Evaluation of Co-Composting as an Alternative for the Use of Agricultural Waste of Spring Onions, Chicken Manure and Bio-Waste Produced in Moorland Ecosystems
Oviedo-Ocaña, Edgar Ricardo (Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colòmbia))
Hernández-Gómez, Angélica (Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colòmbia))
Dominguez Rivera, Isabel Cristina (Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colòmbia))
Parra, Brayan (Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colòmbia))
Soto, Jonathan (Universidad Industrial de Santander (Colòmbia))
Sanchez, Antoni (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica i Ambiental)

Date:	2022
Abstract:	Composting is an adequate method for treating and valorizing agricultural waste such as those from spring onion (SO) cultivation and chicken breeding (chicken manure-CM). However, the low content of Total Organic Carbon in the waste from SO and the high concentration of total nitrogen in CM are limitations for the composting process. This research studied the co-composting of SO and CM in a moorland ecosystem, together with locally available co-substrates such as biowaste (BW) and woodchips (WC), focusing on the effect of co-composting in process development and end-product quality. A pilot-scale experiment was carried out using three treatments in triplicated composting piles: (i) Treatment A: 43% CM + 41% BW + 16% WC; (ii) Treatment B: 52% CM + 32% SO + 16% WC, and (iii) Treatment C: 70% SO + 30% WC. Treatments A and B reached thermophilic temperatures after two days of the process start and remained at that level for 17 days. However, treatment B reached environmental temperature during curing in a shorter time (43 days) than treatment A (53 days). Treatment C did not achieve thermophilic temperatures. Tests carried out at the end of the process showed end-product stability and non-phytotoxic characteristics (germination indexes 80%). The fertility index of the products showed that treatments A and B presented values of 4. 3 (over 5. 0) while treatment C obtained a value of 2. 5. From the perspective of agricultural use, products from the three treatments had limitations due to deficiencies in essential nutrients like phosphorus. Still, they had potential as a soil amendment for restoration processes. In summary, we have demonstrated that this waste, in combination with other organic materials, could be a good amendment for the composting process and the end product.
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	Sustainability, Vol. 14, Núm. 14 (July 2022) , art. 8720, ISSN 2071-1050

DOI: 10.3390/su14148720

14 p, 1.2 MB

The record appears in these collections:
Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Engineering > Composting Research Group (GICOM)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles