Distribution of Phosphorus Forms Depends on Compost Source Material

Marge Lanno, Mait Kriipsalu, Merrit Shanskiy, Maidu Silm and Anu Kisand
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Marge Lanno: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
Mait Kriipsalu: Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
Merrit Shanskiy: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
Maidu Silm: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia
Anu Kisand: Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, 51006 Tartu, Estonia

Resources, 2021, vol. 10, issue 10, 1-11

Abstract: Composting is a sustainable method for recovering nutrients from various organic wastes, including food waste. Every input waste has different nutrient contents, in turn, suggesting that every compost has different fertilizer and/or soil improvement values. The phosphorus (P) concentration and relative distribution of P forms is related to the original organic material. The relative distribution of P forms determines how readily plants can absorb P from the compost-amended soil. The aim of this study was to investigate the content and relative share of P forms in composts made from fish waste, sewage sludge, green waste, and horse manure. Six forms of P (labile; bound to reducible metals; bound to non-reducible metals; bound to easily degradable organic material; and bound to calcium) were determined using sequential extraction method. The results indicated that fish waste compost had relatively high proportion of labile P, suggesting good biological availability. In comparison, sewage sludge compost contained the highest overall P concentration per dry weight unit, while labile P constituted only 6% of summary of P forms. The results indicate that the evaluation of composts as alternative P sources in agriculture should rely on the relative distribution of P forms in the compost in addition to the typically recognized value of the total P.

Keywords: organic fertilizer; sequential fractionation; fish waste; manure; sewage sludge; green waste; circular economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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