Succession of bacterial communities during composting process as detected by 16S rRNA clone libraries analysis

► A Full-scale composting process rather than small laboratory-scale was performed. ► A new compost DNA extraction and purification method was developed. ► Four 16S rDNA colone libraries were constructed and the most large number of clones were sequenced. ► Sequences belonging to the candidate phylum BCR1 were firstly determined. ► The study achieved a more thorough understanding of bacterial succession in composting.