Abstract

Large-scale composting of source-separated household waste has expanded in recent years in the Nordic countries. One problem can be low pH at the start of the process. Incoming biowaste at four composting plants was characterised chemically, physically and microbiologically. The pH of food waste ranged from 4.7 to 6.1 and organic acid concentration from 24 to 81 mmol kg(-1). The bacterial diversity in the waste samples was high, with all samples dominated by Gammaproteobacteria, particularly Pseudomonas and Enterobacteria (Escherichia coil, Klebsiella, Enterobacter). Lactic acid bacteria were also numerically important and are known to negatively affect the composting process because the lactic acid they produce lowers the pH, inhibiting other bacteria. The bacterial groups needed for efficient composting, i.e. Bacillales and Actinobacteria, were present in appreciable amounts. The results indicated that start-up problems in the composting process can be prevented by recycling bulk material and compost. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

pH; Lactic acid bacteria; Bulk density; Food waste

Published in

Bioresource Technology
2011, Volume: 102, number: 3, pages: 2859-2867
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• Sundberg, Cecilia

  • Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Jönsson, Håkan

  • Department of Energy and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.10.075

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/58947