Linear waste management systems are unsustainable and contribute to environmental degradation, economic inequity, and health disparities. Among the array of environmental challenges stemming from anthropogenic impacts, the management of human excrement (human feces and urine) stands as a significant concern. Over two billion people do not have access to adequate sanitation, signifying a global public health crisis. Composting is the microbial biotechnology aimed at cycling organic waste, including human excrement, for improved public health, agricultural productivity and safety, and environmental sustainability. Applications of modern microbiome -omics and related technologies have the capacity to support continued advances in composting science and praxis. In this article, we review literature focused on applications of microbiome technologies to study composting systems and reactions. The studies we survey generally fall into the categories of animal manure composting, biosolids composting, and human excrement composting. We review experiments utilizing microbiome technologies to investigate strategies for enhancing pathogen suppression and accelerating the biodegradation of organic matter. Additionally, we explore studies focused on the bioengineering potential of microbes as inoculants to facilitate degradation of toxins such as pharmaceuticals or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The findings from these studies underscore the importance of advancing our understanding of composting processes through the integration of emerging microbiome -omics technologies. We conclude that work to-date has demonstrated exciting basic and applied science potential from studying compost microbiomes, with promising implications for enhancing global environmental sustainability and public health.

中文翻译：

---

人类排泄物堆肥的微生物组科学


线性废物管理系统是不可持续的，并会导致环境退化、经济不平等和健康差异。在人为影响带来的一系列环境挑战中，人类排泄物（人类粪便和尿液）的管理是一个重大问题。超过 20 亿人无法获得适当的卫生设施，这意味着一场全球公共卫生危机。堆肥是一种微生物生物技术，旨在回收有机废物（包括人类排泄物），以改善公共卫生、农业生产力和安全以及环境可持续性。现代微生物组组学和相关技术的应用有能力支持堆肥科学和实践的持续进步。在本文中，我们回顾了专注于微生物组技术在研究堆肥系统和反应中的应用的文献。我们调查的研究通常分为动物粪便堆肥、生物固体堆肥和人类排泄物堆肥等类别。我们回顾了利用微生物组技术的实验，以研究增强病原体抑制和加速有机物生物降解的策略。此外，我们还探讨了微生物作为接种剂的生物工程潜力的研究，以促进药物或全氟烷基和多氟烷基物质等毒素的降解。这些研究的结果强调了通过整合新兴的微生物组组学技术来促进我们对堆肥过程的理解的重要性。 我们得出的结论是，迄今为止的工作已经证明了研究堆肥微生物组令人兴奋的基础和应用科学潜力，对增强全球环境可持续性和公共卫生具有广阔的意义。