Recovery of humic-like susbtances from low quality composts

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2013

Authors

Olga C. Nunes (Author) FEUP; Margarida M. S. M. Bastos (Author) FEUP; Ana C. Cunha Queda (Author) Other; Luís T. Lemos (Author) Other; Maria Elisabete F. Silva (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: Bioresource Technology

Vol. 128

Pages: 624-632

ISSN: 0960-8524

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 24 Citations

Scopus - 28 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Agrarian Sciences > Agricultural biotechnology

Associated Projects

UI0511 - PROJECTO ESTRATÉGICO - UI 511 - 2013-2014

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-1BY

DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.11.013

Abstract (EN): The quality of four commercial composts produced from poultry litter and municipal solid wastes was assessed based on their physic-chemical, stability and maturity parameters. These properties varied among the analysed composts; it was found that electric conductivity, heavy metals content and maturity were the parameters that limited the composts quality. Therefore, the feasibility of using them to obtain liquid fertilisers rich in humic-like substances (HS) was assessed. The HS yield, phytotoxicity, heavy metals co-extraction and chemical characterization were carried out. The linkage of the HS chemical composition with the compost properties was assessed by multivariate analysis. Among the compost properties, germination indices, Cr and Cu contents were the parameters that correlated most with the HS chemical composition. The low levels of metals and absence of phytotoxicity in all the analysed HS extracts indicate that composts with low quality may be used to produce liquid organic fertilisers, substituting those from natural resources.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9