Influence of aeration rate and biodegradability fractionation on composting kinetics.

The influences of aeration rate and biodegradability fractionation on biodegradation kinetics during composting were studied. The first step was the design of a suitable lab-reactor that enabled the simulation of composting. The second step comprised of composting trials of six blends of sludge (originating from a food processing effluent) with wood chips using aeration rates of 1.69, 3.62, 3.25, 8.48, 11.98 and 16.63 L/h/kg DM of mixture. Biodegradation was evaluated by respiration measurements and from the analysis of the substrate (dry matter, organic matter, total carbon and chemical oxygen demand removal). Continuous measurement of oxygen consumption was coupled with the analysis of initial substrate and composted product for chemical oxygen demand (in the soluble and non-soluble fractions), which enabled an evaluation of the organic matter biodegradability. Oxygen requirements to remove both the easily and slowly biodegradable fractions were determined. Dividing the substrate into different parts according to biodegradability allowed explanation of the influence of aeration rate on stabilization kinetics. Considering that the biodegradation kinetics were of the first-order, the kinetic constants of the easily and slowly biodegradable fractions were calculated as a function of temperature. The methodology presented here allows the comparison of organic wastes in terms of their content of easily and slowly biodegradable fractions and the respective biodegradation kinetics.

[1]  J. Cegarra,et al.  Evolution of organic matter and nitrogen during co-composting of olive mill wastewater with solid organic wastes , 2000, Biology and Fertility of Soils.

[2]  J. Cegarra,et al.  Effects of olive mill wastewater addition in composting of agroindustrial and urban wastes , 2004, Biodegradation.

[3]  R. Haug.  The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering , 1993 .

[4]  J Cegarra,et al.  Bio-degradation of olive mill wastewater sludge by its co-composting with agricultural wastes. , 2002, Bioresource technology.

[5]  Naoyuki Funamizu,et al.  Modeling of aerobic biodegradation of feces using sawdust as a matrix. , 2004, Water research.

[6]  Tom L Richard,et al.  Effects of Oxygen on Aerobic Solid‐State Biodegradation Kinetics , 2006, Biotechnology progress.

[7]  F. Michel,et al.  Effect of Oxygenation Level on Yard Trimmings Composting Rate, Odor Production, And Compost Quality In Bench-Scale Reactors , 1998 .

[8]  Fulvia Tambone,et al.  Dynamic respiration index as a descriptor of the biological stability of organic wastes. , 2004, Journal of environmental quality.

[9]  I G Mason,et al.  Mathematical modelling of the composting process: a review. , 2006, Waste management.

[10]  I Körner,et al.  Investigation and optimization of composting processes-test systems and practical examples. , 2003, Waste management.

[11]  Fabrizio Adani,et al.  The determination of biological stability of composts using the Dynamic Respiration Index: the results of experience after two years. , 2006, Waste management.

[12]  M. S. Finstein,et al.  Effect of Temperature, Aeration, and Moisture on CO2 Formation in Bench-Scale, Continuously Thermophilic Composting of Solid Waste , 1977, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[13]  C. Petiot,et al.  Composting in a Laboratory Reactor: A Review , 2004 .

[14]  H. Kubota,et al.  Effects of oxygen concentration on composting of garbage , 1990 .

[15]  I. G. Mason,et al.  Physical modelling of the composting environment: a review. Part 1: Reactor systems. , 2005, Waste management.

[16]  Tao Guihe,et al.  Kinetic analysis of forced aeration composting - I. Reaction rates and temperature. , 2000 .

[17]  Frederick C. Michel,et al.  EFFECTS OF AERATION STRATEGIES ON THE COMPOSTING PROCESS: PART I. EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES , 2004 .

[18]  J. Kaiser,et al.  Modelling composting as a microbial ecosystem: a simulation approach , 1996 .

[19]  H.V.M. Hamelers,et al.  A mathematical model for composting kinetics , 2001 .

[20]  Jian Yu,et al.  Aeration experiments for swine waste composting , 1992 .

[21]  Fulvia Tambone,et al.  Respiration Index Determination: Dynamic And Static Approaches , 2000 .

[22]  C Massiani,et al.  A respirometric method for characterising the organic composition and biodegradation kinetics and the temperature influence on the biodegradation kinetics, for a mixture of sludge and bulking agent to be co-composted. , 2005, Bioresource technology.

[23]  Mogens Henze,et al.  Activated sludge models ASM1, ASM2, ASM2d and ASM3 , 2015 .

[24]  Katia Lasaridi,et al.  Aerated static pile composting of municipal solid waste (MSW): a comparsion of positive pressure aeration with hybrid positive and negative aeration , 1998 .

[25]  Asunción Roig,et al.  Carbon and nitrogen transformation during composting of sweet sorghum bagasse , 1996, Biology and Fertility of Soils.