Composting Process and Gas Emissions during Food Waste Composting under the Effect of Different Additives

Hyun Young Hwang, Seong Heon Kim, Jaehong Shim and Seong Jin Park
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Hyun Young Hwang: Rural Development Administration, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju 55365, Korea
Seong Heon Kim: Rural Development Administration, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju 55365, Korea
Jaehong Shim: Rural Development Administration, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju 55365, Korea
Seong Jin Park: Rural Development Administration, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Wanju 55365, Korea

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-12

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of adding mature compost (MC) and vermicompost (VC) on controlling gas emissions and compost quality during food waste (FW) composting. In addition to a control treatment (only food waste), four treatments were designed to mix the initial FW with varying rates of MC and VC (5.0% and 7.5%). The composting process was monitored for 84 days. Results indicate that the addition of MC and VC resulted in higher temperature, prolonged the thermophilic stage and reduced NH 3 and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Compared to the control, the loss of NH 3 -N was decreased by 29–69%, and the global warming impact was also mitigated by 49–61%. The largest reductions in NH 3 and global warming potential (GWP) were found for 7.5% VC and 5% MC, respectively. The treatments with additives more rapidly achieved the required maturity value. This research suggests that the addition of 7.5% MC and VC is suitable for food waste composting.

Keywords: ammonia; greenhouse gas; mature compost; vermicompost; kitchen waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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