title: Effects of rhamnolipid and initial compost particle size on the two-stage composting of green waste.
abstract: Composting is a potential alternative to green waste incineration or deposition in landfills. The effects of the biosurfactant rhamnolipid (RL) (at 0.0%, 0.15%, and 0.30%) and initial compost particle size (IPS) (10, 15, and 25 mm) on a new, two-stage method for composting green waste was investigated. A combination of RL addition and IPS adjustment improved the quality of the finished compost in terms of its physical characteristics, pH, C/N ratio, nutrient content, cellulose and hemicellulose contents, water-soluble carbon (WSC) content, xylanase and CMCase activities, numbers of culturable microorganisms (bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi), and toxicity to germinating seeds. The production of a stable and mature compost required only 24 days with the optimized two-stage composting method described here rather than the 90-270 days required with traditional composting. The best quality compost was obtained with 0.15% RL and an IPS of 15 mm.
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China. Electronic address: zhanglu1211@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Forestry, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, PR China. Electronic address: sunxy@bjfu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiangyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D006017:Glycolipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D010316:Particle Size; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012987:Soil; D014995:Xylosidases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006017:Glycolipids; D012987:Soil; C418382:rhamnolipid; D014995:Xylosidases
keywords: Compost; Green waste; Initial compost particle size; Rhamnolipid; Two-stage composting