Abstract
The aim of this research was to characterize six organic solid digestates in order to discuss their potential direct agricultural utilisation or their further valorization through an aerobic post-treatment. The studied digestates came from four different sources: waste water treatment sludge, food-processing wastes, agricultural solid wastes and source-selected organic fraction of municipal solid wastes. Physico-chemical, biochemical and biological characteristics showed that a direct use of digestates and application on land as soil amendment or fertilizer is not recommended according to current standards. A post-treatment appeared thus to be necessary in order to obtain commercial amendments or fertilizers. A composting post-treatment of these digestates would assure their full biological stabilization as these organic residues still contain residual biodegradability and present sometimes phyto-toxic risks. The prediction of operational parameters showed that the composting post-treatment of these digestates will probably lead to a limited rise in temperature, require moderate aeration supply and last less than a typical composting treatment of organic wastes.
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Abbreviations
- AD:
-
Anaerobic digestion
- ADF:
-
Acid detergent fiber
- ADL:
-
Acid detergent lignin
- AW:
-
Agricultural wastes
- CEC:
-
Cation exchange capacity
- CEL:
-
Cellulose fraction
- C/N:
-
Ratio between carbon and nitrogen
- COD:
-
Chemical oxygen demand
- Csol :
-
Carbon soluble content
- CV:
-
Coefficient of variation
- ∆Tmax :
-
Maximum rise of temperature in 300l composting pilot-scale
- DM:
-
Dry matter
- DRI:
-
Dynamic respirometric index
- eBF:
-
Easily biodegradable fraction
- FPW:
-
Food processing wastes
- GI:
-
Germination index
- HEMI:
-
Hemicellulose fraction
- I.E:
-
Inhabitant equivalent
- kO2 :
-
Slope of oxygen consumption curve
- LIGN:
-
Lignin content
- NDL:
-
Neutral detergent fiber
- NH4 + :
-
Ammonium content
- Norga :
-
Organic nitrogen content
- O2 :
-
Total oxygen consumption
- OM:
-
Organic matter
- OUR:
-
Oxygen uptake rate
- Qmin :
-
Minimum air flow rate required
- Qtot :
-
Global need in aeration supply
- RBP:
-
Residual biodegradable potential
- SOLU:
-
Soluble fraction
- SS-OFMSW:
-
Source selected organic fraction of municipal solid wastes
- TC:
-
Total carbon content
- TKN:
-
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen content
- TN:
-
Total nitrogen content
- tstab :
-
Time required for biological stabilization
- TP:
-
Total phosphorous content
- VFA:
-
Volatile fatty acids
- WWTS:
-
Waste water treatment sludge
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Acknowledgments
This research was project funded by the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) and Suez-Environment and carried out in Cemagref research centre in Rennes (Brittany, France).
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Teglia, C., Tremier, A. & Martel, JL. Characterization of Solid Digestates: Part 2, Assessment of the Quality and Suitability for Composting of Six Digested Products. Waste Biomass Valor 2, 113–126 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-010-9059-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-010-9059-x