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No description available.

The initial focus of this research was to establish various trends in green waste production for example variation in source and treatment of green waste. A comprehensive overview of the current green waste cycle was undertaken via a questionnaire titled 'Management of Green Waste'. From the producers of composted green material identified in the survey, fifteen sources agreed to participate within a study reviewing best practise leading to the production of material suitable for inclusion in growing media. Due to increasing external pressures, the use of composted green waste as a potential alternative or diluent in growing media is being considered. If composted green material was to be used in the retail and professional markets, storage is of paramount importance. However very little information is available on the effects of storage on composted green material. Therefore the next step in this research was to conduct growth/storage trials using varying percentages of composted green material mixed with peat. The mixtures used in the trial were split, half of the material was stored in a 10˚C constant temperature room, and the other half was stored in green house conditions. From the results gained in the peat-reduced growth and storage trials it was evident that some composted green materials could be a good diluent materials for peat based growing media if the feed stock and production method were monitored. Parameters such as the bulk density and conductivity may be an issue if this material was to be used as the sole component, however by the addition of other material for example bark, these materials could act as a diluents for these parameters enabling a higher inclusion rate of composted green material. In view of demand for peat free growing media, allied to the production of composted green material, the next step in this research was to conduct a peat free growth and storage trial, using material such as bark that could eliminate some of the issues such as bulk density associated with the use of composted green material. From the twelve month growth/storage trial, one sample was identified and used in a peat-free trial. Mixtures were prepared at 0, 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50% by volume other alternative materials to peat i.e. composted pine bark, composted bark, and wood waste i.e. chipboard soaked in urea formaldehyde. By comparing the peat-reduced and the peat-free mixtures containing composted green material, the peat-free mixtures appear to be a superior product compared to the peat-reduced mixtures. By the addition of composted bark, composted pine bark and wood waste in varying quantity combined with the composted green material, the average values taken from the six month trial indicated that; the bulk density was reduced which would have a large implication on transportation cost, the organic matter content was increased with the corresponding decrease in ash content, improving the structure of the material and the cation-exchange capacity. The concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, all increased which in turn increased the electrical conductivity: this could reduce the need for the addition of fertilisers, reducing production costs.

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No description available.

The EU landfill directive has imposed a challenging set of targets for the UK to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. This has resulted in an increased realisation that wastes can be recycled and reprocessed into valuable products. One such area that is undergoing significant development is the composting of biodegradable waste products. The primary or secondary treatment of wastes by earthworms (vermicomposting) has been proposed as a mechanism to enhance the commercial value of composts. The commercialization of these technologies, however, requires the development of stable markets and consumer confidence in the end products. Currently, in the scientific literature, there are several reports that vermicomposts enhance plant growth; however the mechanism for this enhancement is poorly understood. The first experimental chapter of this thesis presents data from an experiment into the in-vessel co-composting of Green Wastes (GW), Green waste with Paper Pulp (GW/PP), and Green waste with Biosolids (GW/SS) using Ecopod® composting process. It aimed to determine whether compost chemistry and end-use was affected by feedstock quality. Consequently, three feedstock were made by mixing green waste with paper pulp or biosolids (paper I). Vermicomposts were subsequently produced from the three Ecopod® composts. In three separate plant growth trials the presence of vermicompost significantly affected plant growth. However, not all plant species responded in the positive manner previously reported (paper II). In cereal growth, substituting inorganic fertiliser with vermicompost did not decrease yield as long as some inorganic fertiliser was present in the feeding regime. This is true for wheat and maize (paper III, appendix 2). Similarly silage grass responded much better to applications of vermicompost than to conventional composts applied at the same rate (appendix 2). Tomatoes grown in commercial growth media substituted with vermicompost did not respond in the same way as reported in previous studies; no significant yield increases were observed. Few studies report on the effect of growing medium/ fertilising regime on vitamin content of foods. With increasing interest in organic food production systems in particular, it is becoming increasingly important that we understand the effects that growing conditions have on the nutritional properties of foods. In this case there was no effect of growing medium on ascorbic acid (vitamin C) content of tomatoes (paper IV). The final chapter (paper V) was a collaborative work with A. P. Williams and investigates the effect of earthworm digestion on the survival and proliferation of E. coli 0157 in composts and soil. Litter dwelling earthworms (e. g. Dendrobaena veneta) significantly aided the lateral movement of E. coli 0157 within compost. Our results imply that whilst long-term persistence of E. coli 0157 in soil and compost may be unaffected by the presence of earthworms, digestion from worms may aid proliferation of the pathogen during initial stages of soil or compost contamination. In summary, this thesis shows that feedstock can be used to manipulate compost product quality. After vermicomposting the plant growth response is often species specific. Our failure to replicate US studies suggests that vermicompost production methods and process management may also affect end product quality. This will hinder commercialisation of the technology. Significant further work is required to identify the method by which plant growth enhancement is facilitated by vermicomposts and to what extent this is specific to a particular vermicompost production method.

The landfilling of biodegradable waste is proven to contribute to environmental degradation. Compost use in agriculture is increasing as both an alternative to landfilling for the management of biodegradable waste, as well as means of increasing or preserving soil organic matter. This research aimed to contribute to the identification of a system for managing the utilization of vegetable waste (agricultural plant-tissue waste) and biowaste (source-separated biodegradable municipal solid waste) composts for sustainable agriculture, with particular regards to nitrogen availability and leaching.

L'appauvrissement des sols et les changements climatiques réduisent de nos jours les rendements des récoltes en Afrique de l’Ouest. En guise de solution, l’amendement des sols à base de composts est souvent envisagé. Dans cette étude, cinq composts ont été élaborés à partir de deux types de déchets (urbains et de restauration) du fumier et du phosphate: les composts C1 (déchets d'ordures ménagères + restauration), C2 (C1 + fumier), C3 (C1 + phosphate naturel), C4 (C1 + fumier + phosphate naturel) et C5 (déchets de restauration). Ces composts sont d'abord caractérisés puis leurs effets étudiés sur un sol pauvre et sur deux cultures (le maïs et la tomate) sous serre et au champ sous deux régimes hydriques afin d’identifier ceux pouvant améliorer la résistance des deux plantes à une baisse de régime hydrique, appliquée pendant la phase préflorale. Les résultats montrent que les composts C3, C4 et C5 présentent des teneurs élevées en phosphore, en moyenne 1,62%, contre 0,09% pour le compost C1. Les composts C3 et C4 présentent les plus fortes teneurs en calcium, en moyenne 3,9 %, contre 1,2% pour le compost C1 tandis que les composts C4 et C1 se sont révélés plus hydrophobes que tous les autres composts. Les plantes de maïs cultivées sous irrigation permanente sur les sols amendés avec les composts C4 et C5 sous serre ont montré des teneurs en azote et en potassium élevées, respectivement 2,55% et 6,69% contre 1,33% et 3,97% pour les plantes témoins et celles cultivées avec l'engrais chimique. La réduction du régime hydrique entraîne une élévation des teneurs en potassium et en calcium chez les plantes cultivées sur les 5 composts comparées aux plantes témoins. Au champ, sous régime hydrique réduit, les composts C4 et C5 sont ceux qui ont permis aux plantes de maïs de maintenir des niveaux de paramètres physiologiques (faible perméabilité membranaire et un taux de chlorophylle totale élevé) comparés à ceux des plantes normalement irriguées. Ces 2 composts ont aussi permis de conserver les rendements en grains chez les plantes partiellement privées d'eau (5,52t/ha et 6,72t/ha pour C4 et C5) comparées à celles normalement arrosées (5,65t/ha et 5,09t/ha pour C4 et C5). Les plantes de la tomate cultivées avec le compost C3 ont enregistré sous le régime hydrique réduit, une augmentation du poids des fruits par plant comparé à celles arrosées normalement (95,93g contre 44,29g) tandis que dans les mêmes conditions, le compost C5 s'est révélé plus performant en terme d’augmentation du nombre de fruit par plant (7,39 contre 4,26). Ces données indiquent que les composts C3, C4 et C5 sont les plus performants et pourraient être retenus dans les programmes de vulgarisation des 2 plantes dans le contexte actuel des changements climatiques en vue d'un développement durable. / Soil nutrient depletion and water deficit as a result of seasons’ disruption are major factors adversely affecting crop yields in West Africa. To remedy this, the amendment of compost-based soil is often considered. In this study, Five composts were elaborated using household waste and agri-food waste, manure and phosphate: composts C1 (household waste + agri-food waste), C2 (C1 + manure), C3 (C1 + natural phosphate), C4 (C1 + manure + natural phosphate) and C5 (agri-food waste). These composts were first characterized and their effects on an acidic soil and on two crops (corn and tomato) were then investigated in greenhouse and field under two water regimes in the goal to identify the best's ones in improving resistance of the two crops to watering reducing, applied prior flowering. The results showed for C4 and C5 high contents of phosphorus, about 1.62% compared to 0.09% for the C1 compost. Composts C3 and C4 showed the highest levels of calcium, about 3.9% compared to 1.2% for the C1 compost while composts C4 and C1 were more hydrophobic than all other composts. Plants of corn grown under constant irrigation on soil amended with compost C4 and C5 in greenhouse showed high nitrogen and potassium contents, respectively 2.55% and 6.69% compared to 1.33% and 3.97 % of the control plants and those grown on synthetic fertilizers. Under reduced watering, we recorded higher potassium and calcium contents in plants grown on all of the five composts compared to control plants. In field, under reduced watering, composts C4 and C5 were those leading corn plants to maintain physiological parameters levels (low cell membrane permeability and high total chlorophyll) compared to well –watered plants. We also recorded for both composts the same grain yields in plants submitted to two water regimes, respectively 5.52t/ha and 6.72t/ha for C4 and C5 in well-watered plants and 5.65t/ha and 5.09t/ha for C4 and C5 in plants grown under low water regime. In tomato, an increased weight of fruit per plant was recorded in C3 compost plants under reduced-watering compared to those well-watered (95.93g compared to 44.29g) while in the same conditions, the compost C5 was the best for the number of fruits per plant (7.39 against 4.26). These data indicated that the three composts C3, C4 and C5 were the most efficient in this study and may be retained in adaptation programs of two crops to climate change for a sustainable development.

Le recyclage des résidus organiques sur les sols cultivés d'un territoire pourrait-il rendre possible la substitution au moins partielle des engrais azotés dans la conduite des cultures ? Cette question a été traitée dans le cas de la conduite des grandes cultures dans une zone périurbaine caractérisée par une forte diversité de résidus organiques. Le territoire étudié est la "Plaine de Versailles et le Plateau des Alluets" (PVPA), situé en Ile de France, à l'ouest de Versailles. Il représente 178km2 dont 9900ha cultivés par 82 agriculteurs dont 60 en grande culture. Il y a peu d'élevage dans la région d'étude et les sols les plus fréquents sont les luvisols et cambisols. Dans ce territoire on a mis au point une démarche d'analyse des substitutions possibles des fertilisants chimiques par des PRO (produits résiduaires organiques) qui comprend plusieurs étapes. Tout d'abord un inventaire de tous les PRO disponibles ou potentiellement disponibles sur le territoire a été réalisé et tous les PRO ont été échantillonnés et caractérisés sur un plan physicochimique : en particulier, la disponibilité du N a été évaluée via la minéralisation potentielle de l'azote organique dans des conditions contrôlées au laboratoire (norme française XPU 44-163). Les résidus organiques du territoire ont été classés en (i) PRO « amendants » (26320 tonnes de matière sèche et 442 tonnes de Ntot) caractérisés par une matière organique stabilisée, ayant un potentiel important d'entretien et d'augmentation des teneurs en matière organique des sols et (ii) les PRO « fertilisants » ayant une forte disponibilité de N (5686 tonnes de matières sèches et 361 tonnes de Ntot). Parmi les PRO recensés, les boues de stations d'épuration (séchées et chaulées), un produit commercial correspondant à un lisier de porc en provenance de Bretagne et les fientes de volailles sont les PRO ayant les valeurs fertilisantes les plus intéressantes. Des PRO à forte valeur amendante ont aussi été recensés, dont des fumiers de chevaux compostés ou non et des composts de déchets verts.[...] Suite et fin du résumé dans la thèse. / Did the recyling of organic residues of a territory on cultivated soils could make possible, at least, partial substitution of nitrogen fertilizers in crop management? This issue was treated in the case of cereal crops in a suburban area characterized by a high diversity of organic residues. The study area is the “Plaine de Versailles and the Plateau Alluets”, located in Ile de France, west of Versailles. The total surface is about 178km2 including 9900ha cultivated by 82 farmers from which 60 cultivate cereals. The animal breeding is scarce in the study area and the most common soils are Cambisols and Luvisols. We tried to develop an approach for analyzing possible substitutions of chemical fertilizers by OWP (organic waste products) use. This approach involves several steps. First an inventory of the entire OWP available or potentially available in the territory has been achieved and all OWP were sampled and characterized: in particular, the availability of N was evaluated using the potential mineralization of the organic nitrogen under controlled conditions in the laboratory (French standard XPU 44-163). Organic residues territory were classified into (i) "organic amendments" (26320 tons of dry matter and 442 tons of total N) characterized by a stabilized organic matter, with significant potential maintenance and increasing levels of soil organic matter and (ii) "organic fertilizers" with a high availability of N (5686 tons of dry matter and 361 tons of total N) . Among the identified OWP, sludge from sewage treatment (dried and limed), and a commercial product corresponding to dried pig slurry from Britain and poultry manure are OWP with the most interesting fertilizing values. Organic amendments with high stabilized organic matter value were also identified, including composted or not horse manure, and green waste compost. Last and final summary in the thesis.

La variété des pratiques de compostage et les différences de nature des substrats modifient la vitesse de dégradation de la matière organique (MO), la qualité finale du compost produit et la part d'émissions sous forme de polluants gazeux. L'optimisation du procédé nécessite la prédiction de ces transformations ou la réalisation d'essais empiriques. Cette thèse analyse les interactions entre les processus biologiques, biochimiques, physico-chimiques et thermodynamiques majeurs à l'origine de la stabilisation de la MO et des émissions gazeuses de CO2, H2O, NH3, N2O. Elle se focalise sur le compostage par aération passive en andain d'effluents d'élevage. La méthode s'appuie sur la modélisation dynamique et des expérimentations. L'impact des interactions entre la biodégradabilité du carbone, la disponibilité de l'azote, l'humidité et la porosité, sur la cinétique et la stœchiométrie des émissions gazeuses est analysé à partir d’observations en conditions contrôlées et sur une plateforme de compostage. Les écarts de répétabilité faibles en conditions contrôlées deviennent élevés en conditions de reproductibilité sur le terrain. Un modèle dynamique de compostage a été développé simulant la stabilisation de la MO et les émissions de CO2, H2O, NH3, N2O. Il est composé de quatre modules simulant les cinétiques d'oxydation de la MO par une population microbienne, les échanges thermiques et l'aération passive, le transfert d'oxygène, les transformations de l'azote. Lors de la phase thermophile, le facteur limitant le plus rapidement l'organisation de la MO est la disponibilité de l'azote. L'abaissement de la porosité entraîne une diminution des pertes gazeuses par l'augmentation de l'organisation de la MO. Le fractionnement initial de la MO ainsi que la teneur initiale en biomasse microbienne sont les facteurs clés pour prédire les cinétiques d'organisation de la MO. La calibration des paramètres d’initialisation du modèle reste à améliorer / The variety of the practices and the differences in nature of the substrates modify the kinetics of degradation of organic matter (OM), the final quality of the produced compost and the fraction emitted as gaseous pollutants. To optimize the composting process, it is required to predict these transformations or to do some empirical test. This thesis analyzes the interactions between the main biological, biochemical, physicochemical and thermodynamic processes which explain the OM stabilization and the gaseous emissions of CO2, H2O, NH3, N2O. Focus is done on windrow composting with passive aeration. The method is based on dynamic semi-empirical modeling of the process and experimentations. The impact of the interactions between bioavailability of carbon and nitrogen, moisture and porosity, on the kinetics and the stoechiometry of the gaseous emissions is analyzed with data gathered in controlled conditions and on a commercial composting plant. The repeatability differences are small in controlled conditions but higher in field conditions. A dynamic model of composting was developed simulating the stabilization of OM as well as the emissions of CO2, H2O, NH3, N2O. This model is composed of four coupled modules which simulate the kinetics of oxidation of OM by a heterotrophic microbial population, the heat transfers leading to the passive aeration, the transfer of oxygen, the transformations of nitrogen. During the thermopilic phase, the first factor limiting the organization of OM is the availability of nitrogen. The decrease in porosity induces a reduction in the gas losses through the increase in the organization of OM. The initial OM fractionation and the initial microbial biomass are the key factors to predict the kinetics of organization of OM. The calibration of the specific parameters used for model initialization needs a further implementation