Thermophilic Fungi in a Municipal Waste Compost System

Abstract

SUMMARYA high-rate municipal compost system was systematically sampled during the digestion period for the presence of thermophilic fungi. Pure cultures of 304 isolates were established which included: Aspergillus fumigatus, Chaetomium thermophile, Humicola lanuginosa, Mucor pusillus, Thermoascus aurantiacus, and Torula thermophila. Representative isolates demonstrated: (1) the thermophilic relationship between temperature and growth; (2) a requirement for aerobic growth conditions; and (3) that only Chaetomium thermophile could utilize cellulose as a carbon source.