A novel method for contributing to composting start-up at low temperature by inoculating cold-adapted microbial...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Microbiology
• Waste Management

Background:

• Low temperatures in northern China pose challenges for composting start-up.
• Efficient composting requires effective microbial activity and heat generation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of cold-adapted microbial consortium (CAMC) in promoting composting start-up at low temperatures.
• To assess the impact of CAMC inoculation on microbial community, organic matter degradation, and temperature evolution during composting.

Main Methods:

• Food waste was composted at 10°C with and without CAMC inoculation.
• Microbial community analysis, organic substrate degradation (carbohydrate, lipids, protein), and temperature monitoring were performed.
• Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to evaluate relationships between microbial communities, substrates, and temperature.

Main Results:

• CAMC inoculation significantly accelerated pile temperature, achieving the start-up phase within 37 hours.
• Inoculation enhanced the abundance of dominant microbial strains crucial for organic matter degradation.
• Degradation rates of hydrolysable carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, as well as heat generation, were significantly improved.

Conclusions:

• CAMC inoculation is a beneficial biotechnology for promoting self-heating and ensuring the normal start-up of low-temperature composting.
• This approach provides a novel solution for winter composting challenges in cold regions.