Abstract:In order to decrease the NH3and H2S emissions during kitchen waste composting, this study investigated the effect of aeration rate on NH3 and H2S emissions and maturity. A control treatment was studied using pure kitchen waste with an aeration rate (AR) of 0.16m3/h, and three different ARs (0.08, 0.16 and 0.24m3/h) were set to compost using a mixture of 85% kitchen waste and 15% cornstalks (wet weight). The results showed that adding cornstalks could increase the total nitrogen compared with kitchen waste composted alone, the TN content of the treatment (AR = 0.16m3/h) was the highest among all treatments, its TN content increased 39.05%. Kitchen waste mixed with cornstalks reduced the NH3emissions by 14%~53% and H2S emission by 67%~80% than did pure kitchen waste. The NH3emissions increased with the AR increasing, and the NH3cumulative emissions showed a logarithmic growth trend. The H2S emissions has no obvious regularity, but low and high AR would lead to higher H2S emission. Moreover, all treatments met the sanitation requirements and reached the required maturity standard. Given the comprehensive effect, the recommended aeration rate for kitchen waste composting is 0.16m3/h.