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Manuscript Draft
Manuscript Number: BITEB-D-19-00393R2
Title: Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during Pressurized In-

vessel Composting of Food Waste
Article Type: Original research paper
Keywords: In-vessel composting; air pressure; food waste; physicochemical

parameters; agricultural application.
Corresponding Author: Professor Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D
Corresponding Author's Institution: University Abdelmalek Essaadi, ENSA

Al-Hoceima
First Author: Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D
Order of Authors: Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D; Ahmed Fadili, PhD; Mustapha

Oubenali, PhD
Abstract: The current paper investigates potential interactions and

correlations between physicochemical parameters during pressurized in-
vessel composting of food waste. A laboratory-scale bioreactor, which
operates semi-continuously under 0.6bar air pressure, was designed for
the purpose of this study. The studied evaluations included operational
indices as well as compost maturity indices. The evolution of different
physicochemical parameters showed that food waste could be composted
successfully in 12 days. During the active phase of composting, high CO2
generation involved high temperature and high internal air pressure,
revealing vigorous microbial activity. Moreover, the final compost was
satisfactory for its agricultural application in terms of C/N ratio, EC,
and NH4+-N content. The correlation matrix and the Principal Component
and NH4. Positive correlations were also observed between CO2 and EC,
NH4; and C/N ratio and EC.
Cover Letter
Cover letter
November 5th, 2019
Dear Editor
Enclosed is a paper, entitled "Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during

Pressurized In-vessel Composting of Food Waste ". Please accept it as a candidate for
publication in Bioresource Technology Reports.
The Bioresource Technology Reports has published numerous papers related to

biological treatment of different waste types via composting. Recently, several studies
have been focused on the optimization of one or more than propriety to accelerate the
process. However, to the best of our knowledge, no researcher has considered the
interactions and correlations between physicochemical properties during the
composting process. In fact, the dual purpose of this study is to assess physicochemical
properties during pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste on the one hand; and
on the other, to highlight potential interactions and correlations between these
properties. The results we have got show that air pressure has a significant effect on the
composting process and consequently on the time and quality of the obtained composts.
In fact, the evolution of different physicochemical parameters showed that food waste
could be composted successfully in 12 days. During the active phase of composting,
high CO2 generation involved high temperature and high internal air pressure,
revealing vigorous microbial activity. Moreover, the final compost was satisfactory for
its agricultural application in terms of C/N ratio, EC, and NH4+-N content.
Finally, this paper is our original unpublished work, and it has not been submitted to
any other journal for reviews.
Sincerely,
Abdelhadi Makan
*Detailed Response to Reviewers
R1-Response to reviewers’ comments
1. Reference format is incorrect
Response: References were corrected according to the author guidelines (reference style
section).
2. Conclusion should be no more than 100 words total.
Response: Word count was checked. The new conclusion section is given below:
Performances of laboratory-scale in-vessel composting bioreactor for food waste
treatment was assessed. Results showed that they could be composted in 12 days.
During the active phase, the microorganisms produced large amount of CO2, which in
its turn induced a significant increase in internal pressure and temperature. The final
records of C/N ratio, EC, and NH4+-N confirm that the obtained compost is satisfactory
for agricultural applications. The correlation matrix and the PCA for different
physicochemical parameters showed that nitrate negatively correlates with P, CO2,
C/N ratio, EC and ammonium. Whereas, P positively correlates with CO2, EC and
ammonium.
1
*Highlights (for review)
Highlights
 Pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste was performed
 High CO2 generation involved high temperature and high internal air pressure
 C/N ratio, EC, and ammonium content confirmed the final compost maturity
 Nitrate negatively correlated with P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium
 Internal air pressure positively correlated with CO2, EC and ammonium

*Manuscript
1 Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during Pressurized In-vessel
2 Composting of Food Waste

4 Abdelhadi Makan1, , Ahmed Fadili1, Mustapha Oubenali2
6 1
Team of Water and Environmental Management (G2E), National School of Applied
7 Sciences (ENSAH), University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, 32003 Al-Hoceima, Morocco
8 2
Transdisciplinary Team of Analytical Science for Sustainable Development,
9 University Sultan Moulay Slimane, Béni Mellal, Morocco
10
11

Corresponding author: Phone: +212(0) 674 77 36 36
E-mail address: abdelhadi.makan@gmail.com (A. Makan)
1
12 Abstract
13 The current paper investigates potential interactions and correlations between
14 physicochemical parameters during pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste.
15 A laboratory-scale bioreactor, which operates semi-continuously under 0.6bar air
16 pressure, was designed for the purpose of this study. The studied evaluations
17 included operational indices as well as compost maturity indices. The evolution of
18 different physicochemical parameters showed that food waste could be composted
19 successfully in 12 days. During the active phase of composting, high CO2 generation
20 involved high temperature and high internal air pressure, revealing vigorous
21 microbial activity. Moreover, the final compost was satisfactory for its agricultural
22 application in terms of C/N ratio, EC, and NH4+-N content. The correlation matrix
23 and the Principal Component Analysis showed that nitrate negatively correlates
24 with P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium. Whereas, P positively correlates with
25 CO2, EC and NH4. Positive correlations were also observed between CO2 and EC,
26 NH4; and C/N ratio and EC.
27
28 Keywords: In-vessel; composting; air pressure; food waste; agricultural application;
29 correlation.
30
2
31 1. Introduction
32 Every year, millions of tons of municipal solid waste are deposited in landfills
33 (Makan et al., 2014a). Waste that is no longer useful, and must be eliminated at great
34 price (Guerrero et al., 2013). Today, selective sorting can allow plastics, glass, paper
35 and metals recycling (Troschinetz & Mihelcic, 2009). The remaining fraction,
36 composed mainly by organic wastes in the case of Morocco and developing
37 countries, still fills containers. This fraction, which contains about two-thirds of
38 organic kitchen wastes (Karak et al., 2012), represents one of the major unsolved
39 problems in urban and rural areas in Morocco (Adhikari et al., 2009). Nevertheless,
40 there is a simple, ecological, economical and beneficial solution either for population
41 or for nature: the composting (Pergola et al., 2018).
42 Composting is a decomposition of organic matter (peelings, grass, leaves ...) by
43 micro and macro-organisms. In other words, composting is a way to recycle
44 household organic waste and yard waste (Epstein, 2017). The composting process
45 produces compost, which looks like soil. It is mainly used in agriculture and for
46 gardening. For soils impoverished by time and successive harvests, compost restores
47 all necessary elements to allow the plants a healthy growth, yet it is an excellent
48 amendment for soils (Martínez-Blanco et al., 2013). Since they released as the plant
49 needs, nutrients in compost extraordinary improve its growth.
50 Composting is performed through a range of available technologies, which can be
51 classified in three main categories (Krogmann et al., 2010). Firstly, open technologies,
3
52 which contains windrow (Makan, 2015; Gavilanes-Terán et al., 2016) and static pile
53 composting (Luo et al., 2008), are less demanding in technicity and expertise, yet
54 they require larger space and longer time to produce compost. Secondly, enclosed
55 technologies, where the off gases can be collected and treated, allow reducing odor
56 emissions from the composting facility. Finally, the in-vessel technologies such as
57 tunnel (Waqas et al., 2018b) and rotating drum composting (Kalamdhad & Kazmi,
58 2008; Kalamdhad et al., 2009) accelerate the composting time and require less space,
59 but they demand a high level of process control. Given this large range of available
60 technologies, choosing the suitable one may be a quite challenging task and must
61 consider variety of key issues such as feedstock, environmental controls,
62 socioeconomic and other nontechnical considerations, and proposed use or disposal
63 of the end-product (Krogmann et al., 2010).
64 A number of physicochemical properties including temperature, pH, electrical
65 conductivity (EC), C/N ratio, ammonium and nitrite can be monitored to assess
66 whether the composting process is effective or not (Bernal et al., 2009). Recently,
67 several studies have been focused on the optimization of one or more than propriety
68 to accelerate the process (Şevik et al., 2018; Rich et al., 2018; Waqas et al., 2018a,
69 2018b). However, to the best of our knowledge, no researcher has considered the
70 interactions and correlations between physicochemical properties during the
71 composting process. In fact, the dual purpose of this study is to assess
72 physicochemical properties during pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste
4
73 on the one hand; and on the other, to highlight potential interactions and
74 correlations between these properties.
75 2. Material and Methods
76 2.1 Composting materials
77 Food wastes, on which experiments were performed, are issued from supermarkets
78 in the city of Azemmour, West Morocco. They were sampled according to the United
79 States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance to properly analyze and
80 assess food wastes (EPA, 2014). The triplicates average values for physicochemical
81 characteristics of food wastes used in this study is provided in Table 1. Bulk density
82 and moisture content of raw materials were respectively about 560 kg/m3 and 72%.
83 The relatively high moisture content of the feedstock is mainly due to the
84 predominance of vegetable and fruit wastes. The initial C/N ratio, which was about
85 28, is within the recommended range to start a successful composting process
86 (Waqas et al., 2018b).
87 2.2 Composting vessel
88 For the purpose of this study, the bioreactor design was inspired from the bioreactor
89 used by Makan et al. (2014a) for the composting of organic fraction of municipal
90 solid waste. Description of all components and dimensions of the bioreactor are
91 given in Fig.1. The main core of the bioreactor consists of a vertical metallic cylinder
92 of 50 liters. The bioreactor contains a feeding door opening in the upper face to allow
5
93 waste introduction. The air is injected/removed through the valve, which is located
94 in the opening door.
95 2.3 Experimental setup
96 All experiments in this study were carried out on samples of 35kg of food waste. The
97 manually prepared samples were homogenized before being introduced into the
98 bioreactor. Once the bioreactor is closed, the internal air pressure was set to 0.6bar as
99 reported in Makan et al. (2014a). The semi-continuous operation of the bioreactor
100 was ensured by renewing the air each day and evacuating formed gases towards the
101 end of the same day. The formed gases mixture was bubbled into 1M sodium
102 hydroxide bottle and 0.65M boric acid bottle respectively to trap carbon dioxide and
103 ammonia.
104 2.4 Analytical Methods
105 Contents of carbon dioxide and ammonia were determined using volumetric
106 method. For CO2, sodium hydroxide in the first bubbled bottle was titrated using 1M
107 hydrochloric acid and phenolphthalein as indicator. In its turn, NH3 content was
108 determined by titration of boric acid from the second bubbled bottle using 1M
109 hydrochloric acid and bromocresol-greenmethyl as indicator.
110 Gross samples of the composted materials were dried at 105°C in an oven for one
111 day to determine their moisture contents. The dried samples were ground in order
112 to be used in subsequent analyzes. Organic matter content was measured through
6
113 the calcination of 20g of dried matter at 600°C for 5 hours. Liquid extracts, which are
114 needed for other analyzes, were prepared according to the following procedure: 10g
115 of dried matter is firstly mixed to 100ml of deionized water, then shaken for 2h, and
116 centrifuged at 3000rpm. The supernatant was then filtered through 0.45µm
117 membrane filters.
118 The Walkley Black method and semi-micro Kjeldahl method were used respectively
119 to measure total organic carbon (TOC) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN). Measures
120 of pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were directly recorded on pH-522 WTW
121 meter and EC-214 conductivity meter, respectively (Makan et al, 2014a). The
122 spectrophotometry of salicylic acid and sodium hypochlorite was used to measure
123 ammonium nitrogen NH4+-N (Lu, 2000), while ionic chromatography was used to
124 determine nitrate nitrogen NO3--N (Wei, 2002).Temperature in the bioreactor was
125 measured using a Multi-stem digital thermometer (ST–9283B).
126 3. Results and Discussion
127 3.1 Evolution of physicochemical parameters
128 3.1.1 Internal pressure, CO2 and NH3
129 Since composting is an aerobic process, air supply is needed to maintain
130 microorganisms’ biobreathing, which is responsible for gas emission (Onwosi et al.
131 (2017). While improved aeration at the early stages of composting results in
132 shortening the duration of waste stabilization, excess aeration may result in essential
7
133 component losses (Awasthi et al., 2014). Good oxygenation can be maintained
134 through ventilation and turning (Pergola et al., 2018). These will mix up materials
135 making them easily available and accessible by microorganisms. They will also
136 maintain ventilation, which is often blocked by compacted surfaces. Consequently,
137 the renewal of air and turning permit to restart the biological process, which results
138 in an increase of temperature. This explains the sudden changes observed on
139 temperature profile. In our case, the air renewal and turning were done each day
140 and formed gases were evacuated at the end of the same day.
141 The evolution of internal air pressure inside the vessel is shown in Fig.2. The
142 bioreactor operates under an initial air pressure of 0.6bar. At the beginning of the
143 composting process, the air pressure inside the vessel follows a rapid increase due to
144 intense activity of microorganisms. This increase reaches its maximum value of
145 1.64 bar after three days of composting. Then, the air pressure gradually declines
146 until there is no more off-gases. At this moment, it can be deduced that
147 microorganisms are no more active and the final compost is effectively arrived to the
148 maturation phase. This was also reflected by further decrease in temperature.
149 As previously confirmed, the internal air pressure inside the bioreactor increases
150 due to off-gases generated from decomposition of organic materials. Qualitative
151 analysis and identification of these gases is indispensable to approve that
152 composting progressed under aerobic conditions and to reject that internal air
153 pressure increase might be due only to water vapor produced during the heating of
8
154 the mixture. Results of carbon dioxide and ammonia changes inside the bioreactor
155 are presented in Fig.2. All along the composting process, amounts of carbon dioxide
156 and ammonia produced in the bioreactor are proportional to microorganisms’
157 activity and heat. As the degradation process begins, the rate of CO 2 increases
158 rapidly until it reaches its maximum value after three days, and then it decreases
159 until a minimal value after 12 days of composting process. This evolution trend is
160 also recorded for internal air pressure and temperature. This indicates that the
161 change in temperature is closely related to the change in carbon dioxide mass,
162 suggesting that carbon dioxide mass might be used as another indicator to measure
163 composting process besides temperature (Petrica et al., 2009). In comparison to CO 2
164 rate, the ammonia production rate is notably low. According to Onwosi et al. (2017),
165 ammonia is identified as a trace gaseous element besides CO, CH4, N2O, H2S, NOx
166 and VOCs. This finding proves that aerobic reactions have emerged in the
167 bioreactor. Therefore, this study agrees that the main reaction products of an aerobic
168 composting are CO2, water vapor and heat (Adhikari et al., 2013).
169 3.1.2 Temperature, pH and Electrical Conductivity
170 Temperature profile in the bioreactor is presented in Fig.3a. After filling the vessel, a
171 rapid raise in temperature is recorded, indicating strong microbial activity. The
172 change in compost temperature followed a similar trend as in typical composting
173 process. Initially, mesophilic organisms multiply rapidly due to the easily available
174 sugars and amino acids (Chowdhury et al., 2013). They produce heat by their own
9
175 metabolism and raise the temperature to such an extent that their own activities are
176 inhibited. Then, some fungi and many thermophilic bacteria continue the process,
177 increasing the temperature of the compost to 53°C. This rise in temperature is crucial
178 for the quality of compost because heat kills pathogens and weed seeds (Ravindran
179 & Sekaran, 2010).
180 The active phase of composting, which lasts about 5 days, is followed by a
181 maturation period, during which the temperature gradually decreases (Bernal et al.,
182 2009). The beginning of this phase is identifiable at day 6 when air renewal no longer
183 increases the temperature of the mixture. At this stage, another group of
184 thermophilic fungi relocates to end the degradation of materials composing vegetal
185 cell membranes such as cellulose and hemicellulose (Misra et al., 2005). Finally, the
186 temperature decreases close to the ambient temperature after 12 days.
187 The pH is one of the most important factors affecting biochemical reactions that
188 allow both minerals solubility and nutrients bioavailability for microorganisms. The
189 optimum pH for food waste composting is recognized to be in the range of 7-8 (Chan
190 et al., 2016).
191 Fig.3b shows the changes in pH values during the composting process. The initial
192 pH was slightly acid to neutral, mainly due to waste nature that contains only food
193 waste. The pH decreases from 6.85 to 5.01 after two days of composting. The
194 observed decrease results from organic matter degradation under the action of
195 microorganisms and temperatures more than 40°C (Onwosi et al., 2017). Then, the
10
196 pH rises to 7.92 on day fourth and gradually decreases to reach 6.94 after 12 days of
197 composting. The pH drop, in the beginning, could be attributed to the formation of
198 organic acids, while its subsequent raise to neutral is due to acid consumption and
199 formation of ammonia (He et al., 2013; Wei et al., 2014). The change of pH in this
200 study is largely in agreement with literature records (Waqas et al., 2018a; Zhang &
201 Sun, 2016).
202 Countless studies have been resorted to EC to assess the salinity degree in
203 composting products (Liu et al., 2011). It indicates the potential phytotoxic effects on
204 plant growth such as low germination rate and withering (Lin, 2008). Low EC
205 indicates that the compost could be used directly, while high EC warns that the
206 compost should be mixed to soil or other materials with low EC before its
207 application for growing crop (Onwosi et al., 2017). According to Fig.3c, the EC
208 content undergoes an increase from the initial value of 5.2 mS/cm to a maximum of
209 7.8 mS/cm after four days. Gómez-Brandón et al. (2008) claims that this early
210 increase in EC values could be explained by the release of mineral salts due to
211 organic matter decomposition. Then, mineral salts start to precipitate and ammonia
212 volatilize leading to a progressive decrease in EC content (Awasthi et al., 2016).
213 Towards the end of the process, the EC content reaches a value of 2.3 mS/cm. Makan
214 et al. (2014b) assume that composts with EC content not exceeding the limit content
215 of 3 mS/cm would not negatively affect the plant growth.
216 3.1.3 Ammonium to Nitrate ratio and C/N ratio
11
217 The evolution of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen is depicted in Fig.4a. The NH 4+-N
218 content in the feedstock initially increases, and then gradually decreases. The NH4+-
219 N increased from initial value of 534 mg/kg to a maximum of 1394 mg/kg on day 4.
220 This could be explained by the decomposition of nitrogen contained in organic
221 matter and its conversion into ammonia (Awasthi et al., 2016). Thereafter, NH4+-N
222 content gradually declines to 250 mg/kg on day 12 due to the assimilation process
223 carried out by microorganisms, volatilization, and nitrification (Zhang & Sun, 2014).
224 Makan et al. (2014a) suppose that the drop in NH4+-N content indicates good
225 maturation as well as satisfactory compost. Besides, a value of 400 mg/kg is believed
226 to be the maximum content of NH4+-N in mature compost (Wang et al., 2013).
227 The evolution of NO3--N content maintains a growing inclination all along the
228 experiments (Fig.4a). No significant rise in NO3--N content is recorded during the
229 first phase of composting owing to the fact that temperatures greater than 40°C have
230 inhibited the nitrifying bacteria development during thermophilic phase. However, a
231 rapid increase in NO3--N content is recorded just after day 4. At this point, nitrate
232 begins to be released since the process had progressed sufficiently and the
233 maturation process had begun. Waqas et al. (2018a) have demonstrated similar
234 evolutive trend during the optimization of food waste compost with the use of
235 biochar. The NO3--N content stabilized at 1105 mg/kg after 12 days.
12
236 Furthermore, the ammonium to nitrate ratio is given in Fig.4b. It is clear that the
237 final NH4+-N/NO3--N ratio is less than 1. This value is considered to be one of the
238 characteristics of mature compost as suggested by Wong et al. (2009).
239 The evolution of C/N ratio versus time is widely used to assess the effectiveness of
240 composting process and reveals the mineralization and stabilization of organic waste
241 during decomposition of organic matter (Soobhany et al., 2015). A stable and mature
242 compost is characterized by a decline in C/N ratio as it has been widely reported in
243 the literature (Soobhany et al., 2017). Fig.4b depicts the evolution of C/N ratio during
244 composting process. The C/N ratio in raw materials was about 28. Due to organic
245 matter mineralization, C/N ratio gradually decreases with time. However, the
246 reduction rate decreases further immediately after the depletion of readily available
247 carbon compounds. This decrease in C/N ratio qualitatively concords with findings
248 reported by Soobhany (2018) during the composting of different organic constituents
249 of MSW. The fact that microorganisms consume more carbon than nitrogen perfectly
250 justifies this decline. After 12 days of composting, the C/N ratio reaches 11; therefore,
251 the end product can be considered as suitable for use in agricultural activities.
252 Effectively and as reported by Makan & Mountadar (2012), the standard for mature
253 compost is 20 when initial C/N ratio is in the range 25-30.
254 3.2 Interaction of physicochemical parameters
255 Statistical analysis was performed to identify all existing interactions between
256 different physicochemical parameters and to predict potential processes that occur
13
257 during composting. The statistical investigation was carried out based on correlation
258 matrix and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The correlation matrix is a
259 preliminary step that provide more information about linear combinations between
260 variables and individuals (Table 2). The obtained results show that nitrate is
261 negatively correlated with P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium (-0.71, -0.69, -0.92,
262 -0.91 and -0.68 respectively). In addition, positive correlations were observed
263 between P and CO2, EC, NH4, (0.92, 0.91, and 0.86 respectively), CO2 and EC, NH4
264 (0.86 and 0.89 respectively), CN and EC (0.69) and EC and NH4 (0.89). The strong
265 correlation observed between these physicochemical parameters can be explained by
266 the mineralization of organic waste during the composting process and, therefore,
267 the increase in the formation of mineral composites.
268 Furthermore, the PCA confirms the results presented in the correlation matrix and
269 even provides additional information. The graph of Fig.5a identifies two main
270 components that explain 75.28% of total variance. The EC, NH3, CO2, and
271 ammonium are significantly related to the first component F1, which represents
272 62.7% of total variance. Alternatively, this component is negatively defined by
273 nitrate. Therefore, the composting process is strongly influenced by organic waste
274 mineralization, and these variables are crucial for this process. In the second
275 component, F2 represents 16.85% of the total variance and is significantly correlated
276 with pH. Consequently, it can be considered that the variations in this parameter
277 depend mainly on the other mineralization parameters.
14
278 In accordance with the PCA, a progressive correlation between physicochemical
279 parameters and composting times, initial and final, has been observed. During the
280 first days of composting, high and significant values of C/N ratio, EC, NH3, CO2, P,
281 pH, and ammonium were observed. This finding implies that C/N ratio promotes
282 bacterial biomass and dictates the active phase of composting. Whereas, high and
283 significant values of nitrate were associated with the maturation phase of
284 composting. This outcome reflects the obtained results, which indicated that no
285 significant rise in nitrate was recorded during the active phase of composting.
286 Moreover, the rapid increase in NO3--N content was justified by the negative
287 correlation with respect to other parameters.
288 To validate the results obtained using the PCA, an Ascending Hierarchical
289 Classification (AHC) was performed on different physicochemical parameters. As
290 observed on the dendrogram of Fig.5b, the obtained result shows the distinction
291 between three representative clusters. The first cluster (C1) includes only nitrate, the
292 second cluster (C2) includes pH and the third cluster (C3) includes NH3, C/N ratio,
293 CO2, NH4+-N, P, and EC. As a result, the PCA and the HAC aggregate the
294 physicochemical parameters in much the same way. Therefore, this parallel
295 correlation confirms the current study results, and could contribute to identify
296 optimal combinations to be considered in order to achieve effective composting.
297 4. Conclusion
15
298 Performance of laboratory-scale in-vessel composting bioreactor for food waste
299 treatment was assessed in this study. Obtained results show that food waste could be
300 composted effectively only in 12 days. During the active phase of composting, the
301 microorganisms produced a large amount of carbon dioxide, which in its turn
302 induced a significant increase in the internal air pressure. These changes were also
303 accompanied by a considerable increase in temperature. At this stage, the
304 composting process can be considered as successful, but the final compost should be
305 checked further for maturity. The final records in terms of C/N ratio, EC, and
306 ammonium content fairly confirm that the obtained compost was satisfactory for its
307 agricultural application. The correlation matrix and the Principal Component
308 Analysis for different physicochemical parameters showed that nitrate negatively
309 correlates with internal air pressure, carbon dioxide, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium.
310 Whereas, the internal air pressure positively correlates with CO2, EC and
311 ammonium.
312
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365 Lu, Y. (2000). Analytical Methods on Soil Agrochemistry (in Chinese). China
366 Agriculture Technology Press.
367 Luo, W., Chen, T. B., Zheng, G. D., Gao, D., Zhang, Y. A., & Gao, W. (2008). Effect of
368 moisture adjustments on vertical temperature distribution during forced-
369 aeration static-pile composting of sewage sludge. Resources, Conservation and
370 Recycling, 52(4), 635-642.
371 Makan, A. (2015). Windrow co-composting of natural casings waste with sheep
372 manure and dead leaves. Waste management, 42, 17-22.
373 Makan, A., & Mountadar, M. (2012). Effect of C/N ratio on the in-vessel composting
374 under air pressure of organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Morocco.
375 Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 14(3), 241-249.
19
376 Makan, A., Assobhei, O., & Mountadar, M. (2014a). In‐vessel composting under air
377 pressure of organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Azemmour, Morocco.
378 Water and environment journal, 28(3), 401-409.
379 Makan, A., Assobhie, O., & Mountadar, M. (2014b). Initial Air Pressure Influence on
380 In-vessel Composting for the Biodegradable Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste
381 in Morocco. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology,
382 11(1), 53-58.
383 Martínez-Blanco, J., Lazcano, C., Christensen, T. H., Muñoz, P., Rieradevall, J.,
384 Møller, J., Antón, A. & Boldrin, A. (2013). Compost benefits for agriculture
385 evaluated by life cycle assessment: A review. Agronomy for sustainable
386 development, 33(4), 721-732.
387 Misra, R. V., Roy, R. N., & Hiraoka, H. (2005). Méthodes de compostage au niveau de
388 l’exploitation agricole. FAO. ed. Rome.
389 Onwosi, C. O., Igbokwe, V. C., Odimba, J. N., Eke, I. E., Nwankwoala, M. O., Iroh, I.
390 N., & Ezeogu, L. I. (2017). Composting technology in waste stabilization: on the
391 methods, challenges and future prospects. Journal of environmental
392 management, 190, 140-157.
393 Pergola, M., Persiani, A., Palese, A. M., Di Meo, V., Pastore, V., D’Adamo, C., &
394 Celano, G. (2018). Composting: The way for a sustainable agriculture. Applied
395 Soil Ecology, 123, 744-750.
20
396 Petrica, I., Sestanb, A., & Sestanc, I. (2009). Influence of initial moisture content on
397 the composting of poultry manure with wheat straw. Biosystems Engineering,
398 104, 125-134.
399 Ravindran, B., & Sekaran, G. (2010). Bacterial composting of animal fleshing
400 generated from tannery industries. Waste management, 30(12), 2622-2630.
401 Rich, N., Bharti, A., & Kumar, S. (2018). Effect of bulking agents and cow dung as
402 inoculant on vegetable waste compost quality. Bioresource technology, 252, 83-
403 90.
404 Şevik, F., Tosun, İ., & Ekinci, K. (2018). The effect of FAS and C/N ratios on co-
405 composting of sewage sludge, dairy manure and tomato stalks. Waste
406 Management.
407 Soobhany, N. (2018). Assessing the physicochemical properties and quality
408 parameters during composting of different organic constituents of Municipal
409 Solid Waste. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 6(2), 1979-1988.
410 Soobhany, N., Gunasee, S., Rago, Y. P., Joyram, H., Raghoo, P., Mohee, R., & Garg, V.
411 K. (2017). Spectroscopic, thermogravimetric and structural characterization
412 analyses for comparing Municipal Solid Waste composts and vermicomposts
413 stability and maturity. Bioresource technology, 236, 11-19.
414 Soobhany, N., Mohee, R., & Garg, V. K. (2015). Recovery of nutrient from Municipal
415 Solid Waste by composting and vermicomposting using earthworm Eudrilus
416 eugeniae. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 3(4), 2931-2942.
21
417 Troschinetz, A. M., & Mihelcic, J. R. (2009). Sustainable recycling of municipal solid
418 waste in developing countries. Waste management, 29(2), 915-923.
419 Wang, Z., Gao, M., Wang, Z., She, Z., Hu, B., Wang, Y., & Zhao, C. (2013).
420 Comparison of physicochemical parameters during the forced-aeration
421 composting of sewage sludge and maize straw at different initial C/N ratios.
422 Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 63(10), 1130-1136.
423 Waqas, M., Nizami, A. S., Aburiazaiza, A. S., Barakat, M. A., Ismail, I. M. I., & Rashid,
424 M. I. (2018a). Optimization of food waste compost with the use of biochar.
425 Journal of environmental management, 216, 70-81.
426 Waqas, M., Nizami, A. S., Aburiazaiza, A. S., Barakat, M. A., Rashid, M. I., & Ismail, I.
427 M. I. (2018b). Optimizing the process of food waste compost and valorizing its
428 applications: A case study of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Cleaner Production, 176,
429 426-438.
430 Wei, F.S. (2002). Analytic Method of Water Quality on Water and Wastewater, fourth
431 ed. China Environmental Science Press.
432 Wei, L., Shutao, W., Jin, Z., & Tong, X. (2014). Biochar influences the microbial
433 community structure during tomato stalk composting with chicken manure.
434 Bioresource technology, 154, 148-154.
435 Wong, J. W. C., Fung, S. O., & Selvam, A. (2009). Coal fly ash and lime addition
436 enhances the rate and efficiency of decomposition of food waste during
437 composting. Bioresource technology, 100(13), 3324-3331.
22
438 Zhang, L., & Sun, X. (2014). Changes in physical, chemical, and microbiological
439 properties during the two-stage co-composting of green waste with spent
440 mushroom compost and biochar. Bioresource technology, 171, 274-284.
441 Zhang, L., & Sun, X. (2016). Improving green waste composting by addition of
442 sugarcane bagasse and exhausted grape marc. Bioresource technology, 218, 335-
443 343.
23
*Conflict of Interest Statement
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4 Declaration of interests
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7 ☒ The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships
8 that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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☐The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered
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*Author Contributions Section
Author contributions
Abdelhadi Makan: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing- Original draft
preparation, Validation. Ahmed Fadili: Resources, Software, Writing - review & editing.
Mustapha Oubenali: Formal analysis, Visualization.

*Revised manuscript - Clean copy (without changes marked)

6 1
7 Sciences (ENSAH), Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, 32003 Al-Hoceima, Morocco
8 2
Department of Chemistry and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies,
10
11

1
12 Abstract
15 A laboratory-scale bioreactor, which operates semi-continuously under 0.6 bar air
27
28 Keywords: In-vessel composting; air pressure; food waste; physicochemical
29 parameters; agricultural application.
30
2
31 1. Introduction
32 Every year, millions of tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are deposited in
33 Moroccan landfills (Makan et al., 2013; Makan et al., 2014a). As reported by Guerrero
34 et al. (2013), the management of these wastes present a challenging task for cities in
35 developing countries. The fraction of plastics, glass, paper and metals can be
36 recovered and recycled through selective sorting. However, Troschinetz & Mihelcic
37 (2009) highlighted twelve factors influencing the sustainable recycling of MSW. In
38 the case of Morocco, the remaining fraction, composed mainly of organics, is still a
39 challenging issue for managers due to the large amount generated each day
40 (Adhikari et al., 2009). Belmakki et al. (2015) estimated that an overall amount of
41 about 60 million tons of organic waste is produced annually across Morocco. Given
42 this significant amount, composting may be the sustainable way for organic waste
43 management (Pergola et al., 2018).
44 Composting is a decomposition of organic matter (peelings, grass, leaves, etc.) by
50 amendment for soils (Martínez-Blanco et al., 2013). Since they are released as the
51 plant needs, nutrients in compost extraordinary improve its growth.
3
67 conductivity (EC), C/N ratio, ammonium, and nitrate can be monitored to assess
70 to accelerate the process. For instance, Rich et al. (2018) studied the effect of bulking
71 agents and cow dung as inoculant on vegetable waste compost quality. Şevik et al.
72 (2018) investigated the effect of FAS and C/N ratios on co-composting of sewage
4
73 sludge, dairy manure and tomato stalks. In addition, indigenous natural zeolite and
74 biochar were used successfully to optimize food waste composts (Waqas et al.,
75 2018a, 2018b). However, to the best of our knowledge, no researcher has considered
76 the interactions and correlations between physicochemical properties during the
82 2.1 Composting Materials
83 Mixed food wastes, on which experiments are performed, were issued from
84 supermarkets in the city of Azemmour, West Morocco. They were sampled
85 according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance to
86 properly analyze and assess food wastes (EPA, 2014). The triplicates average values
87 for physicochemical characteristics of food wastes used in this study is provided in
88 Table 1. Bulk density and moisture content of raw materials were respectively about
89 560 kg/m3 and 72%. The relatively high moisture content of the feedstock is mainly
90 due to the predominance of vegetable and fruit wastes. The initial C/N ratio, which
91 was about 28, is within the recommended range to start a successful composting
92 process (Waqas et al., 2018b).
5
93 2.2 Composting Vessel
101 2.3 Experimental Setup
104 bioreactor. Once the bioreactor is closed, the internal air pressure was set to 0.6 bar
105 as reported in Makan et al. (2014a). The semi-continuous operation of the bioreactor
107 end of the same day. The formed gas mixture was bubbled into 1M sodium
108 hydroxide bottle and 0.65M boric acid bottle to trap carbon dioxide and ammonia,
109 respectively.
6
130 determine nitrate nitrogen NO3--N (Wei, 2002).Temperature inside the bioreactor was
7
133 3.1 Evolution of Physicochemical Parameters
140 through ventilation and/or turning (Pergola et al., 2018). These will mix up materials
145 temperature profile. In our case, the air renewal and turning were done each day,
146 and the formed gases were evacuated at the end of the same day.
148 bioreactor operates under an initial air pressure of 0.6 bar. At the beginning of the
150 the intense activity of microorganisms. This increase reaches its maximum value of
152 until there was no more off-gases. At this moment, it can be deduced that
8
153 microorganisms were no more active, and the final compost is effectively arrived to
154 the maturation phase. This was also reflected by further decrease in temperature.
157 analysis and identification of these gases is indispensable, firstly, to prove that
158 composting progressed under aerobic conditions and, secondly, to reject the idea
159 that internal air pressure increase might be due only to water vapor produced
160 during the heating of the mixture. Results of carbon dioxide and ammonia changes
161 inside the bioreactor are presented in Fig.2. All along the composting process,
162 amounts of carbon dioxide and ammonia produced in the bioreactor are
163 proportional to microorganisms’ activity and heat. As the degradation process
164 begins, the rate of CO2 increases rapidly until it reaches its maximum value after
165 three days, and then it decreases until a minimal value after 12 days of composting
166 process. This evolution trend is also recorded for internal air pressure and
167 temperature. This indicates that the change in temperature is closely related to the
168 change in carbon dioxide mass, suggesting that carbon dioxide mass might be used
169 as another indicator to measure composting process besides temperature (Petrica et
170 al., 2009). In comparison to CO2 rate, the ammonia production rate is notably low.
171 According to Onwosi et al. (2017), ammonia is identified as a trace gaseous element
172 besides CO, CH4, N2O, H2S, NOx and VOCs. This finding proves that aerobic
173 reactions have emerged in the bioreactor. Therefore, this study agrees that the main
9
174 reaction products of an aerobic composting are CO2, water vapor and heat (Adhikari
175 et al., 2013).
177 The profile of temperature in the bioreactor is presented in Fig.3a. After filling the
178 vessel, a rapid raise in temperature is recorded, indicating strong microbial activity.
179 The change in compost temperature follows a similar trend as in typical composting
185 for the compost quality because heat kills pathogens and weed seeds (Ravindran &
186 Sekaran, 2010).
10
197 et al., 2016).
208 Sun, 2016).
209 Countless studies have resorted to EC to assess the salinity degree in composting
210 products (Liu et al., 2011). It indicates the potential phytotoxic effects on plant
211 growth such as low germination rate and withering (Lin, 2008). Low EC indicates
212 that the compost could be used directly, while high EC warns that the compost
213 should be mixed to soil or other materials with low EC before its application for
214 growing crops (Onwosi et al., 2017). According to Fig.3c, the EC content undergoes
11
215 an increase from its initial value of 5.2 mS/cm to a maximum of 7.8 mS/cm after four
216 days. Gómez-Brandón et al. (2008) claims that this early increase in EC values could
217 be explained by the release of mineral salts due to organic matter decomposition.
218 Then, mineral salts start to precipitate and ammonia volatilize leading to a
219 progressive decrease in EC content (Awasthi et al., 2016). Towards the end of the
220 process, the EC content reaches a value of 2.3 mS/cm. Makan et al. (2014b) assume
221 that composts with EC content not exceeding the limit content of 3 mS/cm would not
222 negatively affect the plant growth.
225 content in the feedstock initially increases, and then gradually decreases. The NH 4+-
226 N increases from its initial value of 534 mg/kg to a maximum of 1394 mg/kg on day
227 4. This could be explained by the decomposition of nitrogen contained in organic
12
13
258 the end product can be considered as suitable for use in agricultural activities. As
259 reported by Makan & Mountadar (2012), the standard for mature compost is 20
260 when initial C/N ratio is in the range 25-30.
261 3.2 Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters
262 Statistical analysis are performed to identify all existing interactions between
264 during composting. The statistical investigation is carried out based on correlation
267 variables and individuals (Table 2). The obtained results show that nitrate negatively
268 correlates with P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium (-0.71, -0.69, -0.92, -0.91 and -
269 0.68 respectively). In addition, positive correlations are observed between P and
270 CO2, EC, NH4, (0.92, 0.91, and 0.86 respectively), CO2 and EC, NH4 (0.86 and 0.89
271 respectively), C/N ratio and EC (0.69), and EC and NH4 (0.89). The strong correlation
272 observed between these physicochemical parameters can be explained by the
273 mineralization of organic waste during the composting process and, therefore, the
274 increase in the formation of mineral matter.
14
288 pH, and ammonium are observed. This finding implies that C/N ratio promotes
290 significant values of nitrate are associated with the maturation phase of composting.
291 This outcome reflects the obtained results, which indicates that no significant rise in
292 nitrate was recorded during the active phase of composting. Moreover, the rapid
293 increase in NO3--N content is justified by the negative correlation with respect to
294 other parameters.
296 Classification (AHC) is performed on different physicochemical parameters. As
15
304 4. Conclusion
305 Performances of laboratory-scale in-vessel composting bioreactor for food waste
306 treatment was assessed. Results showed that they could be composted in 12 days.
307 During the active phase, the microorganisms produced large amount of CO 2, which
308 in its turn induced a significant increase in internal pressure and temperature. The
309 final records of C/N ratio, EC, and NH4+-N confirm that the obtained compost is
310 satisfactory for agricultural applications. The correlation matrix and the PCA for
311 different physicochemical parameters showed that nitrate negatively correlates with
312 P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium. Whereas, P positively correlates with CO2,
313 EC and ammonium.
314
315 References
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340 Epstein, E., 2017. The science of composting. Routledge. New York.
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342 R., Paredes, C., 2016. Windrow composting as horticultural waste management
343 strategy–a case study in Ecuador. Waste Manage. 48, 127-134.
344 Gómez-Brandón, M., Lazcano, C., Domínguez, J., 2008. The evaluation of stability
345 and maturity during the composting of cattle manure. Chemosphere. 70, 436-
346 444.
347 Guerrero, L.A., Maas, G., Hogland, W., 2013. Solid waste management challenges for
348 cities in developing countries. Waste Manage. 33(1), 220-232.
349 He, Y., Xie, K., Xu, P., Huang, X., Gu, W., Zhang, F., Tang, S., 2013. Evolution of
350 microbial community diversity and enzymatic activity during composting. Res.
351 Microbiol. 164(2), 189-198.
352 Kalamdhad, A.S., Kazmi, A.A., 2008. Mixed organic waste composting using rotary
353 drum composter. Int. J. Environ. Waste Manage. 2(1-2), 24-36.
354 Kalamdhad, A.S., Singh, Y.K., Ali, M., Khwairakpam, M., Kazmi, A.A., 2009. Rotary
355 drum composting of vegetable waste and tree leaves. Biores. Technol. 100(24),
356 6442-6450.
357 Krogmann, U., Körner, I., Diaz, L.F., 2010. Composting: technology, in: Christensen,
358 T.H., (Ed), Solid waste technology & management,
359 https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470666883.ch35
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360 Lin, C., 2008. A negative-pressure aeration system for composting food wastes.
361 Biores. Technol. 99, 7651-7656.
362 Liu, D., Zhang, R., Wu, H., Xu, D., Tang, Z., Yu, G., Xu, Z., Shen, Q., 2011. Changes in
363 biochemical and microbiological parameters during the period of rapid
364 composting of dairy manure with rice chaff. Biores. Technol. 102(19), 9040-9049.
365 Lu, Y., 2000. Analytical Methods on Soil Agrochemistry (in Chinese). China
367 Luo, W., Chen, T.B., Zheng, G.D., Gao, D., Zhang, Y.A., Gao, W., 2008. Effect of
369 aeration static-pile composting of sewage sludge. Resour. Conserv. Recy. 52(4),
370 635-642.
371 Makan, A., 2015. Windrow co-composting of natural casings waste with sheep
372 manure and dead leaves. Waste Manage. 42, 17-22.
373 Makan, A., Mountadar, M., 2012. Effect of C/N ratio on the in-vessel composting
374 under air pressure of organic fraction of municipal solid waste in Morocco. J.
375 Mater. Cycles Waste Manage. 14(3), 241-249.
376 Makan, A., Assobhei, O., Mountadar, M., 2013. Effect of initial moisture content on
377 the in-vessel composting under air pressure of organic fraction of municipal
378 solid waste in Morocco. Iran. J. Environ. Health Sci. Eng. 10(1), 3.
19
379 Makan, A., Assobhei, O., Mountadar, M., 2014a. In‐vessel composting under air
381 Water Environ. J. 28(3), 401-409.
382 Makan, A., Assobhie, O., Mountadar, M., 2014b. Initial Air Pressure Influence on In-
383 vessel Composting for the Biodegradable Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste in
384 Morocco. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11(1), 53-58.
386 Møller, J., Antón, A., Boldrin, A., 2013. Compost benefits for agriculture
387 evaluated by life cycle assessment: A review. Agron. Sustain. Dev. 33(4), 721-
388 732.
389 Misra, R.V., Roy, R.N., Hiraoka, H., 2005. Méthodes de compostage au niveau de
390 l’exploitation agricole. FAO edition. Rome.
391 Onwosi, C.O., Igbokwe, V.C., Odimba, J.N., Eke, I.E., Nwankwoala, M.O., Iroh, I.N.,
392 Ezeogu, L.I., 2017. Composting technology in waste stabilization: on the
393 methods, challenges and future prospects. J. Environ. Manage. 190, 140-157.
394 Pergola, M., Persiani, A., Palese, A.M., Di Meo, V., Pastore, V., D’Adamo, C., Celano,
395 G., 2018. Composting: The way for a sustainable agriculture. Appl. Soil Ecol.
396 123, 744-750.
397 Petrica, I., Sestanb, A., Sestanc, I., 2009. Influence of initial moisture content on the
398 composting of poultry manure with wheat straw. Biosyst. Eng. 104, 125-134.
20
399 Ravindran, B., Sekaran, G., 2010. Bacterial composting of animal fleshing generated
400 from tannery industries. Waste Manage. 30(12), 2622-2630.
401 Rich, N., Bharti, A., Kumar, S., 2018. Effect of bulking agents and cow dung as
402 inoculant on vegetable waste compost quality. Biores. Technol. 252, 83-90.
403 Şevik, F., Tosun, İ., Ekinci, K., 2018. The effect of FAS and C/N ratios on co-
404 composting of sewage sludge, dairy manure and tomato stalks. Waste Manage.
405 80, 450-456.
406 Soobhany, N., 2018. Assessing the physicochemical properties and quality
408 Solid Waste. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 6(2), 1979-1988.
409 Soobhany, N., Gunasee, S., Rago, Y.P., Joyram, H., Raghoo, P., Mohee, R., Garg, V.K.,
410 2017. Spectroscopic, thermogravimetric and structural characterization analyses
411 for comparing Municipal Solid Waste composts and vermicomposts stability
412 and maturity. Biores. Technol. 236, 11-19.
413 Soobhany, N., Mohee, R., Garg, V.K., 2015. Recovery of nutrient from Municipal
415 eugeniae. J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 3(4), 2931-2942.
416 Troschinetz, A.M., Mihelcic, J.R., 2009. Sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste
417 in developing countries. Waste Manage. 29(2), 915-923.
21
418 Wang, Z., Gao, M., Wang, Z., She, Z., Hu, B., Wang, Y., Zhao, C., 2013. Comparison of
419 physicochemical parameters during the forced-aeration composting of sewage
420 sludge and maize straw at different initial C/N ratios. J. Air Waste Manage.
421 Assoc. 63(10), 1130-1136.
422 Waqas, M., Nizami, A.S., Aburiazaiza, A.S., Barakat, M.A., Ismail, I.M.I., Rashid,
423 M.I., 2018a. Optimization of food waste compost with the use of biochar. J.
424 Environ. Manage. 216, 70-81.
425 Waqas, M., Nizami, A.S., Aburiazaiza, A.S., Barakat, M.A., Rashid, M.I., Ismail,
426 I.M.I., 2018b. Optimizing the process of food waste compost and valorizing its
427 applications: A case study of Saudi Arabia. J. Clean. Prod. 176, 426-438.
428 Wei, F.S., 2002. Analytic Method of Water Quality on Water and Wastewater, fourth
430 Wei, L., Shutao, W., Jin, Z., Tong, X., 2014. Biochar influences the microbial
432 Biores. Technol. 154, 148-154.
433 Wong, J.W.C., Fung, S.O., Selvam, A., 2009. Coal fly ash and lime addition enhances
434 the rate and efficiency of decomposition of food waste during composting.
435 Biores. Technol. 100(13), 3324-3331.
436 Zhang, L., Sun, X., 2014. Changes in physical, chemical, and microbiological
438 mushroom compost and biochar. Biores. Technol. 171, 274-284.
22
439 Zhang, L., Sun, X., 2016. Improving green waste composting by addition of
440 sugarcane bagasse and exhausted grape marc. Biores. Technol. 218, 335-343.
23
*Revised manuscript with changed marked

6 1
7 Sciences (ENSAH), Abdelmalek Essaâdi University, 32003 Al-Hoceima, Morocco
8 2
Department of Chemistry and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies,
10
11

1
12 Abstract
15 A laboratory-scale bioreactor, which operates semi-continuously under 0.6 bar air
27
28 Keywords: In-vessel composting; air pressure; food waste; physicochemical
29 parameters; agricultural application.
30
2
31 1. Introduction
32 Every year, millions of tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) are deposited in
33 Moroccan landfills (Makan et al., 2013; Makan et al., 2014a). As reported by Guerrero
34 et al. (2013), the management of these wastes present a challenging task for cities in
35 developing countries. The fraction of plastics, glass, paper and metals can be
36 recovered and recycled through selective sorting. However, Troschinetz & Mihelcic
37 (2009) highlighted twelve factors influencing the sustainable recycling of MSW. In
38 the case of Morocco, the remaining fraction, composed mainly of organics, is still a
39 challenging issue for managers due to the large amount generated each day
40 (Adhikari et al., 2009). Belmakki et al. (2015) estimated that an overall amount of
41 about 60 million tons of organic waste is produced annually across Morocco. Given
42 this significant amount, composting may be the sustainable way for organic waste
43 management (Pergola et al., 2018).
44 Composting is a decomposition of organic matter (peelings, grass, leaves, etc.) by
50 amendment for soils (Martínez-Blanco et al., 2013). Since they are released as the
51 plant needs, nutrients in compost extraordinary improve its growth.
3
67 conductivity (EC), C/N ratio, ammonium, and nitrate can be monitored to assess
70 to accelerate the process. For instance, Rich et al. (2018) studied the effect of bulking
71 agents and cow dung as inoculant on vegetable waste compost quality. Şevik et al.
72 (2018) investigated the effect of FAS and C/N ratios on co-composting of sewage
4
73 sludge, dairy manure and tomato stalks. In addition, indigenous natural zeolite and
74 biochar were used successfully to optimize food waste composts (Waqas et al.,
75 2018a, 2018b). However, to the best of our knowledge, no researcher has considered
76 the interactions and correlations between physicochemical properties during the
82 2.1 Composting Materials
83 Mixed food wastes, on which experiments are performed, were issued from
84 supermarkets in the city of Azemmour, West Morocco. They were sampled
85 according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance to
86 properly analyze and assess food wastes (EPA, 2014). The triplicates average values
87 for physicochemical characteristics of food wastes used in this study is provided in
88 Table 1. Bulk density and moisture content of raw materials were respectively about
89 560 kg/m3 and 72%. The relatively high moisture content of the feedstock is mainly
90 due to the predominance of vegetable and fruit wastes. The initial C/N ratio, which
91 was about 28, is within the recommended range to start a successful composting
92 process (Waqas et al., 2018b).
5
93 2.2 Composting Vessel
101 2.3 Experimental Setup
104 bioreactor. Once the bioreactor is closed, the internal air pressure was set to 0.6 bar
105 as reported in Makan et al. (2014a). The semi-continuous operation of the bioreactor
107 end of the same day. The formed gas mixture was bubbled into 1M sodium
108 hydroxide bottle and 0.65M boric acid bottle to trap carbon dioxide and ammonia,
109 respectively.
6
130 determine nitrate nitrogen NO3--N (Wei, 2002).Temperature inside the bioreactor was
7
133 3.1 Evolution of Physicochemical Parameters
140 through ventilation and/or turning (Pergola et al., 2018). These will mix up materials
145 temperature profile. In our case, the air renewal and turning were done each day,
146 and the formed gases were evacuated at the end of the same day.
148 bioreactor operates under an initial air pressure of 0.6 bar. At the beginning of the
150 the intense activity of microorganisms. This increase reaches its maximum value of
152 until there was no more off-gases. At this moment, it can be deduced that
8
153 microorganisms were no more active, and the final compost is effectively arrived to
154 the maturation phase. This was also reflected by further decrease in temperature.
157 analysis and identification of these gases is indispensable, firstly, to prove that
158 composting progressed under aerobic conditions and, secondly, to reject the idea
159 that internal air pressure increase might be due only to water vapor produced
160 during the heating of the mixture. Results of carbon dioxide and ammonia changes
161 inside the bioreactor are presented in Fig.2. All along the composting process,
162 amounts of carbon dioxide and ammonia produced in the bioreactor are
163 proportional to microorganisms’ activity and heat. As the degradation process
164 begins, the rate of CO2 increases rapidly until it reaches its maximum value after
165 three days, and then it decreases until a minimal value after 12 days of composting
166 process. This evolution trend is also recorded for internal air pressure and
167 temperature. This indicates that the change in temperature is closely related to the
168 change in carbon dioxide mass, suggesting that carbon dioxide mass might be used
169 as another indicator to measure composting process besides temperature (Petrica et
170 al., 2009). In comparison to CO2 rate, the ammonia production rate is notably low.
171 According to Onwosi et al. (2017), ammonia is identified as a trace gaseous element
172 besides CO, CH4, N2O, H2S, NOx and VOCs. This finding proves that aerobic
173 reactions have emerged in the bioreactor. Therefore, this study agrees that the main
9
174 reaction products of an aerobic composting are CO2, water vapor and heat (Adhikari
175 et al., 2013).
177 The profile of temperature in the bioreactor is presented in Fig.3a. After filling the
178 vessel, a rapid raise in temperature is recorded, indicating strong microbial activity.
179 The change in compost temperature follows a similar trend as in typical composting
185 for the compost quality because heat kills pathogens and weed seeds (Ravindran &
186 Sekaran, 2010).
10
197 et al., 2016).
208 Sun, 2016).
209 Countless studies have resorted to EC to assess the salinity degree in composting
210 products (Liu et al., 2011). It indicates the potential phytotoxic effects on plant
211 growth such as low germination rate and withering (Lin, 2008). Low EC indicates
212 that the compost could be used directly, while high EC warns that the compost
213 should be mixed to soil or other materials with low EC before its application for
214 growing crops (Onwosi et al., 2017). According to Fig.3c, the EC content undergoes
11
215 an increase from its initial value of 5.2 mS/cm to a maximum of 7.8 mS/cm after four
216 days. Gómez-Brandón et al. (2008) claims that this early increase in EC values could
217 be explained by the release of mineral salts due to organic matter decomposition.
218 Then, mineral salts start to precipitate and ammonia volatilize leading to a
219 progressive decrease in EC content (Awasthi et al., 2016). Towards the end of the
220 process, the EC content reaches a value of 2.3 mS/cm. Makan et al. (2014b) assume
221 that composts with EC content not exceeding the limit content of 3 mS/cm would not
222 negatively affect the plant growth.
225 content in the feedstock initially increases, and then gradually decreases. The NH 4+-
226 N increases from its initial value of 534 mg/kg to a maximum of 1394 mg/kg on day
227 4. This could be explained by the decomposition of nitrogen contained in organic
12
13
258 the end product can be considered as suitable for use in agricultural activities. As
259 reported by Makan & Mountadar (2012), the standard for mature compost is 20
260 when initial C/N ratio is in the range 25-30.
261 3.2 Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters
262 Statistical analysis are performed to identify all existing interactions between
264 during composting. The statistical investigation is carried out based on correlation
267 variables and individuals (Table 2). The obtained results show that nitrate negatively
268 correlates with P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium (-0.71, -0.69, -0.92, -0.91 and -
269 0.68 respectively). In addition, positive correlations are observed between P and
270 CO2, EC, NH4, (0.92, 0.91, and 0.86 respectively), CO2 and EC, NH4 (0.86 and 0.89
271 respectively), C/N ratio and EC (0.69), and EC and NH4 (0.89). The strong correlation
272 observed between these physicochemical parameters can be explained by the
273 mineralization of organic waste during the composting process and, therefore, the
274 increase in the formation of mineral matter.
14
288 pH, and ammonium are observed. This finding implies that C/N ratio promotes
290 significant values of nitrate are associated with the maturation phase of composting.
291 This outcome reflects the obtained results, which indicates that no significant rise in
292 nitrate was recorded during the active phase of composting. Moreover, the rapid
293 increase in NO3--N content is justified by the negative correlation with respect to
294 other parameters.
296 Classification (AHC) is performed on different physicochemical parameters. As
15
304 4. Conclusion
305 Performances of laboratory-scale in-vessel composting bioreactor for food waste
306 treatment was assessed. Results showed that they could be composted in 12 days.
307 During the active phase, the microorganisms produced large amount of CO 2, which
308 in its turn induced a significant increase in internal pressure and temperature. The
309 final records of C/N ratio, EC, and NH4+-N confirm that the obtained compost is
310 satisfactory for agricultural applications. The correlation matrix and the PCA for
311 different physicochemical parameters showed that nitrate negatively correlates with
312 P, CO2, C/N ratio, EC and ammonium. Whereas, P positively correlates with CO2,
313 EC and ammonium.
314
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23
Figure legends
Figure Legends
Fig.1# Modified schematic representation of the bioreactor (Makan et al., 2014a): (1) The
main core of the bioreactor; (2) Air compressor; (3) Multi-stem digital
thermometer; (4) Sodium hydroxide bottle; and (5) boric acid bottle
Fig.2# Evolution of internal air pressure, CO2 and NH3
Fig.3# Evolution of: (a) Temperature; (b) pH; and (c) Electrical Conductivity
Fig.4# Evolution of: (a) NH4+-N and NO3--N contents; (b) C/N ratio and NH4/NO3 ratio
Fig.5# Statistical analysis: (a) Principal Component Analysis; (b) Ascending Hierarchical
Classification
Fig.1
Click here to download high resolution image
Fig.2
Fig.3
Fig.4
Fig.5
Table 1
Table 1 Selected physicochemical characteristics of the initial mixture of food waste
Parameter Initial mixture Unit
pH 6.85 --
bulk density 560 kg/m3
Moisture content 72 %
Electrical conductivity EC 5.2 mS/cm
Organic matter OM 92.4 %
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) 1.82 %
C/N ratio 28 --
NH4+-N 534 mg/kg
NO3--N 54 mg/kg
Table 2
Table 2 Correlation matrix between different physicochemical parameters
Variables P CO2 NH3 pH EC C/N ratio NH4+-N NO3--N
P 1
CO2 0.92 1
NH3 0.51 0.58 1
pH 0.03 0.09 -0.10 1
EC 0.91 0.86 0.41 0.14 1
C/N ratio 0.46 0.41 0.10 -0.18 0.69 1
NH4+-N 0.86 0.89 0.49 0.42 0.89 0.34 1
NO3--N -0.71 -0.69 -0.27 -0.03 -0.91 -0.92 -0.68 1

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Elsevier Editorial System(tm) for

Bioresource Technology Reports

Manuscript Number: BITEB-D-19-00393R2

Title: Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during Pressurized In-

Article Type: Original research paper

Keywords: In-vessel composting; air pressure; food waste; physicochemical

Corresponding Author: Professor Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D

Corresponding Author's Institution: University Abdelmalek Essaadi, ENSA

First Author: Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D

Order of Authors: Abdelhadi Makan, Ph.D; Ahmed Fadili, PhD; Mustapha

Abstract: The current paper investigates potential interactions and

November 5th, 2019

Enclosed is a paper, entitled "Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during

The Bioresource Technology Reports has published numerous papers related to

R1-Response to reviewers’ comments

1. Reference format is incorrect

2. Conclusion should be no more than 100 words total.

Performances of laboratory-scale in-vessel composting bioreactor for food waste

 Pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste was performed

 Internal air pressure positively correlated with CO2, EC and ammonium

1 Interaction of Physicochemical Parameters during Pressurized In-vessel

2 Composting of Food Waste

7 Sciences (ENSAH), University Abdelmalek Essaâdi, 32003 Al-Hoceima, Morocco

9 University Sultan Moulay Slimane, Béni Mellal, Morocco

E-mail address: abdelhadi.makan@gmail.com (A. Makan)

13 The current paper investigates potential interactions and correlations between

14 physicochemical parameters during pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste.

15 A laboratory-scale bioreactor, which operates semi-continuously under 0.6bar air

17 included operational indices as well as compost maturity indices. The evolution of

18 different physicochemical parameters showed that food waste could be composted

26 NH4; and C/N ratio and EC.

28 Keywords: In-vessel; composting; air pressure; food waste; agricultural application;

36 composed mainly by organic wastes in the case of Morocco and developing

41 or for nature: the composting (Pergola et al., 2018).

42 Composting is a decomposition of organic matter (peelings, grass, leaves ...) by

43 micro and macro-organisms. In other words, composting is a way to recycle

49 needs, nutrients in compost extraordinary improve its growth.

50 Composting is performed through a range of available technologies, which can be

61 consider variety of key issues such as feedstock, environmental controls,

62 socioeconomic and other nontechnical considerations, and proposed use or disposal

63 of the end-product (Krogmann et al., 2010).

64 A number of physicochemical properties including temperature, pH, electrical

70 interactions and correlations between physicochemical properties during the

71 composting process. In fact, the dual purpose of this study is to assess

72 physicochemical properties during pressurized in-vessel composting of food waste

74 correlations between these properties.

75 2. Material and Methods

76 2.1 Composting materials

79 States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidance to properly analyze and

85 28, is within the recommended range to start a successful composting process

86 (Waqas et al., 2018b).

87 2.2 Composting vessel

94 in the opening door.

95 2.3 Experimental setup

99 reported in Makan et al. (2014a). The semi-continuous operation of the bioreactor

104 2.4 Analytical Methods

109 hydrochloric acid and bromocresol-greenmethyl as indicator.

117 membrane filters.

125 measured using a Multi-stem digital thermometer (ST–9283B).

126 3. Results and Discussion

127 3.1 Evolution of physicochemical parameters

128 3.1.1 Internal pressure, CO2 and NH3

129 Since composting is an aerobic process, air supply is needed to maintain