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. 2015 Oct 7:5:14932.
doi: 10.1038/srep14932.

Spatial nitrifications of microbial processes during composting of swine, cow and chicken manure

Ke Wang  1 , Weiguang Li  1 , Xiangkun Li  1 , Nanqi Ren  1
Affiliations

Spatial nitrifications of microbial processes during composting of swine, cow and chicken manure

Ke Wang et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Composting is a widely-used method to recycle the nutrients in livestock manure for agriculture. The spatial stratifications of microbial processes inside the manure particle that determine organic and nitrogen transformation are virtually unclear. Here, we show the evolution of the interior microenvironment of swine, cow and chicken manure by using microelectrodes during forced-aeration composting. Composting has generally been regarded as an aerobic bioprocess, however, the long-existing of a large anoxic zone inside these manures was confirmed during the active phase in this study. The profile of the oxidation-reduction potential dramatically decreased first and then gradually increased. The spatial difference in the ammonia concentration was not significant, but nitrate concentration continuously decreased with depth. The anoxic condition within the manure particle was demonstrated to be a primary cause of the severe ammonia emission and the long composting period. These founding provided a new insight toward "aerobic" composting process and a sound foundation for the development of efficient composting technology.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Variation of (a) NH3 emission rate and (b) formula image/NH3 content of the swine, cow, chicken manures during composting; Variation of formula imageconcentration with depth in the microprofile of the manure particles of chicken (c), cow (d) and swine (e) on Day-0, Day-10, Day-20 and Day-30.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variation of dissolved organic carbon content (a), CO2 emission rate (b) and CH4 emission rate (c) of the swine, cow, chicken manures during composting.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation of DO with depth in the microprofiles of the manure particles of chicken (a), cow (b) and swine (c) on Day-0, Day-10, Day-20 and Day-30.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation of ORP with depth in the microprofiles of the manure particles of chicken (a), cow (b) and swine (c) on Day-0, Day-10, Day-20 and Day-30.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Spatial distribution of nitrate concentration with depth in the microprofile of the manure particles of chicken (a), cow (b) and swine (c) on Day-0, Day-10, Day-20 and Day-30.
Figure 6
Figure 6. The microprofiles of DO, ORP, and and the aerobic-anoxic dual structure in the chicken manure during active composting.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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