Abstract:

This study investigated the effects of different nitrogen sources on the maturation process of furfural residue aerobic composting, aiming to identify the optimal nitrogen ratio for promoting furfural residue maturation. Under controlled carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N) of 28, seven treatments with different proportions of furfural residue, mushroom bran and urea were established: T1 (furfural residue 1000 kg+ urea 16 kg), T2 (furfural residue 900 kg+mushroom bran 100 kg+ urea 14.2 kg), T3 (furfural residue 800 kg+ mushroom bran 200 kg+ urea 10 kg), T4 (furfural residue 700 kg+ mushroom bran 300 kg+ urea 7 kg), T5 (furfural residue 600 kg+mushroom bran 400 kg+ urea 4.5 kg), T6 (furfural residue 500 kg +mushroom bran 500 kg+ urea 1.3 kg), CK (furfural residue 1000 kg). The effects of different treatments were evaluated based on temperature, pH, organic matter content, ammonium nitrogen content, available potassium content, available phosphorus content, seed germination rate, and germination index during the composting maturation process. The results showed that T4 showed the fastest temperature increase and maintained temperatures above 50℃ for the longest duration; with prolonged fermentation time, pH values of all treatments tended toward neutral; electrical conductivity showed an increasing trend; organic matter content gradually decreased; ammonium nitrogen content increased; available phosphorus and potassium showed decreasing trends. After composting maturation, the control (CK) showed only 44.66% of Chinese cabbage seed germination rate; all other treatments achieved >90% germination rate; T4, T5 and T6 demonstrated germination index (GI)>80%. Different nitrogen sources significantly affected furfural residue aerobic composting maturation. The T4 treatment demonstrated optimal performance across all evaluation metrics.

Key words: furfural residue, mushroom bran, nitrogen source, composting maturation, C/N