A composting process was conducted under optimal conditions for 150 d, obtaining three biomasses at different levels of maturity: raw material (RM), fresh compost obtained after 11 d of composting (FC), and evolved compost (EC) obtained after 150 d of composting. During the composting process, HAs were extracted and fully characterized by mass balance, DRIFT, and 1H and 13C-nuclear magnetic res...

In this study, odorous volatile compounds (OVCs) from market−ready, commercial composts supplied by 14 different producers were compared using a recently developed method involving solid−phase microextraction (SPME) of headspace volatiles followed by GC analysis. The products analyzed were derived from a cross−section of the wide array of compost feedstock ingredients used in the U.S. (e.g., bi...

This study evaluates the feasibility of using the grass species Rendlia altera, Monocymbium ceresiiforme, Cynodon dactylon, and amendments (compost and lime) for the phytostabilisation of soils contaminated by Cu in the province of Katanga (Democratic Republic of Congo). Species were grown on control and Cu-contaminated plots (artificially contaminated with 2,500 mg kg(-1) Cu) unamended (NA), a...

A microarray consisting of oligonucleotide probes targeting variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene was designed and tested for the investigation of microbial communities in compost. Probes were designed for microorganisms that have been previously reported in the composting process and for plant, animal and human pathogens. The oligonucleotide probes were between 17 and 25 bp in length and inclu...

While several EU member states have working compost markets, only about one third of the bio-waste, around 35 Mio tons is used to produce compost, and to some degree, biogas. The major part is still incinerated or landfilled together with other waste. This paper proposes the improvement of existing and the creation of new compost markets based on the integration of biochar and the implementatio...

Three cases of Legionnaires disease caused by Legionella longbeachae Sg 1 associated with potting compost have been reported in Scotland between 2008 and 2009. The exact method of transmission is still not fully understood as Legionnaires disease is thought to be acquired by droplet inhalation. The linked cases associated with compost exposure call for an introduction of compost labelling, as i...

The amendment of soil with compost may significantly influence the mobility and persistence of pesticides and thus affect their environmental fate. Factors like adsorption, kinetics, and rate of degradation of pesticides could be altered in amended soils. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the addition of compost made from source-separated municipal waste and green waste, on ...

Landfill diversion of organic wastes through composting is making compost products available for agricultural and horticultural crops. On certified organic farms, nonsludge green waste and manure composts are widely used because the use of these products removes harvest date restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture when raw manure is applied. We quantified several pathogens in...

The phylogenetic diversity of the bacteria in hot composting samples collected from three spatial locations was investigated by molecular tools in order to determine the influence of gradient effect on bacterial communities during the thermophilic phase of composting swine manure with rice straw. Total microbial DNA was extracted and bacterial near full-length 16S rRNA genes were subsequently a...