TY - JOUR
T1 - Fate of nitrogen during composting of chicken litter
AU - Tiquia, S. M.
AU - Tam, N. F.Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Mr. Alex Chan of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, Hong Kong Government, and his staff for allowing this composting trial to be carried out at the Ta Kwu Ling Pig Breeding Centre, and their assistance in field sampling. This work was financially supported by the Central Matching Fund of the City University of Hong Kong.
PY - 2000/12
Y1 - 2000/12
N2 - Chicken litter (a mixture of chicken manure, wood shavings, waste feed, and feathers) was composted in forced-aeration piles to understand the changes and losses of nitrogen (N) during composting. During the composting process, the chemical [different N fractions, organic matter (OM), organic carbon (C), and C:N ratio], physical, and microbial properties of the chicken litter were examined. Cumulative losses and mass balances of N and organic matter were also quantified to determine actual losses during composting. The changes in total N concentration of the chicken litter piles were essentially equal to those of the organic N. The inorganic N concentrations were low, and that organic N was the major nitrogenous constituent. The ammonium (NH4+)-N concentration decreased dramatically during first 35 days of composting. However, the rapid decrease in NH4+-N during composting did not coincide with a rapid increase in (NO3-+NO2-)-N concentration. The concentration of (NO3-+NO2-)-N was very low (<0.5 g kg-1) at day 0, and this level remained unchanged during the first 35 days of composting suggesting that N was lost during composting. Losses of N in this composting process were governed mainly by volatilization of ammonia (NH3) as the pile temperatures were high and the pH values were above 7. The narrow C:N ratio (<20:1) have also contributed to losses of N in the chicken litter. The OM and total organic C mass decreased with composting time. About 42 kg of the organic C was converted to CO2. On the other hand, 18 kg was lost during composting. This loss was more than half (59%) of the initial N mass of the piles. Such a finding demonstrates that composting reduced the value of the chicken litter as N fertilizer. However, the composted chicken contained a more humified (stabilized) OM compared with the uncomposted chicken litter, which would enhance its value as a soil conditioner. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.
AB - Chicken litter (a mixture of chicken manure, wood shavings, waste feed, and feathers) was composted in forced-aeration piles to understand the changes and losses of nitrogen (N) during composting. During the composting process, the chemical [different N fractions, organic matter (OM), organic carbon (C), and C:N ratio], physical, and microbial properties of the chicken litter were examined. Cumulative losses and mass balances of N and organic matter were also quantified to determine actual losses during composting. The changes in total N concentration of the chicken litter piles were essentially equal to those of the organic N. The inorganic N concentrations were low, and that organic N was the major nitrogenous constituent. The ammonium (NH4+)-N concentration decreased dramatically during first 35 days of composting. However, the rapid decrease in NH4+-N during composting did not coincide with a rapid increase in (NO3-+NO2-)-N concentration. The concentration of (NO3-+NO2-)-N was very low (<0.5 g kg-1) at day 0, and this level remained unchanged during the first 35 days of composting suggesting that N was lost during composting. Losses of N in this composting process were governed mainly by volatilization of ammonia (NH3) as the pile temperatures were high and the pH values were above 7. The narrow C:N ratio (<20:1) have also contributed to losses of N in the chicken litter. The OM and total organic C mass decreased with composting time. About 42 kg of the organic C was converted to CO2. On the other hand, 18 kg was lost during composting. This loss was more than half (59%) of the initial N mass of the piles. Such a finding demonstrates that composting reduced the value of the chicken litter as N fertilizer. However, the composted chicken contained a more humified (stabilized) OM compared with the uncomposted chicken litter, which would enhance its value as a soil conditioner. Copyright (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.
KW - Composting
KW - Denitrification
KW - Nitrification
KW - Nitrogen
KW - Organic matter loss
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033868763&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00319-X
DO - 10.1016/S0269-7491(99)00319-X
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0033868763
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 110
SP - 535
EP - 541
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
IS - 3
ER -