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Engineered biochar combined clay for microplastic biodegradation during pig manure composting

Environmental Pollution 2024 8 citations ? Citation count from OpenAlex, updated daily. May differ slightly from the publisher's own count.
Yuwen Zhou, Mukesh Kumar Awasthi, Asad Syed, Ali H. Bahkali

Summary

Researchers used walnut shell biochar combined with montmorillonite clay in pig manure composting and found the amendments accelerated biodegradation of microplastics and altered bacterial community succession. Optimal biochar concentration was 5 percent, achieving the best balance of composting performance and plastic degradation.

This study pursued to regulate bacterial community succession pattern and expedited biodegradation of microplastics (MP) during pig manure (PM) composting employing walnut shell biochar (WSB) and montmorillonite (M). The WSB with concentration of 0%, 2.5%, 5%, 7.5%, 10% and 12% along with 10% M participated into PM for 42 days compost to search the optimal solution. The results confirmed the most prosperous bacterial phylum consisted of Firmicutes (3.02%-91.80%), Proteobacteria (2.08%-48.54%), Chloroflexi (0-44.62%) and Bacteroidetes (0.85%-40.93%). The addition of biochar has dramatically arranged bacterial community at different stages of composting. Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS) revealed that carbon element in MPs decreased since the chemical bond fracture, under the intervention of high-temperature composting and WSB, the carbon content of MPs was maximum reduced by 20.25%. Fourier transform infrared spectrum indicated that CC, C-O, C-H and -COOH abundance of MPs in 10% and 12% dose biochar addition sharply reduced, interestingly, explicating WSB and composting made MP biodegradable. This experiment possesses affirmatory practical meaning for elimination of potential hazards by composting.

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