Effect Of Ozonation On Composting Japanese Cedar Wood Meal

Ozonized Japanese cedar wood meal was evaluated as a feedstock for compost. The composting experiment performed in a 1.8 m(3) tank during a 4-week period showed that the decomposition of organics was accelerated by the ozonation of wood meal during thermophilic phase. The same is true for decay test of white-rot (WR) fungus. The tested brown-rot (BR) fungus did not show any effect. Accordingly, the lignin degradation by ozone is advantageous for composting. In addition, liberation of ammonia, one source of odor development, was suppressed during the thermophilic phase of composting of ozonized wood meal.