New insight of tertiary-amine modified bentonite amendment on the nitrogen transformation and volatile fatty acids during the chicken manure composting

Abstract

In this study, the main objective was to investigate the potential effect of tertiary-amine modified bentonite (TAMB) on the nitrogen transformation and the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) degradation during the chicken manure (CM) composting. Six dosages of TAMB (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% and 10%) were amended into the mixture of CM and wheat straw and then composted for 50 days. The results revealed the TAMB amendment could prolong the thermophilic phase and enhance the organic matter (OM) degradation. With the increasing dosage of TAMB, the ammonia volatilization was reduced by 15.41%–65.35%. Meanwhile, the TAMB addition had a positive effect on VFAs degradation and reducing odor unitMAX (OUMAX) by 17.61%–59.24%. Moreover, CH4 was reduced by 12.15%–32.78% in TAMB applied treatments compared to control. Finally, combined with all results, it indicated that TAMB amendment could reduce VFAs, CH4 emission and nitrogen loss to improve the compost quality.