Relating Compost Measures of Stability And Maturity to Plant Growth

Cooperband, Leslie R.; Stone, Alexandra; Fryda, M. R.; Ravet, J. L.

doi:10.1080/1065657x.2003.10702118

Cited by 88 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Though, human wastes are a rich source of organic matter and inorganic plant nutrients and therefore used to support food production, their use without prior stabilization represents a high risk because of the potentially negative effects of any phytotoxic substances or pathogens they may contain (Garcia et al 1993). Application of raw wastes may inhibit seed germination, reduce plant growth and damage crops by competing for oxygen or causing phytotoxicity to plants due to insufficient biodegradation of organic matter (Brewer and Sullivan 2003;Cooperband et al 2003). Moreover, the reuse of untreated faeces for agricultural purposes can cause a great health risk, because a great number of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses and helminthes can be found in human excreta (Gallizzi 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative effectiveness of different composting methods on the stabilization, maturation and sanitization of municipal organic solid wastes and dried faecal sludge mixtures

et al. 2017

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Background:Composting is one of the integrated waste management strategies used for the recycling of organic wastes into a useful product. Composting methods vary in duration of decomposition and potency of stability, maturity and sanitation. This study was aimed to investigate the comparative effectiveness of four different methods of composting viz. windrow composting (WC), Vermicomposting (VC), pit composting (PC) and combined windrow and vermicomposting (WVC) on the stabilization, maturation and sanitization of mixtures of municipal solid organic waste and dried faecal sludge. Methods:The composting treatments were arranged in a completely randomized block design with three replications. The changes in physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the compost were examined at 20 days interval for 100 days using standard laboratory procedures. The analysis of variance was performed using SAS software and the significant differences were determined using Fisher's LSD test at P ≤ 0.05 level.Results: The evolution of composting temperature, pH, EC, NHratio, OC, C:N ratio and total volatile solids varied significantly among the composting methods and with composting time. The evolution of total nitrogen and germination index also varied significantly (P ≤ 0.001) with time, but their variation among the composting methods was not significant (P > 0.05). Except for PC, all other methods of composting satisfied all the indices for stability/maturity of compost at the 60th day of sampling; whereas PC achieved the critical limit values for most of the indices at the 80th day. A highly significant differences (P ≤ 0.001) were noted among the composting methods with regard to their effectiveness in eliminating pathogens (faecal coliforms and helminth eggs). The WVC method was most efficient in eliminating the pathogens complying with WHO's standard. Conclusion:Turned windrow composting and composting involving earthworms hastened the biodegradation process of organic wastes and result in the production of stable compost earlier than the traditional pit method of composting. The WVC method is most efficient in keeping the pathogens below the threshold level. Thus, elimination of pathogens from composts being a critical consideration, this study would recommend this method for composting organic wastes involving human excreta.© The Author(s) 2017. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative effectiveness of different composting methods on the stabilization, maturation and sanitization of municipal organic solid wastes and dried faecal sludge mixtures

et al. 2017

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“…Application of unstable or immature compost may inhibit seed germination, reduce plant growth, and damage crops by competing for their oxygen or causing phytotoxicity to plants due to insufficient biodegradation of organic matter (18,20,21). Therefore, only the use of mature compost can guarantee its employment in agriculture without any damaging effect to both soil and plant.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturity and Stability Evaluation of Composted Municipal Solid Wastes

et al. 2016

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Background: Composting process is a feasible biological treatment for the recycling of municipal solid wastes as a soil amendment. The principal requirement of compost for it to be safely used in soil is a high degree of stability or maturity, which implies stable organic matter content as well as the absence of phytotoxic compounds and plant or animal pathogens. Objectives: At the present study, the maturity and stability of composted municipal solid wastes at a biocompost plant was evaluated. Materials and Methods: For the assessment of compost maturity, important parameters including temperature, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, microbial parameters including Salmonella, total and fecal coliforms were measured during the composting process (80 days). In addition, phytotoxicity as seed germination index and heavy metals concentration (Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd and Pb) was determined at the end of the composting time. Results:The results showed that the C/N ratio decreased during the composting process (reached to 15.6) due to the loss of carbon and the increase in nitrogen content per unit material; also, the NH 4 + /NO 3 ratio decreased with increase in the time of composting and reached

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“…This result correlates well with the reductions in the volatile solids, total carbon and total kjeldahl nitrogen. Cooperband et al (2003) conducted windrow composting of sawdust for 1 year and observed a CO 2 evolution of approximately 2 mg CO 2 -C/g final stable compost carbon-day. The CO 2 evolution in the current study was higher but the period of bioremediation only lasted 15 days which is much shorter than the processes reported by other researchers.…”

Section: Maturity and Stability Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Phenolic Compounds in Creosote Treated Wood Waste by a Composting Microbial Culture Augmented with the Fungus <i>Thermoascus aurantiacus</i>

Ghaly¹,

Zhang²,

Dave³

2011

American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology

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Problem statement:Creosote is used as a wood preservative and water proof agent in railway sleepers, utility poles, buildings foundations and fences and garden furniture. It is a mixture of over 300 hydrocarbons which include 75% polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, 2-17% phenolic compounds and 10-18% heterocyclic organic compounds. Exposure to creosote may result in several health problems including damage to kidney, liver, eyes and skin. Potential contamination of soil and water exist from creosote treated wood from construction and demolition sites. Approach: The possibility of using an invessel composting process augmented with the ascomycetous fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus as a mesophilic/thermophilic bioremediation option for the degradation of phenolic compounds in creosote treated wood waste was evaluated. Results: The temperatures of bioremediation process reached thermophilic phase and the mesophilic and thermophilic lag phases were clearly identified. The moisture content decreased significantly indicating that the water produced by microbial respiration did not compensate for the water lost as vapor with the exhaust gases. Initial increases in pH due to the breakdown of organic nitrogen to ammonium and final drop in pH due to the formation of organic acids and the loss of ammonium with the exhaust gases in the latter stage were observed. Different degradation rates were observed in the mesophilic and thermophilic stages of composting. The control experiment achieved higher reductions of volatile solids, total carbon and TKN and higher degradation of phenolic compounds, cellulose and lignin, indicating a higher level of activity of microorganisms during the composting process compared with the inoculated experimental trial. The stability and maturity of the product of the control experiment were also better than those of the product from the inoculated experimental trial. Conclusion: The inoculation of the cellulolytic-thermophilic fungus Thermoascus aurantiacus did not accelerate the bioremediation process in degrading phenolic compounds and the fungus may have inhibited the growth and metabolic activities of composting organisms.

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Relating Compost Measures of Stability And Maturity to Plant Growth

Cited by 88 publications

References 15 publications

Comparative effectiveness of different composting methods on the stabilization, maturation and sanitization of municipal organic solid wastes and dried faecal sludge mixtures

Comparative effectiveness of different composting methods on the stabilization, maturation and sanitization of municipal organic solid wastes and dried faecal sludge mixtures

Maturity and Stability Evaluation of Composted Municipal Solid Wastes

Biodegradation of Phenolic Compounds in Creosote Treated Wood Waste by a Composting Microbial Culture Augmented with the Fungus <i>Thermoascus aurantiacus</i>

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