Turnover and loss of nitrogenous compounds during composting of food wastes

Abstract

Few people have so far explored into the research of the dynamics of various nitrogenous compounds (including water-soluble nitrogen) in composting of food wastes. This study aimed to investigate the solid-phase nitrogen, water-soluble nitrogen, nitrogen loss together with ammonia volatilization in the process of food wastes composting. A laboratory scale static aerobic reactor in the experiment was employed in the composting process of a synthetic food waste, in which sawdust was used as the litter amendment. In the experiment, oxygen was supplied by continuous forced ventilation for 15 days. The results have shown that the concentrations of total nitrogen and organic nitrogen decrease significantly in the composting process, whereas NH₄⁺-N concentration increases together with little fluctuation in NO₃^--N. After composting, the total content of the water-soluble nitrogen compounds in the compost greatly increased, the total nitrogen loss amounted to 50% of the initial nitrogen, mainly attributed to ammonia volatilization. 56.7% of the total ammonia volatilization occurred in the middle and late composting of the thermophilic stage. This suggested that the control at the middle and late composting of thermophilic stage is the key to nitrogen loss in the food waste compost.

Keywords

composting / nitrogen transformation / nitrogen loss / ammonia volatilization