title: Impact of compost process conditions on organic micro pollutant degradation during full scale composting.
abstract: Knowledge about the effects of oxygen concentration, nutrient availability and moisture content on removal of organic micro-pollutants during aerobic composting is at present very limited. Impact of oxygen concentration, readily available nitrogen content (NH4(+), NO3(-)), and moisture content on biological transformation of 15 key organic micro-pollutants during composting, was therefore investigated using bench-scale degradation experiments based on non-sterile compost samples, collected at full-scale composting facilities. In addition, the adequacy of bench-scale composting experiments for representing full-scale composting conditions, was investigated using micro-pollutant concentration measurements from both bench- and full-scale composting experiments. Results showed that lack of oxygen generally prevented transformation of organic micro-pollutants. Increasing readily available nitrogen content from about 50 mg N per 100 g compost to about 140 mg N per 100 g compost actually reduced micro-pollutant transformation, while changes in compost moisture content from 50% to 20% by weight, only had minor influence on micro-pollutant transformation. First-order micro-pollutant degradation rates for 13 organic micro-pollutants were calculated using data from both full- and bench-scale experiments. First-order degradation coefficients for both types of experiments were similar and ranged from 0.02 to 0.03 d(-1) on average, indicating that if a proper sampling strategy is employed, bench-scale experiments can be used to represent full-scale composting conditions.
authors: Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark(1); Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgsvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; College of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, 54000 Lahore, Pakistan; Department of Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China(1). Electronic address: ys@bio.aau.dk.
authors: Yumna
authors: Y
authors: Sadef
authors: Department of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 57, 9000 Aalborg, Denmark(1); Department of Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China(1).
authors: Tjalfe Gorm
authors: TG
authors: Poulsen
authors: Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgsvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Bester
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012722:Sewage / Q000737:chemistry*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000737:chemistry*; D013696:Temperature; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D012722:Sewage; D012987:Soil; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D009584:Nitrogen; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Bench-scale experiment; Biodegradation; Full-scale experiment; Moisture content; Nitrogen content; Oxygen concentration