Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Losses and Transformations of Nitrogen at Low Value of C/N Ratio Compost

  • AGROCHEMISTRY
  • Published:
Russian Agricultural Sciences Aims and scope

Abstract

The aim of this work was to study the transformations of nitrogen at lower value of C/N ratio (15) for co-composting pig manure with leaves and rice straw. A series of parameters such as pH, electrical conductivity (EC), ash contents, moisture contents, seed germination index (GI), and different nitrogen forms were monitored. The accumulative organic matter losses followed a first-order kinetic function in both piles, and the co-composting of pig manure with rice straw had a higher mineral rate constant. The concentration of ammonium nitrogen released during composting was higher in the co-compost of rice straw and pig manure, as a result, the total nitrogen losses by ammonia volatilization was higher. The concentration of ammonium nitrogen was correlated with the degradation of organic nitrogen and the moisture content. The increases of nitrate nitrogen were not observed in both piles in the thermophilic phase due to the high temperature and high concentration of ammonium nitrogen which could inhibit the activity and growth of nitrifying bacteria. Total nitrogen losses in the first two weeks were high as a strong emission of ammonia and the increase of the pH value during thermophilic phase in both piles. But the total nitrogen losses in the mature compost were low due to the mass loss of the compost, high height of compost layer and high moisture content. C/N ratio increased during the thermophilic phase then decreased to 10.14 and 8.48 at the end of composting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 4.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Bernal, M.P., Alburquerque, J.A., and Moral, R., Composting of animal manures and chemical criteria for compost maturity assessment, A review, Bioresour. Technol., 2009, vol. 100, no. 22, pp. 5444–5453.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Huang, G.F., Wu, Q.T., Wong, J.W.C., et al., Transformation of organic matter during co-composting of pig manure with sawdust, Bioresour. Technol., 2006, vol. 97, no. 15, pp. 1834–1842.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Shepherd, M.W., Jr., S., Liang, P., Jiang, X., et al., Microbiological analysis of composts produced on South Carolina poultry farms, J. Appl. Microbiol., 2010, vol. 108, no. 6, pp. 2067–2076.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Awasthi, M.K., Wang, M., Chen, H., et al., Heterogeneity of biochar amendment to improve the carbon and nitrogen sequestration through reduce the greenhouse gases emissions during sewage sludge composting, Bioresour. Technol., 2017, vol. 224, pp. 428–438.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Tiquia, S.M., Richard, T.L., and Honeyman, M.S., Effect of windrow turning and seasonal temperatures on composting of hog manure from hoop structures, Environ. Technol., 2000, vol. 21, no. 9, pp. 1037–1046.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Bustamante, M.A., Paredes, C., Marhuenda-Egea, F.C., et al., Co-composting of distillery wastes with animal manures: Carbon and nitrogen transformations in the evaluation of compost stability, Chemosphere, 2008, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 551–557.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Song, C., Li, M., Jia, X., et al., Comparison of bacterial community structure and dynamics during the thermophilic composting of different types of solid wastes: Anaerobic digestion residue, pig manure and chicken manure, Microb. Biotechnol., 2014, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 424–433.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Iqbal, S., Guber, A.K., and Khan, H.Z., Estimating nitrogen leaching losses after compost application in furrow irrigated soils of Pakistan using HYDRUS-2D software, Agric. Water Manage., 2016, vol. 168, pp. 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Ogunwande, G.A., Osunade, J.A., Adekalu, K.O., et al., Nitrogen loss in chicken litter compost as affected by carbon to nitrogen ratio and turning frequency, Bioresour. Technol., 2008, vol. 99, no. 16, pp. 7495–7503.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Shen, Y., Ren, L., Li, G., et al., Influence of aeration on CH4, N2O and NH3 emissions during aerobic composting of a chicken manure and high C/N waste mixture, Waste Manage., 2011, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 33–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Zhang, Y., Zhao, Y., Chen, Y., et al., A regulating method for reducing nitrogen loss based on enriched ammonia-oxidizing bacteria during composting, Bioresour. Technol., 2016, vol. 221, pp. 276–283.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Onwosi, C.O., Igbokwe, V.C., Odimba, J.N., et al., Composting technology in waste stabilization: On the methods, challenges and future prospects, J. Environ. Manage., 2017, vol. 190, pp. 140–157.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Zhang, Y., Ji, G., and Wang, R., Drivers of nitrous oxide accumulation in denitrification biofilters with low carbon:nitrogen ratios, Water Res., 2016, vol. 106, pp. 75–89.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Garcia-Gil, J.C., Ceppi, S.B., Velasco, M.I., Polo, A., and Senesi, N., Long-term effects of amendment with municipal solid waste compost on the elemental and acidic functional group composition and pH-buffer capacity of soil humic acids, Geoderma, 2004, vol. 121, no. 1, pp. 135–142.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Li, X., Zhang, R., and Pang, Y., Characteristics of dairy manure composting with rice straw, Bioresour. Technol., 2008, vol. 99, no. 2, pp. 359–367.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Zmora-Nahum, S., Markovitch, O., Tarchitzky, J., et al., Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) as a parameter of compost maturity, Soil Biol. Biochem., 2005, vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 2109–2116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Paredes, C., Roig, A., Bernal, M.P., et al., Evolution of organic matter and nitrogen during co-composting of olive mill wastewater with solid organic wastes, Biol. Fertil. Soils, 2000, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 222–227.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Miaomiao, H.E., Wenhong, L.I., Xinqiang, L., et al., Effect of composting process on phytotoxicity and speciation of copper, zinc and lead in sewage sludge and swine manure, Waste Manage., 2009, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 590–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Nigussie, A., Bruun, S., Kuyper, T.W., et al., Delayed addition of nitrogen-rich substrates during composting of municipal waste: Effects on nitrogen loss, greenhouse gas emissions and compost stability, Chemosphere, 2017, vol. 166, pp. 352–362.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Miyatake, F. and Iwabuchi, K., Effect of high compost temperature on enzymatic activity and species diversity of culturable bacteria in cattle manure compost, Bioresour. Technol., 2005, vol. 96, no. 16, pp. 1821–1825.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Souza, A.C.D., Carvalho, F.P., Schwan, R.F., et al., Sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis using yeast cellulolytic enzymes, J. Microbiol. Biotechnol., 2013, vol. 23, no. 10, p. 1403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Szanto, G.L., Hamelers, H.V.M., Rulkens, W.H., etal., NH3, N2O and CH4 emissions during passively aerated composting of straw-rich pig manure, Bioresour. Technol., 2007, vol. 98, no. 14, pp. 2659–2670.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Michel, F.C., Pecchia, J.A., Rigot, J., et al., Mass and nutrient losses during the composting of dairy manure amended with sawdust or straw, Compost Sci. Util., 2004, vol. 12, no. 4, pp. 323–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Bernal, M.P., Navarro, A.F., Roig, A., Cegarra, J., and Garcia, D., Carbon and nitrogen transformation during composting of sweet sorghum bagasse, Biol. Fertil. Soils, 1996, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 141–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Tiquia, S.M., Richard, T.L., and Honeyman, M.S., Carbon, nutrient, and mass loss during composting, Nutr. Cycling Agroecosyst., 2002, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 15–24.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Morisaki, N., Phae, C.G., Nakasaki, K., et al., Nitrogen transformation during thermophilic composting, J. Ferment. Bioeng., 1989, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 57–61.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Mahimairaja, S., Bolan, N.S., Hedley, M.J., et al., Losses and transformation of nitrogen during composting of poultry manure with different amendments: An incubation experiment, Bioresour. Technol., 1994, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 265–273.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Biey, E.M., Mortier, H., and Verstraete, W., Nitrogen transfer from grey municipal solid waste to high quality compost, Bioresour. Technol., 2000, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 47–52.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Paillat, J.M., Robin, P., Hassouna, M., and Leterme, P., Predicting ammonia and carbon dioxide emissions from carbon and nitrogen biodegradability during animal waste composting, Atmos. Environ., 2005, vol. 39, no. 36, pp. 6833–6842.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Lixia Wang, in whose lab some of these experiments were performed.

Funding

This work was supported by Distinguished Youth Project of Jinlin Province (CXGC2017-JQ012).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rural Energy and Ecology Jilin Institute Academy of Agriculture Sciences, 130124, Changchun, China

    Yanru Cui, Hai Gao, Jing Li, Fengxian Pang, Shengnan Zhao, Yeming Zhao & Zihan He

Authors
  1. Yanru Cui
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hai Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jing Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Fengxian Pang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Shengnan Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yeming Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Zihan He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yanru Cui.

Ethics declarations

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. This article does not contain any studies involving animals or human participants performed by any of the authors.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yanru Cui, Gao, H., Li, J. et al. Losses and Transformations of Nitrogen at Low Value of C/N Ratio Compost. Russ. Agricult. Sci. 45, 543–549 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068367419060041

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S1068367419060041

Keywords:

Search

Navigation