Effect of bulking materials and mixing ratios on concentration of nutrients during composting of raw faecal sludge from peri-urban areas

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 234-242
Author(s):  
Eugene Appiah-Effah ◽  
Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko ◽  
Eric Ofosu Antwi ◽  
Esi Awuah

Composting of raw faecal sludge (FS) poses many difficulties due to its high moisture content (MC), high wet bulk density and low carbon to nitrogen ratio. The aim of this study were to (1) examine the suitability of bulking materials (BMs) and (2) investigate the effect of bulking material and mixing ratio on concentration of nutrients during composting of raw FS compost. Raw FS and BMs (wood chips and maize cobs) were sampled from three peri-urban communities. The raw FS showed an initial high MC (73%) which was greater than that required to start a compost process (55–65%). The results showed that the total carbon and nitrogen contents of all the experiments decreased at the end of the composting process. Composted materials at the end of the experiment showed lower concentrations of available phosphorus and potassium in all the experiments than the initial substrate materials. Experimental trial, Maize cob (1:2) is the most preferred due to the fact that it contained more nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and also carbon which are essential nutrients for plant growth and for improving on the soil organic matter content.

Revista CERES ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudinei Alberto Cardin ◽  
Carlos Henrique dos Santos ◽  
Marcos Antonio Escarmínio

ABSTRACT Soils of tropical regions are more weathered and in need of conservation managements to maintain and improve the quality of its components. The objective of this study was to evaluate the availability of K, the organic matter content and the stock of total carbon of an Argisol after vinasse application and manual and mechanized harvesting of burnt and raw sugarcane, in western São Paulo.The data collection was done in the 2012/2013 harvest, in a bioenergy company in Presidente Prudente/SP. The research was arranged out following a split-plot scheme in a 5x5 factorial design, characterized by four management systems: without vinasse application and harvest without burning; with vinasse application and harvest without burning; with vinasse application and harvest after burning; without vinasse application and harvest after burning; plus native forest, and five soil sampling depths (0-10 10-20, 20-30, 30-40, 40-50 cm), with four replications. In each treatment, the K content in the soil and accumulated in the remaining dry biomass in the area, the levels of organic matter, organic carbon and soil carbon stock were determined. The mean values were compared by Tukey test. The vinasse application associated with the harvest without burning increased the K content in soil layers up to 40 cm deep. The managements without vinasse application and manual harvest after burning, and without vinasse application with mechanical harvesting without burning did not increase the levels of organic matter, organic carbon and stock of total soil organic carbon, while the vinasse application and harvest after burning and without burning increased the levels of these attributes in the depth of 0-10 cm.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1007-1024
Author(s):  
B. Turgut

Abstract. The aim of this study was to compare the soils of the wheat cultivation area (WCA) and the safflower cultivation area (SCA) within semi-arid climate zones in terms of their total carbon, nitrogen, sulphur contents, particle size distribution, aggregate stability, organic matter content, and pH values. This study presents the results from the analyses of 140 soil samples taken at two soil layers (0–10 and 10–20 cm) in the cultivation areas. At the end of the study, it has been established that there were significant differences between the cultivation areas in terms of soil physical properties such as total carbon (TC), total nitrogen (TN), total sulphur (TS) contents and pH, while only the TN content resulted in significantly different between the two soil layers. Moreover significant differences were identified in the cultivation areas in terms of soil physical properties including clay and sand contents, aggregate stability and organic matter content, whereas the only significant difference found among the soil layers was that of their silt content. Since safflower contains higher amounts of biomass than wheat, we found higher amounts of organic matter content and, therefore, higher amounts of TN and TS content in the soils of the SCA. In addition, due to the fact that wheat contains more cellulose – which takes longer to decompose – the TC content of the soil in the WCA were found to be higher than that of the SCA. The results also revealed that the WCA had a higher carbon storage capacity.


2012 ◽  
Vol 512-515 ◽  
pp. 520-526
Author(s):  
Hang Zhou Yuan ◽  
Quan Guo Zhang ◽  
Yan Yan Jing ◽  
Xiang Feng Zhang ◽  
Yi Wang

This paper used respective ratios of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% of straw and pig excrement as raw materials to produce biogas and fertilizer. The test focused on gas production, the contents of available nutritional elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and the organic matter content. The experimental results demonstrate the fermentation can produce more biogas, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic mass under the conditions which the fermentation cycle is 15 days and the ratio of straw and excrement is 70%.


Soil Research ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 655 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Conteh ◽  
G. J. Blair ◽  
I. J. Rochester

The contribution of cotton stubble to the soil organic matter content of Vertisols under cotton production is not well understood. A 3-year experiment was conducted at the Australian Cotton Research Institute to study the effects of burning and incorporating cotton stubble on the recovery of fertiliser nitrogen (N), lint yield, and organic matter levels. This study reports on the changes in soil organic matter fractions as affected by burning and incorporating cotton stubble into the soil. Soil samples collected at the start and end of the 3-year experiment were analysed for total carbon (CT), total N (NT), and δ13C (a measure of 13C/12C isotopic ratios). Labile carbon (CL) was determined by ease of oxidation and non-labile carbon (CNL) was calculated as the difference between CT and CL. Based on the changes in CT, CL, and CNL, a carbon management index (CMI) was calculated. Further analyses were made for total polysaccharides (PT), labile polysaccharides (PL), and light fraction C (LF-C). Stubble management did not significantly affect the NT content of the soil. After 3 years, the stubble-incorporated plots had a significantly higher content of CT, CL, and polysaccharides. Incorporation of stubble into the soil increased the CMI by 41%, whereas burning decreased the CMI by 6%. The amount of LF-C obtained after 3 years in the stubble-incorporated soil was almost double that obtained in the stubble-burnt soil. It was concluded that for sustainable management of soil organic matter in the Vertisols used for cotton production, stubble produced in the system should be incorporated instead of burnt.


2019 ◽  

<p>Application of municipal sewage sludge (MSS) to agricultural soils is a current practice in EU. European legislation permits its use in agriculture when concentrations of metals in soil do not exceed the maximum permissible limits. In order to study the influence of MSS on cotton yield and soil properties, a filed experiment was conducted in a soil classified as Typic Xerochrepts located in Lamia area, central Greece, for two consecutive years. The experimental design was complete randomized blocks with four treatments: Control (C ), inorganic fertilization (IF), application of 6000 dry kg ha-1 MSS, and 10000 dry SS kg ha-1, each replicated 4 times. The results showed that MSS application in both rates, increased significantly cotton yield compared to control equally to inorganic fertilization. Soil properties, at the end of the second year of MSS application, were significantly affected by MSS application in a positive way i.e. pH decreased slightly, but organic matter content, available phosphorus, total nitrogen concentrations exchangeable potassium and available zinc and copper increased significantly. The potentially toxic elements lead, chromium, and nickel were not significantly affected by MSS application in both application rates compared to control.</p>


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 03057
Author(s):  
Xinyu Liu ◽  
Shengxiu Li ◽  
Fang Luo ◽  
Yan Ning ◽  
Biao Huang ◽  
...  

The content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic matter in soil is an important index to determine soil nutrient status. In this paper, the contents of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter and soil salt in the soil of several different plant communities in the campus were measured by the chemical measurement characteristics of several different communities in University of Jinan. The differences in the measurement characteristics of soil chemical measurement in different plant communities were analyzed. The results showed that the highest organic matter content in several communities was Cherry Blossom community, 76.33mg/kg, and the highest ammonium nitrogen content was 196.08mg/kg; the highest content of available phosphorus was the community of Begonia, 168.14mg/kg, and the highest content of available potassium was the community of Robinia pseudoacacia, which was the highest salt content in 64.99mg/kg soil. The community of cherry blossoms is 569 μs. There was little difference in soil organic matter, available phosphorus and available potassium in different plant communities..


The Holocene ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 1527-1538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirstie Fryirs ◽  
Benjamin Freidman ◽  
Rory Williams ◽  
Geraldine Jacobsen

Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone (THPSS) are a form of topogenous mire found on the plateau areas of eastern Australia. They are well recognised for their ecological value, but our understanding of their geomorphic structure, function and evolution remains limited. Across 19 sites, the valley fills of THPSS comprise sequences of mineral-rich sand and loam deposits. Basal sand and gravel sediments have low organic content and low carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratios (a measure of peat formation) and are dated between 15.3 and 9 kyr cal. BP, with outliers back to 44 kyr cal. BP. These units reflect mineral-sediment trapping and accumulation on the valley floor. The transition to ‘swamp’ conditions through paludification occurred between 15.2 and 10.3 kyr cal. BP in some systems, and between 7.6 and 1.4 kyr cal. BP in other, adjacent valleys. These ‘swamp’ sediments comprise a package of units, progressing upward from fine cohesive sands, through assemblages of alternating organic sands to surface organic fines. These beds vary in texture from loams to sands and have a range of organic matter content (from 7.6% to 79.9%) and C:N ratios (from 15 to 58). The surface organic fines at 0 and 100 cm depth range in age from 13.1 to 0.7 kyr cal. BP. The composition and age structure of the valley fill suggest a mix of allogenic and autogenic controls are responsible for the formation of these swamps, but a regional model of THPSS evolution is emerging. Given these ‘peatlands’ have formed under a climate that experiences significant inter-annual variability in rainfall, conditions for peat formation are localised and not directly equivalent to those documented internationally.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-365
Author(s):  
Babita Neupane ◽  
Krishna Aryal ◽  
Lal Bahadur Chhetri ◽  
Shishir Regmi

This experiment was conducted in the farmer’s field at Khajrauta, Gadhawa-4, Dang, Nepal to evaluate the effect of integrated nutrient management on growth and yield of cauliflower as well as their residual effects on soil properties. The cauliflower variety silvercup-60 was grown under eight different treatments; T1: 50% N through RDF + 50% N through FYM; T2: 50% N through RDF + 50% N through PM; T3: 50% N through RDF + 50% N through VC, T4: 50% N through RDF + 25% N through FYM + 25% N through PM; T5: 50% N through RDF + 25% N through VC + 25% N through PM; T6: 50% N through RDF + 25% N through VC + 25% N through FYM; T7: 50% N through RDF + 25% N through  VC +25% N through FYM; T8: 50% N through RDF + 50% N  through FYM,VC and poultry manure. The experiment was laid out in RCB design with three replications. The result revealed that the  highest plant height (36.40 cm), number of leaves (15), plant spread (31.72 cm), leaf area (526.5 cm2), curd weight (207.3g) and curd yield (12.85 t/ha) were found under 50% N through RDF +50% N through VC. The root length, root diameter and root density were better under all INM treatments as compared to 100% N through RDF. INM treatments showed lesser bulk density, lesser particle density, greater infiltration rate and greater organic matter content than application of 100% N through RDF. Soil total nitrogen was increased in all INM treatments while soil available phosphorus decreases in all treatments except 100% N trough RDF and 50% N through RDF +50% N through PM. Thus, farmers are suggested to apply 50% N through VC along with 50% N through RDF to increase cauliflower yield.   


2020 ◽  
Vol 204 ◽  
pp. 01013
Author(s):  
Gang Li ◽  
Ruiqing Zhang ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Nan Lu ◽  
Yang Wei ◽  
...  

In order to understand the soil pH and main nutrient characteristics of newly added cultivated land in the eastern part of Guanzhong, and 160 soil samples were collected in 2016, the soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in Heyang County were studied The suitability distribution of the indicators, using stepwise regression and path analysis methods, analyzes the direct relationship between soil pH and soil nutrients, and provides a theoretical basis for improving the newly added cultivated land. The results showed that the soil pH in Heyang County varied from 8.42 to 9.67, the soil organic matter content varied from 3.46 to 17.93 g/kg, the soil total nitrogen content varied from 0.13 to 5.61 g/kg, and the soil available phosphorus changed The range is 1.73 ~ 63.06 mg/kg, and the soil available potassium range is 46.50 ~ 523.74. The newly added soil has a certain nutrient basis, but it should be further adjusted and improved during the cultivation process. The direct positive effect on soil pH value is mainly soil organic matter, and the direct negative effect is mainly soil available phosphorus. By adjusting the organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus and available potassium in the soil, the pH value of the soil can be effectively improved, so that the newly cultivated soil is suitable for the growth of local crops.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document