Evolution of Humic Acid Molecular Weight As an Index of Compost Stability

This paper proposes an index for the evaluation of compost maturity based on the evolution of molecular weights of humic acids (HA) during composting. The evolution of HA molecular weight was followed during the composting of both olive mill wastewater (OMW) and olive mill pomace (OMP). The wastes were composted in forced aeration static piles. Samples of the compost were collected at different times during composting. The elution profiles of HA obtained by gel filtration (Sephadex G-150) showed the disappearance of fractions with molecular weights ≤ 50 KDa and the contemporary increase of fraction with molecular weights ≥ 10² KDa. In this range, two fractions can be separated: the first one (A1) with molecular weights greater than 10² KDa and below 2 10² KDa, and the second one (A2) with molecular weight greater than 2 10² KDa. During composting, the ratio A2/A1 tends to reach a constant value which indicates the evolution toward the polymerization of HA. The ratio A2/A1 was named HAEI (Humic Acid Evolution Index). It varies with the material composted and the composting process and represents the maximum possible degree of HA polymerization. A comparison between HAEI and the usually used maturity indexes is also presented.