Comparative study on the action of compost, biochar, and cellulase in the composting process of tobacco in a facultative reactor

In this work, a comparative study was carried out on the influence of three additives (compost, biochar, and cellulase) on tobacco composting, with solid organic waste and sawdust, in a facultative reactor. Four reactors were constructed. In one of the reactors, only the substrate was added, while in the others, the additives were added, one in each reactor, according to the proportions recommended in the literature. In the reactors with additives, the temperatures reached peaks of up to 60°C, remaining around 50°C during the thermophilic phase, which was sufficient to achieve compost stability. After 110 days, the seed germination rate exceeded 95%. The data obtained through spectroscopic analyses (UV/Vis, FTIR, and 13C NMR) indicated that the simplest molecules were degraded, and the humification and condensed aromatic cluster indices increased. The data obtained demonstrated the efficiency of the additives, since all of them presented better results than the reference reactor. Biochar was the additive that demonstrated the greatest efficiency, followed by cellulase (in second place) and compost (in third).