COMPOST MATURITY - CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EXTRACTABLE LIPIDS

Chemical changes in extractable Lipids from four mixtures of farmyard manures were investigated during the composting process. Lipid extract ions with diethyl ether (DEE) and chloroform (CHCl3) were sequentially performed oil samples collected at seven different times during compo sting. Amounts of DEE-extractable lipids decreased continuously during composting, while CHCl3-extractable lipids remained relatively consta nt. C-13 NMR and mass spectrometric data indicated that the lipids bec ame chemically more homogeneous during composting and that biologicall y resistant molecules predominated at the end of composting.