The action difference of metabolic regulators on carbon conversion during different agricultural organic wastes composting

The purpose of this study is to explore the action characteristics of metabolic regulators like adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and malonic acid (MA) during rice straw (RS) and fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) composting. Results showed that due to the easy degradation difference, ATP and MA reduced CO2 emission in RS and FVW, respectively. Moreover, adding ATP and MA increased humic acids (HA) content in FVW more significantly (p < 0.05), especially for ATP. However, adding MA accelerated organic matter degradation during RS composting, which was basically consistent with CO2 emission, but it was not effective in promoting HA formation. Furthermore, the microbial community was reshaped by adding ATP and MA. Eventually, structural equation model further confirmed that adding metabolic regulators enhanced the biotic and abiotic pathways of HA formation, and the promotion effect of adding ATP was more obvious. The study has great practical significance for the dispose of agricultural waste.

Automated summary

This study investigated the action characteristics of metabolic regulators like ATP and MA during composting of rice straw and fruit and vegetable waste, revealing their impact on CO2 emission, HA content, and microbial community. The addition of ATP and MA enhanced pathways of HA formation, with ATP showing a more significant promoting effect.