Papers

61,005 results
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Systematic Review Tier 1

Composting as a Sustainable Solution for Organic Solid Waste Management: Current Practices and Potential Improvements

This systematic review of composting practices finds that technological advances like microbial inoculants and in-vessel systems have improved efficiency, but managing contaminants such as heavy metals and microplastics in compost remains a significant challenge. The presence of microplastics in organic waste streams threatens compost quality and can introduce plastic pollution into agricultural soils.

2024 Sustainability 122 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Electro-Composting: An Emerging Technology

This systematic review of electro-composting technologies found that electric field-assisted and electrolytic oxygen systems accelerate organic matter decomposition and improve oxygen distribution, while microbial fuel cell and thermoelectric generator systems generate energy alongside waste degradation. These approaches overcome conventional composting limitations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2025 Fermentation
Article Tier 2

Enhanced in situ biodegradation of microplastics in sewage sludge using hyperthermophilic composting technology

Hyperthermophilic composting technology (operating above 70°C) was tested for its ability to biodegrade microplastics in sewage sludge in situ, with results showing significant reduction in microplastic abundance compared to conventional composting. This enhanced treatment approach could reduce the microplastic load delivered to agricultural soils when biosolids are land-applied.

2019 Journal of Hazardous Materials 327 citations
Article Tier 2

A perspective on hydrothermal processing of sewage sludge

Researchers reviewed hydrothermal processing as a strategy for treating sewage sludge, finding it can recover eleven times more energy than landfilling and, when integrated with anaerobic digestion, offers a scalable approach to converting the 79 million dry tons of liquid organic waste the US generates annually.

2020 Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 107 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioconversion Progresses of Organic Solid Waste

This review summarizes recent research progress on biotechnologies for organic solid waste treatment including landfilling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and anaerobic fermentation, framing these as green and clean approaches to resource recovery. The authors assess achievements in reduction, harmlessness, and resource utilization of organic solid waste amid growing global resource and energy shortages.

2024 Highlights in Science Engineering and Technology
Article Tier 2

Assessment of Energy-Efficient Spouted Bed Aerobic Composting Performance for Municipal Solid Waste: Experimental Study

This study evaluated the performance of spouted bed aerobic composting as an energy-efficient method for treating municipal solid waste, which contains large proportions of organic material. The mechanized composting process reduced waste volume and produced material usable in agriculture, offering an environmentally cleaner alternative to landfill disposal.

2023 Processes 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Análise da eficiência de compostagem e vermicompostagem para resíduos sólidos orgânicos com inserção de material biodegradável

Researchers analysed the efficiency of composting and vermicomposting for organic solid waste in Brazil, incorporating biodegradable materials and evaluating how these treatment approaches can reduce the approximately 45.3% of urban solid waste that currently ends up in landfills.

2024 Periódico Eletrônico Fórum Ambiental da Alta Paulista.
Article Tier 2

Removal Potential of Microplastics in Organic Solid Wastes via Biological Treatment Approaches

This review examines biological treatment approaches — including composting, anaerobic digestion, and vermicomposting — for removing microplastics from organic solid wastes, finding that while these methods can reduce microplastic abundance, significant knowledge gaps remain about fragmentation and fate during treatment.

2022 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Composting of Organic Solid Waste of Municipal Origin: The Role of Research in Enhancing Its Sustainability

This review examines the role of composting in managing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste, highlighting both its benefits for material recovery and its challenges. Researchers found that issues such as the presence of microplastics and other toxic substances in compost can undermine the circularity of the process. The study suggests that continued research is needed to improve composting practices and reduce contaminant transfer to agricultural soils.

2022 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Review on advances in toxic pollutants remediation by solid waste composting and vermicomposting

Researchers review how composting and vermicomposting — using earthworms and microbes to break down organic waste — can neutralize heavy metals and persistent chemical pollutants in solid waste streams. Notably, earthworms have been found to break microplastics down into even smaller nanoplastics during digestion, raising new questions about whether vermicomposting spreads rather than eliminates plastic contamination.

2024 Scientific African 23 citations
Article Tier 2

Decentralized Composting of Food Waste: A Perspective on Scientific Knowledge

This review of home and community composting assesses performance parameters, compost quality, and environmental impacts based on current scientific literature. Home compost quality in terms of stability and maturity is comparable to industrial compost, though sanitization is not always achieved and temperature stratification in small composters remains a challenge.

2022 Frontiers in Chemical Engineering 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics generation and concentration during mechanical-biological treatment of mixed municipal solid waste

Researchers found that mechanical-biological treatment of mixed municipal solid waste generates and concentrates microplastics across multiple processing stages, with the stabilized organic output containing significant microplastic loads — raising concerns about the use of this material as compost or soil amendment.

2022 Environmental Research 27 citations
Review Tier 2

Municipal solid waste compost: a comprehensive bibliometric data-driven review of 50 years of research and identification of future research themes

This bibliometric review analyzed 827 publications on municipal solid waste compost over 50 years using the Bibliometrix tool, revealing substantial global growth in research interest particularly over the past two decades and identifying key trends and knowledge gaps.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 17 citations
Article Tier 2

The role of microbial inoculum in improving composting performance and promoting compost maturation: A review

This review critically examines microbial inoculation strategies for accelerating composting performance and promoting compost maturation, synthesizing findings on single-strain and consortia inocula and their effects on composting phases, microbial succession, and physicochemical parameters. The authors identify how strategic microbial inoculation can enhance nutrient balance, reduce composting time, and improve the quality of finished compost.

2025 Green Technologies and Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Challenges in biodegradation of non-degradable thermoplastic waste: From environmental impact to operational readiness

Researchers assessed current and emerging methods for degrading non-recyclable thermoplastics — PE, PP, PS, and PET — comparing thermal, chemical, and biological approaches by technology readiness level, concluding that biodegradation is promising but still limited by slow rates, and outlining a pathway toward greener, scalable plastic-waste treatment.

2021 Biotechnology Advances 121 citations
Article Tier 2

Recent Advances in Hydrothermal Oxidation Technology for Sludge Treatment

This review examines hydrothermal oxidation (HTO) technology for sludge treatment, detailing its mechanisms for organic pollutant removal, nitrogen transformation, and phosphorus recovery, while analyzing the influence of operational parameters including temperature, pressure, reaction time, and pH, and discussing challenges in scaling up the technology and innovations in catalyst design.

2024 Applied Sciences 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Microbial regulation of organic solid waste composting: Lignocellulose degradation (fertilization), process gas emissions, and containment of typical pollutants

This review examines how microbial agents can improve composting of organic solid waste by enhancing lignocellulose breakdown, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and managing pollutants including microplastics. Researchers found that inoculating compost with bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes accelerates decomposition, promotes humus formation, and can decrease heavy metal bioavailability and degrade antibiotics. The study suggests that complex microbial formulations show greater stability and environmental adaptability due to synergistic effects.

2025 Journal of Environmental Management 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Composting-based degradation of poly (ethylene terephthalate) microplastics and its enhancement with exogenous PET hydrolase supplementation

Researchers tested whether PET microplastic degradation could be enhanced during high-temperature composting by adding exogenous thermophilic PET hydrolase enzyme, finding that after 20 days, PET weight was reduced by 21.1% without enzyme and 32.8% with enzyme addition. Enzyme-enhanced composting offers a promising approach for degrading PET microplastics in solid waste treatment.

2023 Environmental Technology & Innovation 15 citations
Article Tier 2

Hybrid mechanism of microplastics degradation via biological and chemical process during composting

Researchers explored how composting can degrade microplastics through combined biological and chemical processes. They found that pre-aged microplastics broke down about three times faster than non-aged ones during composting, with microorganisms and chemical oxidation working together to accelerate degradation. The study suggests that composting may offer a practical approach for reducing microplastic contamination in organic waste streams.

2024 Bioresource Technology 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Research Progress on Efficient Aerobic Composting Technology for Livestock and Poultry Manure

This review systematically examines efficient aerobic composting technologies for livestock and poultry manure, summarizing advances in controlling heavy metal contamination, antibiotic residues, estrogens, and microplastics while reducing greenhouse gas emissions during the composting process.

2024 Advances in computer and materials science research.
Article Tier 2

Exploring the Potential of Hydrothermal Treatment for Microplastics Removal in Digestate

Researchers explored hydrothermal treatment as a method to remove microplastics from digestate -- the organic residue from anaerobic digestion that is widely applied to agricultural land. Hydrothermal treatment effectively degraded microplastics present in the digestate, offering a processing step that could reduce microplastic loading in biosolids before land application.

2024 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Using hyperspectral imaging to identify and classify large microplastic contamination in industrial composting processes

This study used hyperspectral imaging to detect and classify non-compostable plastic contaminants in industrial composting streams, offering a rapid and automated approach to reduce microplastic formation in end compost.

2024 Frontiers in Sustainability 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics identification and quantification in the composted Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste

Researchers quantified microplastics in composted organic municipal solid waste from five facilities, finding contamination levels that raise concerns about compost quality and the potential transfer of microplastics to agricultural soils through organic waste recycling.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 125 citations
Article Tier 2

Biochar to Enhance Environmental Remediation in Composting

This review examines the application of biochar to composting and vermicomposting processes, highlighting how its porous structure and large surface area improve aeration, gas diffusion, and the passivation of heavy metals. The chapter also details biochar's role in enhancing degradation of organic pollutants including antibiotics, PAHs, heavy oils, microplastics, and organophosphate esters within compost systems.

2024