Author(s)

Boakye Acheampong^1*, Kodwo Miezah², Enoch Bessah¹, Benedicta Essel Ayamba³, Francis Kemausour^1,4

¹Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
²Department of Environmental Science, College of Science, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
³Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Division, CSIR-Soil Research Institute, Kumasi, Ghana.
⁴The Brew-Hammond Energy Center, College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.

Composting as a solution to the increasing generation of municipal solid waste (MSW), also contribute to GHGs emission when not controlled and could lack some basic nutrients, especially nitrogen. This study assessed the split-additions of nitrogen-rich substrate to composting materials and their effect on GHGs emissions as well as the quality of the composts. Nitrogen-rich substrates formulated from pig and goat manure were co-composted with MSW for a 12-weeks period by split adding at mesophilic (<50˚C) and thermophilic (>50˚C) stages in five different treatments. Representative samples from the compost were taken from each treatment for physicochemical, heavy metals and bacteriological analysis. In-situ CH₄, CO₂, N₂O gas emissions were also analyzed weekly during composting. It was observed that all the treatments showed significant organic matter decomposition, reaching thermophilic temperatures in the first week of composting. The absence affects the suitable agronomic properties. All nitrogen-rich substrate applied at thermophilic stage (Treatment two) recorded the highest N, P and K concentrations of 1.34%, 0.97% and 2.45%, respectively with highest nitrogen retention. In terms of GHG emissions, CO₂ was highest at the thermophilic stage when N-rich substrate was added in all treatment, while CH₄ was highest in the mesophilic stage with N-rich substrate addition. N₂O showed no specific trend in the treatments. Split addition of the N-rich substrate for co-composting of MSW produced compost which is stable, has less nutrient loss and low GHG emissions. Split addition of a nitrogen-rich substrate could be an option for increasing the fertilizer value of MSW compost.

Compost, Nitrogen-Rich Substrate, Thermophilic, Mesophilic, Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Acheampong, B. , Miezah, K. , Bessah, E. , Ayamba, B. and Kemausour, F. (2024) Split Addition of Nitrogen-Rich Substrate at Thermophilic and Mesophilic Stages of Composting: Effect on Green House Gases Emission and Quality of Compost. Open Journal of Soil Science, 14, 133-158. doi: 10.4236/ojss.2024.142008.