Food waste digestate composting enhancement by sodium polyacrylate addition: Effects on nitrogen transformation processes and bacterial community dynamics

Tigao Fang; Tao Wang; Mingxing Zhao; Ling Bai; Yun Deng; Wenquan Ruan

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116531

Food waste digestate composting enhancement by sodium polyacrylate addition: Effects on nitrogen transformation processes and bacterial community dynamics

J Environ Manage. 2023 Jan 1;325(Pt A):116531. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116531. Epub 2022 Oct 27.

Authors

Tigao Fang¹, Tao Wang², Mingxing Zhao³, Ling Bai⁴, Yun Deng¹, Wenquan Ruan⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China.
² School of Environment Engineering, Wuxi University, Wuxi, 214105, China.
³ School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Jiangsu Engineering Laboratory for Biomass Energy and Carbon Reduction Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China. Electronic address: mxzhao@jiangnan.edu.cn.
⁴ Sichuan University of Science & Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, 643000, China.
⁵ School of Environment and Civil Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Water Treatment Technology ＆ Material, Suzhou, 215009, China. Electronic address: wqruanjn@sina.com.

PMID: 36308788
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116531

Abstract

The influences of sodium polyacrylate (PAAS) at the ratios of 0% (CK), 0.5% (F1), 1.0% (F2), 1.5% (F3), 2.0% (F4) and 2.5% (F5) on nitrogen transformation and bacterial community composition were investigated in the composting of food waste digestate (FWD) and corn straw (CS). PAAS addition increased the thermophilic temperature but had no significant effect on pH values. PAAS exerted significantly effects on the concentration of total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrite-nitrogen (NO₂^--N) and nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃^--N). The compost product in 1.0% PAAS treatment was more active in absorbing nutrients. Firmicutes (9.40-83.54%), Actinobacteriota (9.98-51.50%), Proteobacteria (0.20-27.87%) and Bacteroidota (0.11-34.69%) were the dominant phyla in FWD composting. Moreover, relative to CK, PAAS promoted the propagation of dominant bacterial phyla Firmicutes with increment of 30.05-102.06% in the thermophilic phase. Kroppenstedtia, Thermobifida and Saccharomonospora were observed to be dominant at the maturing phase and correlated with NH₄⁺-N, NO₂^--N, TN and NO₃^--N. Therefore, they might be regarded as probable biomarkers symbolic for the maturing phase during FWD composting. The compost product had the highest maturity degree in 1.0% PAAS treatment. These results indicated that PAAS addition improved the maturity and nutrient contents of the compost product as well as altered compost bacterial community dynamics.

Keywords: Bacterial community; Composting; Food waste digestate; Nitrogen; Sodium polyacrylate.

MeSH terms

Bacteria
Composting*
Firmicutes
Food
Manure / microbiology
Nitrogen / analysis
Nitrogen Dioxide
Refuse Disposal*
Soil

Substances

Nitrogen
carbopol 940
Manure
Nitrogen Dioxide
Soil