Manganese dioxide driven the carbon and nitrogen transformation by activating the complementary effects of core bacteria in composting.

This study revealed core bacterial metabolic mechanisms involved in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) in composting with adding MnO. Two tests (control group (CK), adding MnO (M)) were performed. The results indicated that the MnO accelerated the transformation of carbon and nitrogen in composting. Core bacteria involved in the C and N conversion were identified, the complementarity effects of core bacteria were stimulated in M composting. Additionally, the influence of core bacteria on the C and N conversion could be divided into two pathways in M composting. One was that core bacteria promoted C and N conversion by accelerating the flow of amino acids into the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Another was that the complementarity effects of core bacteria increased the overall bacterial diversity, which contributed to C and N conversion. These findings showed that the addition of MnO to composting was a promising application to treat agricultural organic waste.