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Production of compost from marine waste: evaluation of the product for use in ecological agriculture

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Abstract

The sea contains large amounts of resources that are sometimes considered as waste. Such material includes the waste generated by the fish-processing industry and seaweed that is washed up on shores. In this study, these waste products were windrow composted, along with pine bark as a source of carbon and aeration. The final mix proportions were 20 % seaweed, 20 % fish waste, and 60 % pine bark (v/v). After 10 weeks, stable, well-structured, hygienic compost, which was rich in organic matter and nutrients and had a low metal content, was obtained. Tests for maturity, hygiene, and phytotoxicity, along with a detailed physical and chemical characterization, showed that this compost can be used as an organic amendment and/or growth substrate for use in ecological agriculture. The only limiting feature was the high salinity, which could easily be lowered prior to composting the material.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Xunta de Galicia for funding this study (Projects PGIDT05TAM097E and 09MRU016291PR) and for the postgraduate grant awarded to Marta Illera-Vives. They also thank Pescados Rubén S.L. for supplying some of the materials used to produce the composts and for their helpful collaboration throughout the project. Finally, the authors thank the laboratory technician Rafael Corral Bellas for his meticulous laboratory assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biodiversidad Agraria y Desarrollo Rural (IBADER), Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, 27002, Lugo, Spain

    M. Illera-Vives & M. E. López-Mosquera

  2. Dpto. de Edafología y Química Agrícola, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad Santiago de Compostela, 27002, Lugo, Spain

    S. Seoane Labandeira

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  1. M. Illera-Vives
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  2. S. Seoane Labandeira
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  3. M. E. López-Mosquera
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Correspondence to M. Illera-Vives.

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Illera-Vives, M., Seoane Labandeira, S. & López-Mosquera, M.E. Production of compost from marine waste: evaluation of the product for use in ecological agriculture. J Appl Phycol 25, 1395–1403 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-9997-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-013-9997-3

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