2021, 321: 124446.

[29] Liang J, Tang S, Gong J, Zeng G, Tang W, Song B, Zhang P, Yang Z, Luo Y. Responses of enzymatic activity and microbial communities to biochar/compost amendment in sulfamethoxazole polluted wetland soil. J Hazard Mater, 2020, 385

[30] Liu X, Li L, Guo X, Zhao B, Chen X, Cui W. Effects of water-replenishment and turning-technique on the maturity of green waste compost. Sci Technol Eng, 2018, 18(7): 281-287.

[31] Ma C, Hu B, Wei M, Zhao ZH. Influence of matured compost inoculation on sewage sludge composting: Enzyme activity, bacterial and fungal community succession. Bioresour Technol, 2019, 294

[32] Meng L, Zhang S, Gong H, Zhang X, Wu C, Li W. Improving sewage sludge composting by addition of spent mushroom substrate and sucrose. Bioresour Technol, 2018, 253: 197-203.

[33] Pan J, Li R, Zhai L, Zhang Z, Ma J, Liu H. Influence of palygorskite addition on biosolids composting process enhancement. J Clean Prod, 2019, 217: 371-379.

[34] Ravindran B, Nguyen DD, Chaudhary DK, Chang SW, Kim J, Lee SR, Shin J, Jeon BH, Chung S, Lee J. Influence of biochar on physico-chemical and microbial community during swine manure composting process. J Environ Manage, 2019, 232: 592-599.

[35] Ren X, Wang Q, Chen X, He Y, Li R, Li J, Zhang Z. Pathways and mechanisms of nitrogen transformation during co-composting of pig manure and diatomite. Bioresour Technol, 2021, 329

[36] Tan Z, Zhu H, He X, Xi B, Tian Y, Sun X, Zhang H, Ouche Q. Effect of ventilation quantity on electron transfer capacity and spectral characteristics of humic substances during sludge composting. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2022, 29(46): 70269-70284.

[37] Wang B, Yan J, Li G, Cao Q, Chen H, Zhang J. The addition of bean curd dreg improved the quality of mixed cow manure and corn stalk composting: enhancing the maturity and improving the micro-ecological environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2021, 28(21): 27095-27108.

[38] Weglarz TC, Holsen LK, Ribbons RR, Hall DJ. Microbial diversity and nitrogen-metabolizing gene abundance in backyard food waste composting systems. J Appl Microbiol, 2018, 125(4): 1066-1075.

[39] Wei H, Wang L, Hassan M, Xie B. Succession of the functional microbial communities and the metabolic functions in maize straw composting process. Bioresour Technol, 2018, 256: 333-341.

[40] Wu J, Zhao Y, Qi H, Zhao X, Yang T, Du Y, Zhang H, Wei Z. Identifying the key factors that affect the formation of humic substance during different materials composting. Bioresour Technol, 2017, 244(Pt 1): 1193-1196.

[41] Wu S, Shen Z, Yang C, Zhou Y, Li X, Zeng G, Ai S, He H. Effects of C/N ratio and bulking agent on speciation of Zn and Cu and enzymatic activity during pig manure composting. Intl Biodeter Biodegr, 2017, 119: 429-436.

[42] Xu Z, Ma Y, Zhang L, Han Y, Yuan J, Li G, Luo W. Relating bacterial dynamics and functions to gaseous emissions during composting of kitchen and garden wastes. Sci Total Environ, 2021, 767: 144210.

[43] Xu Z, Qi C, Zhang L, Ma Y, Li J, Li G, Luo W. Bacterial dynamics and functions for gaseous emissions and humification in response to aeration intensities during kitchen waste composting. Bioresour Technol, 2021, 337: 125369.

[44] Xu Y, Bi Z, Zhang Y, Wu H, Zhou L, Zhang H. Impact of wine grape pomace on humification performance and microbial dynamics during pig manure composting. Bioresour Technol, 2022, 358: 127380.

[45] Yu X, Ding S, Zou Y, Xue Z, Lyu X, Wang G. Review of rapid transformation of floodplain wetlands in northeast china: roles of human development and global environmental change. Chinese Geogr Sci, 2018, 28(4): 654-664.

[46] Zhai W, Wong M, Luo F, Hashmi MZ, Liu X, Edwards EA, Tang X, Xu J. Arsenic methylation and its relationship to abundance and diversity of arsm genes in composting manure. Sci Rep, 2017, 7: 42198.

[47] Zhang J, Zeng G, Chen Y, Yu M, Yu Z, Li H, Yu Y, Huang H. Effects of physico-chemical parameters on the bacterial and fungal communities during agricultural waste composting. Bioresour Technol, 2011, 102(3): 2950-2956.

[48] Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Gu J, Wang J. Effect of frequency on emission of H2S and NH3 in kitchen waste composting. Environ Eng, 2016, 34(4): 127-131.

[49] Zhang L, Zhu Y, Zhang J, Zeng G, Dong H, Cao W, Fang W, Cheng Y, Wang Y, Ning Q. Impacts of iron oxide nanoparticles on organic matter degradation and microbial enzyme activities during agricultural waste composting. Waste Manag, 2019, 95: 289-297.

[50] Zhang C, Gao Z, Shi W, Li L, Tian R, Huang J, Lin R, Wang B, Zhou B. Material conversion, microbial community composition and metabolic functional succession during green soybean hull composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 316

[51] Zhang W, Yu C, Wang X, Hai L. Increased abundance of nitrogen transforming bacteria by higher C/N ratio reduces the total losses of N and C in chicken manure and corn stover mix composting. Bioresour Technol, 2020, 297: 122410.

[52] Zhang H, Wang W, Li Z, Yang C, Liang S, Wang L. Planifilum fulgidum is the dominant functional microorganism in compost containing spent mushroom substrate. Sustainability, 2021, 13(18): 10002.

[53] Zhang S, Wang J, Chen X, Gui J, Sun Y, Wu D. Industrial-scale food waste composting: Effects of aeration frequencies on oxygen consumption, enzymatic activities and bacterial community succession. Bioresour Technol, 2021, 320(Pt A): 124357.

[54] Zhang S, Zhong B, An X, Han Y, Xiao X, Zhang Q. Effect of moisture content on the evolution of bacterial communities and organic matter degradation during bioaugmented biogas residues composting. World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2022, 39(1): 1.

[55] Zhou Y, Awasthi SK, Liu T, Verma S, Zhang Z, Pandey A, Varjani S, Li R, Taherzadeh MJ, Awasthi MK. Patterns of heavy metal resistant bacterial community succession influenced by biochar amendment during poultry manure composting. J Hazard Mater, 2021, 420: 126562.

[56] Zhou Y, Sun Y, Liu J, Ren X, Zhang Z, Wang Q. Effects of microplastics on humification and fungal community during cow manure composting. Sci Total Environ, 2022, 803: 150029.

Funding

the Major Science and Technology Project of Qinghai Province (2018-NK-A2)