Evaluation of Biological Activity of Cellulose Pulp by Means of the Static Respiration Index (At₄)/ Ocena Aktywności Biologicznej Pulpy Celulozowej Testem Respiracyjnym At₄

In the countries of the European Union, work is presently being conducted on the standardisation of the limit values and test methods for the determination of the biological activity of waste. The aim of conducting the tests is to monitor the effectiveness of waste biodegradation during composting, the evaluate any decrease in the biological activity of the waste before its landfilling and control processes taking place at landfills. The evaluation of the waste’s biological activity can be performed, among others, by testing respiration. One such method is AT₄ (Static Respiration Index) determination. The results of respirometric tests depict the availability of substrates for microorganisms, that is, the biodegradability.

The article describes the tests of the biological activity of the cellulose pulp, the impact of the degree of compost inoculation on the value of this parameter and the dependence on the content of organic mass and total organic carbon in the tested substrate. The measurements of the oxygen demand were made using the OxiTop® Control measuring system.