Composting And Humification

The development of humic substances in the course of four composting processes was monitored quantitatively, recording both relative and absolute contents. Relative data showed contrasting results if the humic substances (HS) were related to the dry matter (d.m.) or to volatile solids (VS). Humic substances were apparently formed because of a concentration effect due to organic matter degradation. If absolute contents were considered, a decrease in the humic substances was observed, above all in the early stages of the process, due, probably, to degradation of the organic material, such as proteins, carbohydrates and lipids, coextracted with the humic substances. Processing of the data in respect of humic substance content over 13 composting processes and one study on the degradation of plant residues in soils, confirmed that no net humic substances are formed during composting and that the humification should be interpreted merely as degradation of the organic matter associated with the humic substances, after uncovering what is known as the core of the humus. The concept of humification during the composting process therefore needs to be reviewed, bearing in mind that neither the method commonly used for humic substance extraction nor the relative results obtained enable it to be interpreted satisfactorily.