earticle

영어

Spent mushroom substrate (SMS) has generally been used for the manufacture of animal feed and production of bio fuel. Limited research has been conducted in the utilization of SMS as a co-material for composting. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of composting vegetable waste mixed with various ratios of SMS (30, 40, and 50%). The results showed that the C/N ratio decreased when both sawdust (from 22.0~28.8 to 17.7~20.4) and SMS (from 18.5~19.5 to 12.7~16.8) were applied for composing, owing to increased contents of nitrogen. A maturity test conducted using mechanical (Solvita) and germination tests revealed that both sawdust (92.0~101.9%) and SMS (87.8~89.2%) satisfied a criteria of maturity standard (70%). A correlation analysis between compost maturity and its chemical properties revealed that the C/N ratio and pH were the most dominant parameters for compost maturity. Overall, SMS could be utilized as a compost material and especially, vegetable waste mixed with SMS could provide sufficient nutrients for crop growth.