Performance of co-composting sewage sludge and organic fraction of municipal solid waste at different proportions

Abstract

In this study, the co-composting performance of sewage sludge (SS) and organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) at different proportions was investigated. Cornstalk was added at 15% (of total wet weight) to improve the co-composting process. Results show that higher SS proportion could rapidly initialize the co-composting process; while increasing OFMSW percentage enhanced organic content for biodegradation, thus prolonging the thermophilic period and increasing the humification degree during co-composting. However, excessive OFMSW required longer co-composting period to ensure a desirable compost maturity and quality. Over 15 days of rapid co-composting, adding 55–85% OFMSW aggravated compost quality by increasing the compost salinity (3.5–4.6 mS cm−1) and plant toxicity (indicated by the low germination index of 54.1–77.3%). Moreover, different proportions of SS and OFMSW varied gaseous emissions during co-composting. Our results suggested that OFMSW should be less than 55% for rapid co-composting with SS and cornstalk.