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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Effect of moisture content of a wood matrix on a small-scale biodegradation system for organic solid waste

Journal of Wood Science volume 46, pages 317–321 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

The optimum working moisture content of a wood matrix for the garbage automatic decomposer-extinguisher (GADE) machine was investigated using a small-scale degradation reactor. A formula feed for rabbits was used as the model waste. The degradation experiment was conducted under controlled conditions such as moisture content, environmental temperature, and airflow rate. The degradation rate was estimated precisely from weight loss and the CO2 evolution rate. The degradation rate were nearly constant at a moisture content of 30%–80% on a-wet-weight basis. Microorganisms from the environment propagated in the reactor with no inoculums added. The number of microorganisms showed a trend similar to that of the degradation rate. The microorganism community changed according to the moisture content of the matrix and were considered to attain a constant degradation rate at a wide range of moisture content of a matrix.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Wood Technology, Akita Prefectural University, Noshiro, 016-0876, Akita, Japan

    Sakae Horisawa & Shuichi Doi

  2. Biological Resources Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences, 305-0851, Tsukuba, Japan

    Yoh Sakuma

  3. Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8589, Hokkaido, Japan

    Yutaka Tamai & Minoru Terazawa

Authors
  1. Sakae Horisawa
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  2. Yutaka Tamai
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  3. Yoh Sakuma
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  4. Shuichi Doi
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  5. Minoru Terazawa
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Correspondence to Sakae Horisawa.

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Horisawa, S., Tamai, Y., Sakuma, Y. et al. Effect of moisture content of a wood matrix on a small-scale biodegradation system for organic solid waste. J Wood Sci 46, 317–321 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00766223

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00766223

Key words

  • Food waste
  • Biodegradation
  • Wood particles
  • Moisture content
  • Microorganism