Effects of radiation with diverse spectral wavelengths on photodegradation during green waste composting

Construction of lignocellulose-degrading compound microbial inoculum and its effects on green waste composting

The high content of recalcitrant lignocellulose in green waste (GW) makes composting and degradation challenging. Conventional GW composting typically employs single-strain microbial inoculants (MIs) with limited enzyme production capabilities, resulting in low composting efficiency and suboptimal compost product quality. In this study, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (J1), Clonostachys rogersoniana (B2), and Streptomyces thermoviolaceus (J3) was utilized to optimize cultivation conditions and strain ratios based on enzyme activity indicators. The aim was to develop a potent three-strain lignocellulose-degrading MIs and test the hypothesis that its performance is superior to that of single-strain and two-strain MIs in terms of lignocellulose degradation and compost maturation. The results indicated that, the optimal treatment was T7, which was inoculated with a three-strain MIs composed of the spore suspensions of J1, B2, and J3 with a volume ratio of 3:3:2. Specifically, compared to the control (without MI), T7 increased the content of particle size between 0.25 and 2.00 mm and humic acid by 17% and 291%, respectively. Furthermore, T7 enhanced the degradation rates of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin by 197%, 145%, and 113%, respectively, and increased the activities of laccase, manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, and carboxymethyl cellulase by 605%, 269%, 180%, and 228%, respectively. Additionally, T7 increased the relative abundance of bacteria (e.g. Pseudomonas) and fungi (e.g. Parascedosporium) that facilitated lignocellulose degradation, enhanced the alpha diversity index and promoted the formation of a microbial community structure characterized by prominent dominant species and greater diversity. Remarkably, the inoculation with the three-strain MI yielded high-quality compost within 32 days.

A review on green waste composting, role of additives and composting methods for process acceleration

Effective disposal of green waste has been a challenging task faced by urban bodies for a long time. Composting can be an effective method to manage green waste by recovering nutrients that can be used as organic manure. However, there are some limitations to green waste composting, such as a low degradation rate and the requirement for high manpower and space. Many researchers have studied ways to minimize the limitations of green waste composting through different approaches. These include the use of co-composting materials, inoculating agents, and process modifications such as multi-stage composting. In this review, we systematically summarized the physicochemical characteristics of green waste and green waste compost, optimum ratios of additives, and process modifications during the composting of green waste reported in various articles. This review is helpful for early-career researchers and individuals new to the field of green waste composting by providing them with key concepts and recent developments in the field. The study suggests that the sustainable selection of additives or methods for composting green waste should depend on resource availability, climatic conditions, and the characterization of the feedstock.

Effect of different bulking agents on fed-batch composting and microbial community profile

The current study focused on analyzing the effect of different types of bulking agents and other factors on fed-batch composting and the structure of microbial communities. The results indicated that the introduction of bulking agents to fed-batch composting significantly improved composting efficiency as well as compost product quality. In particular, using green waste as a bulking agent, the compost products would achieve good performance in the following indicators: moisture (3.16%), weight loss rate (85.26%), and C/N ratio (13.98). The significant difference in moisture of compost products (p < 0.05) was observed in different sizes of bulking agent (green waste), which was because the voids in green waste significantly affected the capacity of the water to permeate. Meanwhile, controlling the size of green waste at 3-6 mm, the following indicators would show great performance from the compost products: moisture (3.12%), organic matter content (63.93%), and electrical conductivity (EC) (5.37 mS/cm). According to 16S rRNA sequencing, the relative abundance (RA) of thermophilic microbes increased as reactor temperature rose in fed-batch composting, among which Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Basidiomycota, and Rasamsonia were involved in cellulose and lignocellulose degradation.

Responses of microorganisms to different wavelengths of light radiation during green waste composting

Light radiation can degrade recalcitrant materials like lignocelluloses in litter and serve as a physical condition to accelerate green waste (GW) decomposition, but few studies have considered the microbial effects of light wavelength on GW composting. This study innovatively investigated the effects of different wavelengths of light radiation, including full-spectrum, no blue light, no UV, no UV-A, no UV-B, and dark conditions, on accelerating the GW composting process. Especially, the study explored the dynamic changes in the degradation of lignocelluloses and evaluated the responses of microorganisms throughout the composting process under different light radiation wavelengths. No blue light (where radiation between 400 and 500 nm was blocked by the film) yielded the highest-quality compost within 40 days. In comparison to the dark (control), no blue light exhibited an elevated composting temperature (56.7 °C), an extended thermophilic phase (6 days), and increased degradation rates of lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose by 13 %, 15 %, and 12 %, respectively. This study revealed that during the composting mesophilic phase, bacterial diversity performed best under no blue light, while fungal diversity excelled under full-spectrum. In the thermophilic phase, microbial diversity exhibited optimal performance under full-spectrum. During the cooling phase, bacterial diversity was highest under no blue light, and fungal diversity excelled under no UV-A. During the mesophilic and cooling phases, the bacterial ACE index for no blue light exceeded that of the other light radiation wavelengths, with values of 418 and 494, respectively. Under no blue light, the Shannon index of microorganisms remained within the range of 2.0-4.8, demonstrating superior performance. Meanwhile, the relative abundances of lignin-degrading microorganisms (Flavobacterium, Acaulium, and Acremoniu) under no blue light has increased, demonstrating improved microbial community structures. Therefore, no blue light radiation offered a novel approach to expedite GW composting.

Effect evaluation of different green wastes on food waste digestate composting and improvement of operational conditions

This study attempted to determine the influence of diverse green wastes on food waste digestate composting and the improvement of operational conditions. Various effects of the green wastes (GW), with different types and sizes, initial substrate mixture C/N ratios, compost pile heights, and turning frequencies on the food waste digestate (FWD) composting were examined in the current work. The findings showed that the use of street sweeping green waste (SSGW) as an additive can maintain the thermophilic stage of the FWD composting for 28 days, while the end-product contained the greatest amounts of total phosphorus (TP, 2.29%) and total potassium (TK, 4.61%) and the lowest moisture content (14.8%). Crushed SSGW (20 mm) enabled the FWD composting to maintain the longest thermophilic period (28 days), achieving the highest temperature (70.2 °C) and seed germination index (GI, 100%). Adjusting the initial substrate mixture C/N ratio to 25, compost pile height to 30 cm, and turning frequency to three times a day could enhance the efficiency and improve the fertilizer quality of the co-composting of the FWD and SSGW. This study suggested that co-composting of FWD and SSGW (FWD/SSGW = 2.3, wet weight) is a promising technique for the treatment of municipal solid waste and provided significant theoretical data for the application of composting.

Harmless and resourceful utilization of solid waste: Multi physical field regulation in the microbiological treatment process of solid waste treatment

Solid waste (SW) treatment methods mainly include physical, chemical, and biological methods, while physical and chemical methods have advantages such as fast effectiveness and short treatment time, but have high costs and were prone to secondary pollution. Due to the advantages of mild conditions and environmental protection, microbial methods have attracted the attention of numerous researchers. Recently, promotion of biological metabolic activity in biotreatment technology by applying multiple physical conditions, and reducing the biochemical reaction energy base to promote the transfer of protons and electrons, has made significant progress in harmless and resourceful utilization of SW. This paper main summarized the harmless and resourceful treatment methods of common bulk SW. The research of physical field-enhanced microbial treatment of inorganic solid waste (ISW) and organic solid waste (OSW) was discussed. The advantages and mechanisms of microbial treatment compared to traditional SW treatment methods were analyzed. The multi-physical field coupling enhanced microbial treatment technology was proposed to further improving the efficiency of large-scale treatment of bulk SW. The application prospects and potential opportunities of this technology were analyzed. Novel research ideas for the large-scale harmless and resourceful treatment of bulk SW were provided.

Combined addition of biochar, lactic acid, and pond sediment improves green waste composting

Composting, as an eco-friendly method to recycle green waste (GW), converts the GW into humus-like compounds. However, conventional GW composting is inefficient and generates poor-quality compost. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of the combined additions of biochar (BC; 0, 5, and 10 %), lactic acid (LA; 0, 0.5, and 1.0 %), and pond sediment (PS; 0, 20, and 30 %) on GW composting. A treatment without additives served as the control (treatment T1). The results showed that treatment R1 (with 5 % BC, 0.5 % LA, and 20 % PS) was better than the treatments with two additives or no additive and required only 32 days to generate a stable and mature product. Compared with T1, R1 improved water-holding capacity, electrical conductivity, available phosphorus, available potassium, nitrate nitrogen, OM decomposition, and germination index by 51 %, 48 %, 170 %, 93 %, 119 %, 157 %, and 119 %, respectively. R1 also increased the activities of cellulase, lignin peroxidase, and laccase. The results showed that the combined addition of BC, LA, and PS increased the gas exchange, water retention, and the microbial secretion of enzymes, thus accelerating the decomposition of GW. This study demonstrated the effects of BC, LA, and PS addition on GW composting and final compost properties, and analyzed the reasons of the effects. The study therefore increases the understanding of the sustainable disposal of an important solid waste.