Minoru Kataoka

The Use of Bacillus Licheniformis HA1 To Accelerate Composting of Organic Wastes

The effect of Bacillus licheniformis HA1 cell density on the acceleration of organic waste composting was tested in a bench-scale composting system utilizing a process limit temperature of 60°C. Variables measured during composting were CO2 evolution rate, conversion of substrate carbon and pH. When an initial cell density of 2.0×104 cfu/g-dry solid was used, the strain HA1 increased in number and prevented the decrease in pH during the early stage of composting. This resulted in enhanced populations of other thermophiles and increased the rate of organic matter decomposition. By contrast, no effect was observed at a lower cell density of HA1. It was found that the minimum cell density of HA1 to accelerate organic decomposition was around 104-105 cfu/g dry solid of raw material.