Exploring the nitrogen reservoir of biodegradable household garbage and its potential in replacing synthetic nitrogen fertilizers in China

Abstract

Biodegradable household garbage contains a large amount of nitrogen, which could be used as organic fertilizer to produce organic food and significantly reduce synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. There is limited information on how large the nitrogen reservoir of biodegradable household garbage is in a certain country or region. Here we took China as a case, analyzed the amount of biodegradable household garbage resources and their nitrogen reservoirs. It was noted that the biodegradable household garbage mainly included food waste, waste paper and wood chips, with the amount being 31.56, 29.55, and 6.45 × 106 t·a−1, respectively. Accordingly, the nitrogen reservoirs were 65.31 × 104, 6.80 × 104, and 3.81 × 104 t·a−1 in China. The nitrogen reservoir of food waste accounted for 86% of the total nitrogen reservoir of biodegradable household garbage, which was equivalent to 11% of the amount of actual absorption for synthetic nitrogen fertilizers (6.20 × 106 t·a−1) by agriculture plants in China. Our findings provided a scientific basis for the classification and utilization of biodegradable household garbage.