Journal
WASTE MANAGEMENT & RESEARCH
Volume 25, Issue 2, Pages 99-108Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X07075514
Keywords
municipal solid waste; compost quality; soil-less growing media; biological test; spring barley; nutrients; wmr 1028-6
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The quality of compost and its suitability for agricultural application depend upon physical and chemical parameters such as water-holding capacity, porosity, pH, electrical conductivity, C/N ratio, available nutrients and the absence of toxic substances. In the present study a complete characterization of an industrial municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) based on standardized European methods (CEN) for soil improvers and growing media was obtained, and compared with the quality of other Spanish composted biowaste and conventional substrates such as peat and pine bark. The MSWC was obtained from the main composting plant in Galicia (Spain), which processes organic waste that has been separated at origin and collected from more than 100 000 inhabitants. The MSWC presented a lower C/N ratio (15) than peat (84) and composted pine bark (CPB) (211), but had a similar ratio to other marketed MSWC. The nutrients and heavy metals were extracted using different recommended solvents (Water, CaCl2 + diethylen triamin pentaacetic acid, and aqua regia). The nutrient concentrations of composted urban waste or manure were much higher than those of peat, CPB or pine bark. On the basis of the results of the plant tolerance test, the MSWC could be employed directly as a soil improver, but Would need to be diluted with other low-salt components such as peat or CPB before being used as a growing media.
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