Effect of phosphogypsum and dicyandiamide as additives on NH_3,N_2O and CH_4 emissions during composting

A laboratory scale experiment of composting in a forced aeration system using pig manure with cornstalks was carried out to investigate the effects of both phosphogypsum and dicyandiamide （DCD, C2 H4 N4 ） as additives on gaseous emissions and compost quality. Besides a control, there were three amended treatments with different amounts of additives. The results indicated that the phosphogypsum addition at the rate of 10% of mixture dry weight decreased NH3 and CH4 emissions significantly during composting. The addition of DCD at the rate of 0.2% of mixture dry weight together with 10% of phosphogypsum further reduced the N20 emission by affecting the nitrification process. Reducing the phosphogypsum addition to 5% in the presence of 0.2% DCD moderately increased the NH3 emissions but not N20 emission. The additives increased the ammonium content and electrical conductivity significantly in the final compost. No adverse effect on organic matter degradation or the germination index of the compost was found in the amended treatments. It was recommended that phosphogypsum and DCD could be used in composting for the purpose of reducing NH3 , CH4 and N20 emissions.0ptimal conditions and dose of DCD additive during composting should be determined with different materials and composting systems in further study.

Influence of bulking agents on CH_4,N_2O,and NH_3 emissions during rapid composting of pig manure from the Chinese Ganqinfen system

Mismanagement of the composting process can result in emissions of CH4,N2O,and NH3,which have caused severe environmental problems.This study was aimed at determining whether CH4,N2O,and NH3 emissions from composting are affected by bulking agents during rapid composting of pig manure from the Chinese Ganqinfen system.Three bulking agents,corn stalks,spent mushroom compost,and sawdust,were used in composting with pig manure in 60 L reactors with forced aeration for more than a month.Gas emissions were measured continuously,and detailed gas emission patterns were obtained.Concentrations of NH3 and N2O from the composting pig manure mixed with corn stalks or sawdust were higher than those from the spent mushroom compost treatment,especially the sawdust treatment,which had the highest total nitrogen loss among the three runs.Most of the nitrogen was lost in the form of NH3,which accounts for 11.16% to 35.69% of the initial nitrogen.One-way analysis of variance for NH3emission showed no significant differences between the corn stalk and sawdust treatments,but a significant difference was noted between the spent mushroom compost and sawdust treatments.The introduction of sawdust reduced CH4emission more than the corn stalks and spent mushroom compost.However,there were no significant differences among the three runs for total carbon loss.All treatments were matured after 30 d.

Effects of aeration method and aeration rate on greenhouse gas emissions during composting of pig feces in pilot scale

The aim of this study was to uncover ways to mitigate greenhouse gas（GHG） emissions and reduce energy consumption during the composting process. We assessed the effects of different aeration rates（0, 0.18, 0.36, and 0.54 L/（kg dry matter（dm）·min）） and methods（continuous and intermittent） on GHG emissions. Pig feces and corn stalks were mixed at a ratio of 7：1. The composting process lasted for 10 weeks, and the compost was turned approximately every 2 weeks. Results showed that both aeration rate and method significantly affected GHG emissions. Higher aeration rates increased NH3 and N2O losses,but reduced CH4 emissions. The exception is that the CH4 emission of the passive aeration treatment was lower than that of the low aeration rate treatment. Without forced aeration,the CH4 diffusion rates in the center of the piles were very low and part of the CH4 was oxidized in the surface layer. Intermittent aeration reduced NH3 and CH4 losses, but significantly increased N2 O production during the maturing periods. Intermittent aeration increased the nitrification/denitrification alternation and thus enhanced the N2 O production. Forced aeration treatments had higher GHG emission rates than the passive aeration treatment. Forced aeration accelerated the maturing process, but could not improve the quality of the end product. Compared with continuous aeration, intermittent aeration could increase the O2 supply efficiency and reduced the total GHG emission by 17.8%, and this reduction increased to 47.4% when composting was ended after 36 days.