Manure organic matter - Characteristics and microbial transformations

During storage of biomass, the components are transformed between pools of organic matter and pools of inorganic components. This chapter describes these transformation processes, which are the result of microbial activity and occur at fast rates under aerobic conditions, producing oxidised products, and at slower rates in anaerobic manure. The focus is on the microbial processes transforming nitrogen and carbon molecules into the products ammonium nitrate, carbon dioxide, methane and organic acids. The thermodynamics of the processes, and the physical, chemical and environmental factors affecting their rates, are also presented.