Because of high moisture content and compact structure, composting kitchen waste would discharge by-products such as leachate, ammonia (NH3), and greenhouse gases, and these can cause secondary environmental pollution. In this study, continuous measurements of gas emissions were carried out and detailed gas emission patterns were obtained using forced aeration system at aerations of 2·10-4 (T1), 4·10-4 (A2) and 6·10-4 ( (A3) m3·kgDM-1·min-1. During the experiment, temperature and oxygen content were determined, and continuous measurements of NH3 and gaseous emissions (CH4, N2O, and NH3) were taken. The results indicated that the aeration had a significant effect on NH3, CH4 and N2O emission (p<0.05). The highest concentration of NH3, CH4 and N2O were all observed in the treatment of T2. The productions of NH3 were reduced by 59.6% and 33.7%, and greenhouse gases (GHG) were reduced by 50.8% and 40.5% for T1 and T2 that compared to T3, respectively. Obviously, the aeration has great influence on NH3 and GHG emissions. In this study, the aeration was 2·10-4 m3·kgDM-1·min-1 in favor of NH3 and GHG reduction.
Effects of mixing and covering with mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting
