Effect of hydrochar on antibiotic-resistance genes and relevant mechanisms during chicken manure composting

The reduction of enhanced antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in compost is important to mitigate the risk of ARG transmission in agricultural production. Hydrochar is used in many applications as a functional carbon material with adsorption and catalytic properties. This study investigated the effects of hydrochar addition on bacterial communities, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and ARGs in chicken manure composting. The addition of 2%, 5%, and 10% hydrochar (dry weight) reduced the total numbers of target ARGs and MGEs in the compost products by 40.13–55.33% and 23.63–37.23%, respectively. Hydrochar changed the succession of the bacterial population during composting, lowering the abundance of potential pathogens and promoting microbial activity in amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism. A significant possible microbial host for ARGs was found to be Firmicutes. Hydrochar was found to affect the host microorganisms and MGEs directly by altering environmental factors that indirectly impacted the ARG profiles, as shown by partial least squares pathway modeling analysis. In conclusion, the addition of hydrochar to compost is a simple and effective method to promote the removal of ARGs.