This study employed phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA) to follow the microbial community during the composting of MSW, nitrogen-amended MSW, and synthetic MSW materials.
Composting was accomplished at both fulland pilot-scale facilities.
To eliminate the selectional bias associated with plating and other microbial isolation methods,
a direct lipid extraction was used to characterize the microbial community shifts.
Although not previously used for compost, PLFA analysis has been used to characterize the microbial communities of such diverse systems as those in marine sediments, soils, and plant rhizospheres.