Food waste collected from restaurants, convenience stores, and
food-processing factories was subjected to hydrothermal treatment
at 180 C for 30 min, and used as a compost raw material.
Furan compounds such as 5-HMF and furfural were produced
through the hydrothermal treatment, and inhibited the activity
of composting microorganisms. A newly identified fungus, Paecilomyces
sp. FA13, which possesses the ability to degrade furan compounds,
was isolated and used as an inoculum for the composting.
The strain FA13 degraded the furan compounds and adjusted the
environmental conditions, favoring the growth of both mesophilic
and thermophilic bacteria, and resulting in the acceleration of
composting.