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Assessment of compost dosage in farmland through ecotoxicological tests

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Abstract

A research project was carried out to evaluate ecotoxicological effects of mature compost addition to agricultural soil, using a battery of ecotoxicological tests. The following species were selected: plant of Lepidium sativum, earthworm Eisenia foetida, aquatic crustacean Daphnia magna and bacteria Vibrio fischeri. The tests were classified as “direct tests” using solid compost samples and “indirect tests” using compost leaching test eluate. The direct bioassays were performed using compost added to artificial soil in concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 100 % (w/w); the indirect ones considered compost eluate, added to a standard solution in the same concentrations used in the direct tests. Both tests aimed at obtaining the ecotoxicological parameters (LC50 and EC50). These values were then utilized to implement the Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) analysis and extrapolate the Hazard Concentration (HC), a useful threshold to preserve the biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems. Results indicated an increase in compost toxicity with greater compost concentrations; in particular, for direct tests compost dosage below 10 % showed low toxicity, while for indirect ones the toxicity was higher. Furthermore, SSD analysis showed a Hazardous Concentration (HC5) for direct bioassays of 3.5 % and for indirect of 14 %.

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Acknowledgments

This study has been supported by CONTARINA S.p.a that provides the compost samples, the LAB-CONTROL S.r.l and the Laboratory of the department of agriculture for the physicochemical analysis. We thank Dr. Annalisa Sandon, head of the Voltabarozzo Laboratory where the tests were performed and Girotto Jessica, the student that worked in this project for her master thesis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DII, Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, via Marzolo n 9, 35131, Padua, Italy

    Alberto Pivato, Roberto Raga, Maria Cristina Lavagnolo, Alberto Barausse, Luca Palmeri & Raffaello Cossu

  2. Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, School of Applied Science, University of Huddersfield Queensgate, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK

    Stefano Vanin

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  1. Alberto Pivato
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  2. Roberto Raga
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  3. Maria Cristina Lavagnolo
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  4. Stefano Vanin
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  5. Alberto Barausse
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  6. Luca Palmeri
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  7. Raffaello Cossu
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Correspondence to Alberto Pivato.

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Pivato, A., Raga, R., Lavagnolo, M.C. et al. Assessment of compost dosage in farmland through ecotoxicological tests. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 18, 303–317 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-014-0333-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-014-0333-z

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