## 3 Results
### Variations in TOC, Ash, TKN and C/N Ratio During Bioaugmentation  
Regarding total organic carbon (TOC), all pots displayed a downward trend attributable to the mineralization process, which was also confirmed by the increase in ash levels (a good indicator of organic matter mineralization) (Figure 2a-f). This decrease was more pronounced in the early stages with S1, S2 and the consortium at 8% inoculum concentration compared with the S3 strain. The reduction in TOC and ash is directly linked to the possibility that the significant amounts of lignocellulosic compounds in the mixture used have been biodegraded and/or assimilated by the inoculated strains and their consortium, given that the TOC in the negative test remains unchanged throughout the composting process. This proves the effectiveness of the strains used, especially S2 [7]. Generally, the rate of TOC degradation and ash in pots inoculated with S2 and the consortium at a concentration of 8% was higher than that in pots inoculated with S1 and S3 at different concentrations (4%, 6% and 8%). These results are also much better than those recorded previously [16], as well as those recorded by other studies using different exogenous strains and different lignocellulosic wastes [4; 7; 21; 23; 24; 25], indicating that bioaugmentation using S2 and the consortium boosted the mineralization and subsequent humification of biomass. As shown in Figure 3a-c, the TKN content increased over the treatment period. It should be noted that even for the nitrogen content, the TKN in the pots inoculated with S2 and the consortium at a concentration of 8% was significantly increased compared to those inoculated with S1 and S3 at different concentrations (4%, 6% and 8%). In this respect, the highest value was recorded with S2 (1.5%) and the consortium (1.5%) at a concentration of 8%, and the lowest value at the same concentration was recorded with S3 (1.18%). These results are also considerably higher than those achieved previously [16]. Nevertheless, the TKN level remained unchanged over time in the negative control (T). The increase in TKN throughout the treatment might be explained by the breakdown of nitrogen-rich materials into ammonia compounds by the strains used [26]. The C/N ratio is a significant index of the availability of nutrients for micro-organisms [7]. Figure 3d-f displays the trend in the C/N ratio throughout the composting process using several strains and their consortium. It should be noted that throughout the treatment, the C/N of all the pots displayed a downward tendency owing to the mineralization of the organic matter, itself attributable to the activity of the strains used. In fact, pots with a high concentration of inoculum (8%) reach maturity phase earlier (from the 6 th week) than those with a low concentration of inoculum (4%) (from the 10 th week). For the negative test (without inoculum), no change was recorded during the composting process, which is expected since the pots are sterilized and there is therefore no microbial activity, proving that the degradation was accomplished by the inoculated strains. Towards the end of the treatment, the C/N achieved with S1, S2 and the consortium dropped below 20 at a concentration of 8%, except for S3 where the C/N was still above 20 even at a higher inoculum concentration (Figure 3d-f). In this regard, microbial activity had a considerable impact on the C/N ratio, and as this activity increased (Figure 1d-f), the level of carbon and non-nitrogen compounds like carbohydrates dropped as the micro-organisms assimilated these molecules [21; 25; 26]. Ultimately, the results are considerably more impressive than those achieved in the previous study [16].