Effect of electric field assistant on the food waste aerobic composting
HE Ying-ying1,2, MIN Bo-lin1,2, XIANG Yuan-kun1,2, LI Hui-ping1,2, XIE Li1,2,3
1. Key Laboratory of Yangtze River Water Environment, Ministry of Education, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; 2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; 3. Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai 200001, China
Abstract：The composting trial was conducted with food waste in a small reactor for 32 days to investigate the alterations in extracellular polymers during electric field-assisted aerobic composting. The findings demonstrated that the electric field significantly expedited the biological transformation of organic matter, resulting in 23.1% and 40.8% increases in volatile fatty acids and reducing sugars during the initial stages of composting, respectively. Compared with the control group, the electric field group exhibited a notable increase of 91.4% in fulvic acid-like substances and 82.7% in humic acid-like substances, respectively. Additionally, correlation analysis revealed a significant association between changes in extracellular polymers and the conversion of organic matter. Primarily, protein components within extracellular polymers were identified as potential catalysts for facilitating the interaction between electrons and oxygen, thereby promoting the degradation of organic matter. Simultaneously, the polysaccharide and protein components served as precursors for humus formation, contributing to the humification process. Moreover, the application of an electric field stimulated the secretion of extracellular polymers, suggesting that these polymers could serve as a potential mechanism for enhancing organic matter degradation during electric field-assisted aerobic composting. This study presents a novel approach for regulating the humification process in electric field-assisted aerobic composting.
何莹莹, 闵柏林, 向远昆, 李惠平, 谢丽. 电场辅助对厨余垃圾好氧堆肥的影响机制研究[J]. 中国环境科学, 2024, 44(5): 2554-2561.
HE Ying-ying, MIN Bo-lin, XIANG Yuan-kun, LI Hui-ping, XIE Li. Effect of electric field assistant on the food waste aerobic composting. CHINA ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCECE, 2024, 44(5): 2554-2561.
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