Molecular characterization of a compost and its water-soluble fractions

A sequential chemical fractionation was applied to a compost, with its dissolved organic matter (DOM) extracted in water and separated in hydrophilic (HiDOM) and hydrophobic (HoDOM) components and a water extract, following oxidation of compost suspension with an oxygen flux (TEA). The components sequentially isolated by mild extractions and hydrolyses as structurally unbound (SU), weakly bound (WB), and strongly bound (SB) to the matrix of the bulk compost and its water-soluble fractions were identified in their molecular structure. The bulk compost was rich with components derived from both aromatic (phenolic compounds) and aliphatic (long-chain fatty acids, hydroxy acids, diacids, and alcohols) structures of suberins, whereas components derived from cutins were especially extracted from TEA, HoDOM, and HiDOM. The TEA sample also yielded a significant amount of oxidized products that was dominated by dehydroabietic acids. The fractionation sequence highlighted the different intermolecular interactions that bound the isolated molecular components to the compost complex matrix. While a significant part of the bulk compost was still present as a solid residue at the end of the sequential fractionation, all water-soluble fractions were almost completely hydrolyzed. These results indicate that the water-soluble components of compost may be readily separated from the compost matrix and contribute to the environmental dynamics of natural organic matter.