Composting of the invasive species Arundo donax with sewage and agri-food sludge: Agronomic, economic and environmental aspects

M Pelegrín; J A Sáez-Tovar; J Andreu-Rodríguez; M D Pérez-Murcia; E Martínez-Sabater; F C Marhuenda-Egea; A Pérez-Espinosa; M A Bustamante; E Agulló; A Vico; C Paredes; R Moral

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2018.06.029

Composting of the invasive species Arundo donax with sewage and agri-food sludge: Agronomic, economic and environmental aspects

Waste Manag. 2018 Aug:78:730-740. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.06.029. Epub 2018 Jun 30.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Miguel Hernández University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra. Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
² Department of Engineering, Miguel Hernández University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra. Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain.
³ Dept. of Agrochemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alicante, P.O.Box 99, E-03080 Alicante, Spain.
⁴ Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Miguel Hernández University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra. Beniel km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela, Alicante, Spain. Electronic address: marian.bustamante@umh.es.

PMID: 32559965
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2018.06.029

Abstract

This work evaluates several co-composting scenarios based on the use of Arundo donax biomass (AD) as bulking agent for the co-composting of sewage sludge (MS) and agri-food sludge (AS), to manage these organic wastes and to produce balanced organic fertilizers by optimizing the process. For this, six piles were prepared in commercial composting conditions, using AD in a range of 40%-80% (on a dry weight basis). Physico-chemical and chemical parameters and the thermal behaviour were evaluated during the process, as were the physical and chemical parameters of the final composts. The proportion of AD in the mixtures has a significant effect on the development of the thermophilic stage of composting, showing the piles with higher proportion of AD a quicker organic matter degradation. In addition, the evolution of the thermal indices R1 and R2 was different depending on the origin of the sludge used, indicating an increase in the relative concentration of more recalcitrant materials in the piles prepared with AS. The estimation of the global warming potential showed that the use of higher proportion of AD in the composting mixture may be a strategy to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases during the composting process. Moreover, the end-products obtained had an additional marketable value, with a balanced nutrient content and a good degree of maturity, which indicates the viability of the composting process as a method for the stabilization of these organic wastes.

Keywords: Arundo donax biomass; Compost; Greenhouse gases; Sludge; Thermal analysis.