title: The use of biochar-amended composting to improve the humification and degradation of sewage sludge.
abstract: Wood biochar (6%, 12% and 18% of fresh sludge weight) adding to a sludge-and-straw composting system was investigated to assess the potential of biochar as a composting amendment. Organic degradation efficiency, temporal humification profile of the water-extractable organic fraction and solid organic matter, through spectroscopic, microscopic and elementary analysis were monitored. Fluorescent excitation and emission matrix indicated that concentrations of aqueous fulvic-acid-like and humic-acid-like compounds were, respectively, 13-26% and 15-30% higher in the biochar-amended treatments, than those in the control without biochar-amended. On the first day of sludge aerobic incubation, the presence of biochar resulted in increased oxygen uptake rates of 21-37% due to its higher nano-porosity and surface area. SEM indicated that, in the biochar-amended sludge, the dense microstructure on the sludge surface disintegrated into fragments with organic fraction degraded and water lost. Results indicated that 12-18%w/w addition of wood biochar to sludge composting was recommended.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
authors.forename: Jining
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China. Electronic address: lvfan.rhodea@tongji.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.affiliation: Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Centre for the Technology Research and Training on Household Waste in Small Towns & Rural Area, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PR China (MOHURD), China.
authors.forename: Liming
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Waste Treatment and Reclamation, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Centre for the Technology Research and Training on Household Waste in Small Towns & Rural Area, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of PR China (MOHURD), China.
authors.forename: Pinjing
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D006812:Humic Substances / Q000032:analysis*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil; D012995:Solubility; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D006812:Humic Substances; D012722:Sewage; D012987:Soil; C540010:biochar; D014867:Water; D002606:Charcoal; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: FT-IR; Fluorescence excitation and emission matrix; Humus substances; SEM; Water-extractable organic matter