Composting is an efficient method for treating agricultural wastes. This study investigated the effects of the addition of biochar (B) and gypsum (G) to straw mixed with chicken manure (SC) (i.e. SC, SC+B, SC+G and SC+B+G) on composting performance at different initial C/N ratios (20, 25 and 30). In general, biochar combined with gypsum (BCG) efficiently shortened composting time and reduced N loss, C loss and potential ecological risk. It also enhanced lignocellulose decomposition, nutrient retention and the overall compost quality expressed by a compost quality index (CQI), and increased the biomass of four different test crops. The BCG-induced increase in CQI was closely associated with microbial enzyme activities and C catabolic profiles. These results indicated that the combination of biochar and gypsum is more effective than each single additive during composting, and emphasized that microbial activities and functions play pivotal roles in determining compost quality and thereby agronomic performance.

堆肥是处理农业废物的有效方法。本研究调查了在与鸡粪（SC）（即SC，SC + B，SC + G和SC + B + G）混合的秸秆中添加生物炭（B）和石膏（G）对不同堆肥性能的影响。初始C / N比（20、25和30）。一般而言，生物炭与石膏（BCG）结合可有效缩短堆肥时间，并减少氮损失，碳损失和潜在的生态风险。它还提高了木质纤维素的分解，养分保留和堆肥质量指数（CQI）表示的整体堆肥质量，并增加了四种不同试验作物的生物量。BCG诱导的CQI升高与微生物酶活性和C分解代谢曲线密切相关。