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ARS Home » Plains Area » Bushland, Texas » Conservation and Production Research Laboratory » Livestock Nutrient Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #396626
Research Project: Strategies to Manage Feed Nutrients, Reduce Gas Emissions, and Promote Soil Health for Beef and Dairy Cattle Production Systems of the Southern Great Plains

Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research

Title: Biological treatment of biowaste as an innovative source of CO – the role of composting process

Author
item SOBIERAJ, KAROLINA - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences
item STEGENTA-DABROWSKA, SYLWIA - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences
item LUO, GANG - Fudan University
item Koziel, Jacek
item BIALOWIEC, ANDRZEJ - Wroclaw University Of Environmental And Life Sciences

Submitted to: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2023
Publication Date: 2/9/2023
Citation: Sobieraj, K., Stegenta-Dabrowska, S., Luo, G., Koziel, J.A., Bialowiec, A. 2023. Biological treatment of biowaste as an innovative source of CO – the role of composting process. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 11. Article 1126737. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1126737.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1126737

Interpretive Summary: New technologies are needed for the disposal of agricultural related waste and by-products. Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) are essential ‘building blocks’ for producing everyday chemicals on industrial scale. Both CO and H2 can also be generated through a lesser-known biorenewable pathways, such as composting and methane fermentation. To date, however, the CO production from biological waste treatment processes is not well described in the literature. The demand for biowaste treatment processes continues to grow worldwide, both in terms of the total mass and types of bio-waste subjected to treatments and resource recovery. Thus, this review describes the basic CO formation mechanisms and conditions which control its production during aerobic and anaerobic bio-waste treatment. Specific focus is placed on the role of carbon monoxide hydrogenase (CODH) activity as the controlling agent for the net CO production, and further transformation into H2 via water gas shift reaction. This review summarizes the necessary basic biochemistry knowledge needed for realization of initial steps towards biobased hydrogen economy.

Technical Abstract: The existing knowledge of the CO production during aerobic and anaerobic bio-waste treatment and storage was critically reviewed and summarized. CO-metabolizing microorganisms, pathways, and enzymes present in CO production and consumption were evaluated. The importance of CO dehydrogenase (CODH) enzyme activity has been discussed in detail, especially in water-gas shift (WGS) reactions leading to biohydrogen production. The main review findings are: (i) the influence of the type of substrate and process parameters such as waste moisture, aeration, fragmentation on CO production is still unknown; (ii) studies describing CO metabolism and production during bio-waste treatment were based on individual bacterial strains in laboratory conditions; (iii) the current body of knowledge does not reflect the variety of microorganisms and environmental conditions that affect the CO in full-scale conditions (e.g., compost pile or anaerobic reactor); and (iv) CODH was identified as a key enzyme for CO production in anaerobic conditions. The CODH plays an important role in the biological mediation of WGS reaction and could guide future directions in industrial hydrogen production.