Abstract: To optimize the humification process of compost, we investigated the effects of ventilation volume on microbial respiration intensity using different nitrogen sources including corn straw + urea, corn straw + cow manure, and corn straw + chicken manure in a composting reactor. The results showed that the phased ventilation regulation strategy effectively reduced dry matter loss rate of urea and organic material combination of chicken manure nitrogen source by 12.4% and 16.2%, respectively, while increasing the degree of humus polymerization to 17.9% and 18.1%, respectively, after a composting period of 40 days. The main reason was an increase in HA-FA ratio within the manure compost material. The analysis of the microbial community structure for post-composting treatments revealed that the compost material’s microbial community was influenced by both ventilation and material composition. Compost bodies containing more easily decomposable materials exhibited similar microbial species composition. The phased ventilation regulation strategy had varying effects on the humification of different organic materials, and would be more suitable for regulating the humification process of easily decomposable organic materials.

Key words: aerobic compost, ventilation regulation, humification, humic acid, microbial community structure