The Influence of Biochar Addition on Chicken Manure Composting and Associated Methane and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

The effect of biochar addition and turning frequency was examined relative to biochar-chicken manure co-composting and its associated methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The results demonstrated that biochar addition was more effective in accelerating the composting process, which was indicated by a 5.2% increase in peak pile temperature and a 148% increase in peak CO2 emission with 20% biochar amended-compost, compared with the control that had no biochar. The compost pH increased and moisture content decreased significantly over the whole course of composting with the biochar amendment. The addition of 20% biochar also resulted in a 54.9% decrease in peak CH4 emission compared with the control. More frequent turning (daily vs. every 3 or 7 days) accelerated the composting process and reduced the CH4 emission.