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

Edgar Ricardo Oviedo-Ocaña, Angelica Hernández-Gómez, Isabel Dominguez, Brayan Alexis Parra-Orobio, Jonathan Soto-Paz and Antoni Sánchez
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Edgar Ricardo Oviedo-Ocaña: Grupo de Investigación en Recurso Hídrico y Saneamiento Ambiental-GPH, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Carrera 27 Calle 9, Ciudad Universitaria Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Angelica Hernández-Gómez: Grupo de Investigación en Recurso Hídrico y Saneamiento Ambiental-GPH, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Carrera 27 Calle 9, Ciudad Universitaria Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Isabel Dominguez: Grupo de Investigación en Recurso Hídrico y Saneamiento Ambiental-GPH, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Carrera 27 Calle 9, Ciudad Universitaria Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Brayan Alexis Parra-Orobio: Grupo de Investigación en Recurso Hídrico y Saneamiento Ambiental-GPH, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Carrera 27 Calle 9, Ciudad Universitaria Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Jonathan Soto-Paz: Grupo de Investigación en Recurso Hídrico y Saneamiento Ambiental-GPH, Facultad de Ingenierías Fisicomecánicas, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Carrera 27 Calle 9, Ciudad Universitaria Bucaramanga, Bucaramanga 680002, Colombia
Antoni Sánchez: Composting Research Group, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 14, 1-14

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.

Keywords: agricultural waste; composting; chicken manure; end-product quality; spring onions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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