Microbial wood degradation in a composting environment : influencing factors and improvement strategies

Space heating is a major contributor to energy demand in temperate regions. Although wood is a widely available renewable fuel, conventional combustion causes severe air pollution and has short-term climate impacts. Biological wood oxidation (BWO) offers an alternative approach to decentralized heat production by harnessing microbial activity to oxidize wood in a composting environment, releasing low-temperature heat (typically 40–50°C) in a slow and controllable manner. This thesis investigates how key composting parameters and intervention strategies influence microbial wood degradation at the particle scale, focusing on wood particle size, nutrient availability (specifically nitrogen and phosphorus), environmental pH, oxygen availability, and bioactive organic additives. The work provides fundamental insights and practical guidance for enhancing microbial wood degradation in wood-dominated compost heat recovery systems (CHRSs). It also advances understanding of microbial decomposition of lignocellulosic materials and contributes to the development of sustainable resource management within a circular bioeconomy.