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Co-composting solid biowastes with alkaline materials to enhance carbon stabilization and revegetation potential

  • Biological waste as resource, with a focus on food waste
  • Published:
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Abstract

Co-composting biowastes such as manures and biosolids can be used to stabilize carbon (C) without impacting the quality of these biowastes. This study investigated the effect of co-composting biowastes with alkaline materials on C stabilization and monitored the fertilization and revegetation values of these co-composts. The stabilization of C in biowastes (poultry manure and biosolids) was examined by their composting in the presence of various alkaline amendments (lime, fluidized bed boiler ash, flue gas desulphurization gypsum, and red mud) for 6 months in a controlled environment. The effects of co-composting on the biowastes’ properties were assessed for different physical C fractions, microbial biomass C, priming effect, potentially mineralizable nitrogen, bioavailable phosphorus, and revegetation of an urban landfill soil. Co-composting biowastes with alkaline materials increased C stabilization, attributed to interaction with alkaline materials, thereby protecting it from microbial decomposition. The co-composted biowastes also increased the fertility of the landfill soil, thereby enhancing its revegetation potential. Stabilization of biowastes using alkaline materials through co-composting maintains their fertilization value in terms of improving plant growth. The co-composted biowastes also contribute to long-term soil C sequestration and reduction of bioavailability of heavy metals.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Co-operative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE) and Australia Research Council Discovery-Projects (DP140100323). Dr Chowdhury is supported by the Ministry of Environment through ‘The GAIA Project’ in Korea Republic. The postdoctoral fellowship program (PJ010896) at the National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea, supported Dr Kunhikrishnan’s contribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. SAFE Research Centre, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hannam University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

    Saikat Chowdhury & Geon-Ha Kim

  2. Global Centre for Environmental Research (GCER), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia

    Nanthi S. Bolan, Balaji Seshadri & Hasintha Wijesekara

  3. Chemical Safety Division, Department of Agro-Food Safety, National Academy of Agricultural Science, Wanju-gun, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, Republic of Korea

    Anitha Kunhikrishnan

  4. Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC CARE), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia

    Nanthi S. Bolan & Balaji Seshadri

  5. Centre for Environmental Risk Assessment and Remediation (CERAR), University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, 5095, Australia

    Yilu Xu

  6. Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Delaware Environmental Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, 19711, USA

    Jianjun Yang & Donald Sparks

  7. CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environment Paris, CNRS-INRA-AgroParisTech, UPMC-UPEC-IRD, Thiverval-Grignon, Paris, 78850, France

    Cornelia Rumpel

Authors
  1. Saikat Chowdhury
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  2. Nanthi S. Bolan
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  3. Balaji Seshadri
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  4. Anitha Kunhikrishnan
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  5. Hasintha Wijesekara
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  6. Yilu Xu
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  7. Jianjun Yang
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  8. Geon-Ha Kim
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  9. Donald Sparks
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  10. Cornelia Rumpel
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Nanthi S. Bolan.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Hailong Wang

Highlights

• Carbon stabilization of biowastes was increased by co-composting with alkaline materials

• The nutrient value of biowastes was not impacted by co-composting

• Priming effect was positively influenced by the labile C of the co-composts

• Co-composted biowastes enhanced potentially mineralizable N and Olsen P in soil

• Co-composted biowastes decreased Cd uptake by Indian mustard

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Chowdhury, S., Bolan, N.S., Seshadri, B. et al. Co-composting solid biowastes with alkaline materials to enhance carbon stabilization and revegetation potential. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 7099–7110 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5411-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5411-9

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