Research trend analysis of composting based on Web of Science database

Bibliometric analysis was used in this study for the quantitative evaluation of current research trends on composting. The research articles indexed from the Science Citation Index-Expanded in Web of Science database published from 2000 to 2019 were investigated. The USA, China and Spain were the top three countries considering the number of papers. Amongst the research institutes, CSIC of Spain, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada ranked the top three in total publication amount. Journals that published a significant number of literature regarding topics of composting included Environmental Sciences & Ecology, Agriculture and Engineering. In terms of research content, keywords such as heavy metal, heavy metal and biodegradation appeared frequently. In addition, the analysis of keywords revealed the following research hotspots in future studies: investigation of heavy metal passivator, optimisation of composting conditioner, development of all kinds of microorganisms, rational management of the composting process and improvement of solid waste life cycle assessment. To some extent, it helps to understand the current global status and trends of the related research.