Modelling C and N mineralization during decomposition of anaerobically digested and composted municipal solid waste

Application of municipal solid waste (MSW) to arable land can be used to close the nutrient cycle between urban and rural areas. The aim of the current study was to quantify net N mineralization and respiration from composted MSW (CMSW) and anaerobically digested MSW (ADMSW) applied to soil, and to test whether a simple relationship between net N mineralization and respiration that was developed for plant materials, was applicable for these types of MSW. In a laboratory experiment, CMSW and ADMSW were incorporated into soil and incubated at 15 degrees C. During the 149-day experiment, netN mineralization and respiration were determined. Cumulative respiration derived from both MSW types was very steep during the first 30 days, after which it levelled off. However, calculated on the basis of applied C, the ADMSW was 10 times more degradable than the CMSW. Both MSW types caused initial net N immobilization followed by re-mineralization. A simple model based on the relationship between net N mineralization and respiration was only applicable for the MSW after significant modifications. If farmers are to recognize CMSW and ADMSW as valuable fertilizers, it is important that they can be produced with higher maturity, in order to avoid initial N immobilization.