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Effect of ventilation quantity on electron transfer capacity and spectral characteristics of humic substances during sludge composting

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Abstract

Humic substances (HSs) can ameliorate soil pollution by mediating electron transfer between microorganisms and contaminants. This capability depends on the redox-active functional structure and electron transfer capacity (ETC) of HS. This study mainly aimed to analyze the effects of different ventilation quantities on the ETC and spectral characteristics of HS (including humic acids (HAs) and fulvic acids (FAs)) during sludge composting. HS was extracted from compost with different ventilation quantities (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 L kg−1 dry matter min−1, denoted as VQ1, VQ2, and VQ3, respectively). The ETC of HS was measured by electrochemical method. Excitation–emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy, ultraviolet and visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy were conducted to understand the evolution of HS composition during composting. Results indicated that the ETC of HA and FA increased during composting, and VQ2 had stronger ETC and electron recycling rate than VQ1 and VQ3 at the end of composting. UV–Vis analysis revealed that the humification degree, aromatization degree, and molecular weight of HA and FA increased during composting, while the content of lignin decreased. EEM-PARAFAC results suggested that VQ2 accelerated the degradation of protein-like substances. FT-IR revealed a decrease trend in polysaccharide and aliphatic, and the carboxyl content increased in VQ2 and VQ3 while decreased in VQ1. Correlation analysis was used to study the relationship between HS components and ETC. The results advance our further understanding of the pollution remediation mechanism of HS.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi (No. 2018GXNSFGA281001); Science and Technology Major Project of Guangxi (No. AA18118013); and Guangxi Science and Technology Project (No. AD18126018).

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The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control Theory and Technology, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, China

    Zhihan Tan, Beidou Xi, Yuxin Tian, Xiaojie Sun, Hongxia Zhang & Quanyi Ouche

  2. Guangxi Collaborative Innovation Center for Water Pollution Control and Water Safety in Karst Area, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541004, China

    Zhihan Tan, Beidou Xi, Yuxin Tian, Xiaojie Sun, Hongxia Zhang & Quanyi Ouche

  3. College of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, China

    Hongxiang Zhu

  4. State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Simulation and Control of Groundwater Pollution, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Xiaosong He & Beidou Xi

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  1. Zhihan Tan
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  2. Hongxiang Zhu
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  3. Xiaosong He
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  4. Beidou Xi
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  7. Hongxia Zhang
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  8. Quanyi Ouche
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Zhihan Tan. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Quanyi Ouche and Yuxin Tian. Hongxiang Zhu, Xiaosong He, Beidou Xi, Xiaojie Sun, and Hongxia Zhang reviewed and edited the manuscript; all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Tan, Z., Zhu, H., He, X. et al. Effect of ventilation quantity on electron transfer capacity and spectral characteristics of humic substances during sludge composting. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 70269–70284 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20808-8

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