This study focuses on how children reason about compost and composting in connection with their participation in a longer project that focused on sustainable development. The aim of the study is to learn more about children’s reasoning and how this can contribute to us as preschool teachers being able to develop science education in preschool. In this study, I have based my study as the children’s lifeworld in preschool and what it offers the children. The choice of method has been focusgroup interviews with the children and informal conversations with the teachers concerned. The result show that the children have knowledge about compost and composting, it could be read in the result that they described what happened in a compost and how worms work. The children did not have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the scientific concepts. The teachers used simpler concepts that the children were already familiar with so that the children would understand what happens in the compost. The conclusion shows how important it is that educators acquire increased knowledge and use scientific concepts to give the children the opportunity to develop understanding and knowledge of what the teaching is about. / Denna studie fokuserar på hur barn resonerar kring kompost och kompostering i samband med att de deltagit i ett längre projekt som fokuserat hållbar utveckling. Målet med studien är att lära mer om barns resonemang och hur detta kan bidra till att vi som förskollärare kan utveckla naturvetenskaplig undervisning i förskolan. I denna studie har jag utgått från förskolan som barnens livsvärld och vad den erbjuder barnen i form av möjligheter att genom delaktighet utveckla begrepp och kunskaper inom naturvetenskap med fokus på kompost och kompostering. Metodvalet har varit fokusgruppsintervjuer med barnen för att höra deras resonemang om kompostering. Informellt samtal med de berörda pedagogerna för att jag ville höra hur de hade planerat undervisningen.Resultatet visar att barnen har kunskaper om kompost och kompostering, det kunde utläsas i resultatet att de beskrev vad som hände i en kompost och hur maskar arbetar. Barnen hade inte fått möjlighet att utveckla förståelse för de naturvetenskapliga begreppen. Pedagogerna använde sig av lättare begrepp som barnen redan var bekanta med för att barnen skulle förstå vad som hände i komposten. I slutsatsen framkommer det hur viktigt det är att pedagoger skaffar sig ökade kunskap och använder naturvetenskapliga begrepp för att ge barnen möjlighet att utveckla begrepp, förståelse och kunskaper om naturvetenskap

Understanding the fundamentals of composting science from a pragmatic perspective of necessity involves mixtures of different sizes and types of particles in constantly changing environmental conditions, in particular temperature. The complexity of composting is affected by this environmental variation. With so much "noise" in the system, a question arises as to the need to understand the detail of this complexity as understanding any part of composting with more precision than this level of noise is not likely to result in greater understanding of the system. Yet some compost piles generate offensive odours while others don‟t and science should be able to explain this difference. A driver for this research was greater understanding of potential odour, which is assumed to arise from the anaerobic core of a composting particle. It follows that the size of this anaerobic core could be used as an indicator of odour potential. A first step in this understanding is the need to determine which parts of a composting particle are aerobic, from which the anaerobic proportion can be determined by difference. To this end, this thesis uses a finite volume method of analysis to determine the distribution of oxygen at sub-particle scales. Diffusion laws were used to determine the thickness of each finite volume. The resulting model, called micro-environment analysis, was applied to a composting particle to enable determination of onion ring type volumes of compost (called micro-environments) containing substrates (further subdivided into substrate fractions) whose concentrations could be determined to high precision by the application of first-order degradation kinetics to each of these finite volumes. Determination of the oxygen concentration at a micro-environment's inner boundary was achieved by using the Stępniewski equation. The Stępniewski model was derived originally for application to soil aeration and enables each micro-environment to have its own oxygen uptake rate and diffusion coefficient. This first version of micro-environment analysis was derived from the simpler solution to diffusion laws, based on the assumption of non-diffusible substrate. It was tested against three sets of experimental data with two different substrates: Particle size trials using dog sausage as substrate – where the peak composting rate was successfully predicted, as a function of particle size. Temperature trials using pig faeces and a range of particle sizes – the results showed the potential of micro-environment analysis to identify intriguing temperature effects, in particular, a different temperature effect (Q10) and fraction proportion was indicated for each substrate fraction. Smaller particle sizes, and possibly outward diffusion of substrate confounded a clear experimental signal. Diffusion into a pile trials which showed that the time course of particles deeper in the pile could be predicted by the physics of oxygen distribution. A fully computed prediction would need an added level of computational complexity in micro-environment analysis, arising from there being two intertwined phases, gas phase and substrate (particle) phase. Each phase needs its own micro-environment calculations which can not be done in isolation from each other. Unexplainable parts of the composting time course are likely to be partly explained by the outward diffusion of substrate towards the inward-moving oxygen front. Although the possibility of alternative electron acceptors can not be discounted as a partial explanation. To test the theory, a new experimental reactor was developed using calorimetry. With an absolute sensitivity of 0.132 J hr-1 L-1 and a measurement frequency of 30 minutes, the reactor was able to detect the energy required to humidify the input air, and "see" when composting begins to decline as oxygen is consumed. Optimisation of the aeration pumping frequency using the evidence from the data was strikingly apparent immediately after setting the optimum frequency. Micro-environment analysis provides a framework by which several physical effects can be incorporated into compost science.

The olive oil extraction industry represents a substantial share of the economies of Mediterranean countries but leads to serious environmental problems by producing huge amounts of wastes (by-products) within a short production period. The production rate of olive oil is about 1.4-1.8 million tonnes per year in the Mediterranean, resulting in 30 million m3 of by-products and 20 million tonnes of olive pomace. A small portion of these wastes can be used as raw materials in different industries as they contain valuable natural resources. Greece has about 2300 small-scale, rural, agro-industrial units that extract olive oil. These are generally three-phase systems and their by-products include olive mill residual solids (olive pomace and leaves) and olive mill waste water. Olive mills produce significant quantities of solid wastes with outputs of 0.35 tonnes of olive pomace and 0.05 tonnes of leaves per tonne of olives. The huge quantities of olive pomace and olive leaves produced within the short oil extraction season cause serious management problems in terms of volume and space. The solid wastes (olive pomace and olive leaves) that are produced contain almost 95% organic matter and although they could be highly beneficial to agricultural soils, it has been shown that they also contain toxic compounds and lipid which increase soil hydrophobicity and decrease water retention and infiltration rate. The soils of most Mediterranean countries have low organic matter contents (<1%) which has negative impacts on agriculture. Frequent application of composted organic residues increases soil fertility, mainly by improving aggregate stability and decreasing soil bulk density. Organic amendments play a positive role in climate change abatement by soil carbon sequestration. Recurrent use of composted materials enhances soil organic nitrogen content by up to 90%. To replenish soil organic matter content and promote eco-friendly crop production, the application of olive pomace compost could be a good solution. To examine olive mill solid waste composting, four pilot-scale experiments were carried out to produce good quality compost using three phase olive mill solid waste (olive pomace, OP) and different bulking agents such as rice husk (RH), olive leaves (OL) sawdust (SD), wood shavings (WS), and chromium treated reed plants (RP). A series of parallel experiments was carried out to examine the effect final compost quality of: (a) initial moisture content, (b) water addition during the composting process, and (c) material ratios, and to also determine the toxicity level in plants and human blood lymphocytes (genotoxicity and cytotoxicity). For each experiment, six trapezoidal bins were used with dimensions 1.26 m long, 0.68 m wide and 0.73 m deep, and a total volume of 0.62 m3. The study was carried out in the facilities of the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Patras, Agrinio, in a closed area to maintain controlled temperature conditions. To monitor the composting process and evaluate compost quality, physicochemical parameters (temperature, moisture content, pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, volatile solids, total organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and water soluble phenols) were measured at different phases. The respirometric test (O2 uptake) was performed to determine compost stability. Experimental results showed that even after short composting periods, the quality of the final product remained high. The final product had excellent physicochemical characteristics (C/N: 12.1–17.5, germination index (GI): 88.32–164.43%, Cr: 8–10 mg/kg dry mass, that fulfill1 EU requirements and can be used as a fertilizer in organic farming. To achieve higher quality of the final product, Olive pomace should be used in higher ratios than the other materials (OL, RH, WS, SD and RP). The amount (volume of humidifying agents) and time (frequency) of moisture addition also played an important role during composting. Based on the experimental results, olive mill wastes can produce a high quality soil amendment which has no phytotoxic, genotoxic or cytotoxic effects. Nevertheless, composting duration and bulking agents and their ratios are crucial factors that determine the quality of the final product. Finally, the revision of EU regulations is proposed to include genotoxic and cytotoxic evaluation of composts that enter the human food chain. A full-scale compost unit was designed based on the experimental results. For a typical small-sized olive mill, processing 30 tonnes of olives per day for a 100-day operation period, a total area of about 850 m2 is needed to compost the mill’s entire annual waste production. / Η βιομηχανία παραγωγής ελαιόλαδου αποτελεί ένα σημαντικό κομμάτι της οικονομίας στις χώρες της Μεσογείου, προκαλώντας ταυτόχρονα σημαντικά περιβαλλοντικά προβλήματα, λόγω της παραγωγής μεγάλων ποσοτήτων αποβλήτων κατά τη σύντομη περίοδο λειτουργίας των ελαιοτριβείων. Η μέση ετήσια παραγωγή ελαιολάδου στην Μεσόγειο κυμαίνεται στους 1.4-1.8 χιλιάδες τόνους, ενώ παράγονται επίσης περίπου 30 χιλιάδες m3 παραπροϊόντων και 20 χιλιάδες τόνους ελαιοπυρήνα. Μόνο ένα μικρό μέρος αυτών των παραπροϊόντων μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί ως πρώτη ύλη σε διάφορες βιομηχανίες. Η Ελλάδα έχει περίπου 2300 ελαιοτριβεία μικρής κλίμακας διασπαρμένα στην ύπαιθρο. Τα ελαιοτριβεία αυτά είναι κυρίως τριφασικά και τα παραπροϊόντα τους συμπεριλαμβάνουν στερεά υπολείμματα (ελαιουρήνας και φύλλα) και υγρά απόβλητα ελαιοτριβείου. Τα ελαιοτριβεία παράγουν σημαντικές ποσότητες στερεών υπολειμμάτων παρέχοντας περίπου 0.35 τόνους ελαιοπυρήνα και 0.05 τόνους φύλλων ανά τόνο ελαιοκάρπου, παρακαλώντας σημαντικά προβλήματα στη διαχείρισης τους. Τα στερεά υπολείμματα (ελαιοπυρήνας και φύλλα) περιέχουν 95% οργανική ύλη, καθιστώντας τα δυνητικά κατάλληλα ως εδαφοβελτιωτικά, καθώς τα εδάφη των περισσότερων Μεσογειακών χωρών έχουν χαμηλή περιεκτικότητα σε οργανική ύλη (<1%) επηρεάζοντας αρνητικά την γεωργία. Τα υπολλείματα αυτά περιέχουν ωστόσο τοξικές ουσίες και έλαια, τα οποία αυξάνουν την υδροφοβικότητα του εδάφους και μειώνουν την κατακράτηση του νερού και την ρυθμό διήθησης. Έχει αποδειχθεί ότι συχνές εφαρμογές κομποστοποιημένων οργανικών υπολειμμάτων αυξάνουν την γονιμότητα του εδάφους, αυξάνοντας κυρίως τη συνολική σταθερότητα και την πυκνότητα του εδάφους. Η συχνή χρήση κομποστοποιημένων υλικών βελτιώνει την περιεκτικότητα των εδαφών σε οργανικό άζωτο του εδάφους έως και 90%. Η κομποστοποίηση ελαιοπυρήνα θα μπορούσε να αποτελέσει μια πιθανή λύση για την αναπλήρωση του περιεχομένου σε οργανική υλη των εδαφών και για την προώθηση μιας οίκοφιλικής αγροτικής παραγωγής. Για να εξεταστεί η κομποστοποιήση στερεών υπολειμμάτων ελαιοτριβείων, διεξήχθησαν 4 πειράματα πιλοτικής κλίμακας για την παραγωγή κομποστ, χρησιμοποιώντας στερεά υπολείμματα τριφασικών ελαιοτριβείων (ελαιοπυρήνας) και διαφόρους διογκωτικούς παράγοντες, όπως φλοιό ρυζιού, φύλλα ελιάς, πριονίδια, ροκανίδια, και καλάμια με υψηλή περιεκτικότητα σε χρώμιο. Σκοπός των παράλληλων πειραμάτων ήταν η εξέταση της επίδρασης στην ποιότητα του τελικού κομπόστ των: (α) αρχικού περιεχόμενου υγρασίας, (β) της προσθήκης νερού κατά την διάρκεια της κομποστοποιήσης, (γ) των ποσοστών ανάμιξης των υλικών, καθώς επίσης και ο προσδιορισμός της φυτοτοξικότητας και της γενοτοξικότητας των τελικών κομπόστ. Σε κάθε πείραμα χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 6 τραπεζοειδή πλαστικά δοχεία διαστάσεων 1.26 m σε μήκος, 0.68 m σε πλάτος και 0.73 m σε ύψος, με ολικό όγκο 0.62 m3. Οι πιλοτικές μονάδες ήταν τοποθετημένες σε κλειστό χώρο του Τμήματος Διαχείρισης Περιβάλλοντος και Φυσικών Πόρων του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών στο Αγρίνιο, ώστε να επικρατούν σταθερές συνθήκες θερμοκρασίας. Η παρακολούθηση της κομποστοποίησης και η εκτίμηση της ποιότητας του κομπόστ, έγινε μέσω του προσδιορισμού διαφόρων φυσικοχημικών παραμέτρων (θερμοκρασία, περιεχόμενο υγρασίας, pH, ηλεκτρική αγωγιμότητα, περιεχόμενη οργανική ύλη, πτητικά στέρεα, ολικός οργανικός άνθρακας, ολικό άζωτο, ολικό φώσφορος, κάλιο, νάτριο, και ολικές φαινόλες). Για την εκτίμηση της ποιότητας του κομποστ πραγματοποιήθηκαν επίσης ρεσπιρομετρικά τεστ (κατανάλωση O2). Τα πειραματικά αποτελέσματα απέδειξαν ότι ακόμα και μετά από σύντομες περιόδους κομποστοποιήσης η ποιότητα του τελικού κομπόστ παρέμενε υψηλή. Το τελικό προϊόν είχε εξαιρετικά φυσικοχημικά χαρακτηριστικά (C/N: 12.1–17.5, δείκτης βλαστικότητας (GI): 88.32–164.43%, Cr: 8–10 mg/kg ξηρής μάζας), τα οποία είναι εντός των νομοθετικών ορίων της ΕΕ για την χρήση λιπασμάτων σε βιολογικές καλλιέργειες. Για την παραγωγή υψηλής ποιότητας κομπόστ ο ελαιοπυρήνας πρέπει να χρησιμοποιείτε σε μεγαλύτερη αναλόγια σε σχέση με τα υπόλοιπα υλικά. Η ποσότητα και η συχνότητα προσθήκης νερού παίζει επίσης σημαντικό ρόλο κατά τη κομοστοποιήση. Με βάση τα πειραματικά αποτελέσματα αποδείχθηκε ότι τα στερεά υπολείμματα ελαιοτριβείων μπορούν να παράξουν ένα υψηλής ποιότητας εδαφοβελτιωτικό, το οποίο δεν εμφανίζει φυτοτοξικότητα, γενοτοξικότητα και κυτταροτοξικότητα. Παρόλο αυτά η διάρκεια της κομποστοποίησης, οι διογκωτικοί παράγοντες και τα ποσοστά ανάμιξης των υλικών είναι κρίσιμοι παράγοντες, που επηρεάζουν την ποιότητα του τελικού προϊόντος. Επίσης αναφέρουμε ότι η νομοθεσία της ΕΕ θα πρέπει να αναθεωρηθεί συμπεριλαμβάνοντας τόσο τη γενοτοξική και την κυτταρτοξική εκτίμηση του κομπόστ πριν χρησιμοποιηθεί για βρώσιμες καλλιέργειες. Τέλος με βάση τα πειραματικά αποτελέσματα διαστασιολοήθηκε μια μονάδα πλήρους κλίμακας για την κομποστοποίηση στερεών υπολειμμάτων ελαιοτριβείου. Έτσι για ένα τυπικό μικρής κλίμακας ελαιοτριβείο, που επεξεργάζεται ημερησίως 30 τόνους ελιών και για περίοδο κομποστοποίησης 100 ημερών, χρειάζεται μια συνολική έκταση περίπου 850 m2 για τη κομπστοποίηση όλης της ετησίας ποσότητας του ελαιοπυρήνα.

Τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες η συνεχώς αυξανόμενη παγκόσμια δραστηριότητα, λόγω της έντονης αστικοποίησης και βιομηχανοποίησης, έχει σαν αποτέλεσμα την παραγωγή σημαντικών ποσοτήτων αποβλήτων. Μεταξύ αυτών είναι και η ιλύς, δηλαδή το ημιστερεό υπόλειμμα που παράγεται από τις μονάδες επεξεργασίας αστικών και βιομηχανικών αποβλήτων. Μολονότι η ιλύς αντιμετωπίζεται ως απόβλητο που πρέπει να διατεθεί, είναι στην πραγματικότητα ένας σοβαρά υποτιμημένος πόρος. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, η ιλύς διαθέτει πολύτιμα θρεπτικά συστατικά, ενώ παράλληλα έχει και υψηλή θερμική αξία, ιδιότητες που την καθιστούν κατάλληλη για ένα μεγάλο εύρος χρήσεων. Ωστόσο, η ιλύς είναι φορέας ρύπων, όπως οι παθογόνοι μικροοργανισμοί και οι ξενοβιοτικές ουσίες, η ύπαρξη των οποίων βρίσκεται στο επίκεντρο των ενδιαφερόντων των ερευνητών. Ανάμεσα στις διάφορες διεργασίες που έχουν εφαρμοσθεί μέχρι σήμερα τόσο για την επεξεργασία της ιλύος, όσο και για την απομάκρυνση των ξενοβιοτικών παραγόντων από το περιβάλλον, οι βιολογικές διεργασίες φαίνεται να υπερτερούν αισθητά έναντι των άλλων. Στόχος της παρούσας διατριβής ήταν η εφαρμογή μιας βιολογικής μεθόδου, της βιοσταθεροποίησης, για την επεξεργασία της ιλύος. Η ολοκλήρωση της μελέτης της βιοσταθεροποίησης έγινε με την ανάπτυξη ενός μαθηματικού μοντέλου ικανό να περιγράφει τη διεργασία. Παράλληλα, ερευνήθηκε η δυναμικότητα της διεργασίας αυτής στη βιοαποκατάσταση της ιλύος από το ξενοβιοτικό περιεχόμενό της. Επιπρόσθετα, μελετήθηκε η απομάκρυνση των ξενοβιοτικών ουσιών, μέσω της βιοαποδόμησής τους από αυτόχθονες μικροβιακούς πληθυσμούς της ιλύος, σε άλλα αερόβια περιβάλλοντα. Η εφαρμογή της διεργασίας της βιοσταθεροποίησης πραγματοποιήθηκε σε κατάλληλη πειραματική διάταξη που σχεδιάστηκε και υλοποιήθηκε για το σκοπό αυτό. Η διάταξη αυτή επέτρεπε τον πλήρη έλεγχο και τη σωστή ρύθμιση της διεργασίας. Η ολοκλήρωση των πειραμάτων της λιπασματοποίησης έδειξε ότι η διεργασία αυτή μπορεί να εφαρμοσθεί ως μέθοδος επεξεργασίας και σταθεροποίησης της ιλύος, αρκεί να ρυθμιστούν κατάλληλα καθοριστικές φυσικές και χημικές παράμετροι. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν, επίσης, ότι η διεργασία δεν παρεμποδίζεται από την παρουσία υψηλών αρχικών συγκεντρώσεων ξενοβιοτικών ουσιών στην ιλύ, ενώ αντίθετα οδηγεί στην απομάκρυνσή τους. Τα ποσοστά απομάκρυνσης ήταν ιδιαίτερα υψηλά προκειμένου για τις επιφανειοδραστικές ενώσεις και αρκετά σημαντικά για το φθαλικό εστέρα και τους πολυκυκλικούς αρωματικούς υδρογονάνθρακες. Φαίνεται, λοιπόν, ο πολυποίκιλος μικροβιακός πληθυσμός της βιοσταθεροποίησης να συμβάλλει στην ουσιαστική, αν όχι πλήρη, απομάκρυνση των ξενοβιοτικών ουσιών κατά τη διάρκεια της διεργασίας και να οδηγεί στην παραγωγή σταθερού και ασφαλούς τελικού προϊόντος. Ωστόσο, υψηλά ποσοστά απομάκρυνσης των παραπάνω ξενοβιοτικών ουσιών κατέδειξαν και τα πειράματα που πραγματοποιήθηκαν σε αερόβιες υγρές μικτές καλλιέργειες. Ενδεχομένως, η μικροβιακή συνεργασία να παίζει τον καθοριστικό ρόλο στη βιοαποδόμηση αυτών των ουσιών. Η παρούσα μελέτη θα μπορούσε να συνεισφέρει αποτελεσματικά στην ανάπτυξη μιας αξιόπιστης μεθόδου για τη διαχείριση της ιλύος. Συνολικά, η λιπασματοποίηση μπορεί να αποδειχθεί ένα χρήσιμο εργαλείο για την επιθυμητή βιώσιμη ανάπτυξη της κοινωνίας μας, αφού αφ’ ενός μπορεί να συμβάλλει στη λύση του περιβαλλοντικού προβλήματος της διαχείρισης της ιλύος που παράγεται από τις εγκαταστάσεις επεξεργασίας λυμάτων, που την απασχολεί έντονα, και αφ’ ετέρου μπορεί να εξουδετερώσει το παθογόνο περιεχόμενο και να εξαλείψει τις τοξικές ξενοβιοτικές ουσίες. / The continuously increased human activity of the last few decades, because of the intense urbanization and industrialization, has resulted in the production of a serious amount of wastes. Among these is sewage sludge, which is the semi-solid residue produced by municipal and industrial waste treatment plants. Although sludge is considered as a waste product which must be disposed, it is actually an underestimated resource. Specifically, sludge contains valuable nutrients and high thermal value making sludge appropriate for a wide range of uses. Nevertheless, the existence of pathogens and xenobiotics in sludge has attracted the interest of scientific community. Among various methods that have been used for sludge treatment, as well as the removal of xenobiotics from environmental systems, biological methods are advantageous. The aim of the present work was to assess the sewage sludge treatment by a biological process, which is closed-vessel composting. This study involved also the development of a mathematical model capable of describing the composting process. The efficiency of bioremediation of xenobiotics content during sludge composting was also studied. Finally, the xenobiotics removal was investigated through biodegradation using sludge indigenous microbial populations in other aerobic environments. A suitable experimental configuration was designed and constructed in order to study the composting process. The composting system was designed for complete control and regulation of the process. Based on the results of the composting experiments, it can be concluded that composting is an efficient method allowing for treating and stabilization of sewage sludge, provided that critical physicochemical parameters are adjusted. Results revealed also that composting process is not inhibited by the presence of high initial concentration of xenobiotics. On the contrary, composting results in removal of xenobiotics. With reference to surfactants (LAS.NP and NPEO), the removal percentages were particularly high, while the relevant percentages for phthalate ester and polycyclic aromatics hydrocarbons were also significant. It seems, then, that the variable microbial population of the composting mixture contributes to the elimination of xenobiotic compounds and results in a safe and stable final product. The experiments which were conducted in aerobic mixed liquid cultures showed also high xenobiotic removal percentages. Probably, the microbial consortium could play a significant part in biodegradation of xenobiotic compounds. The present study contributes to the development of a reliable method of sewage sludge treatment. The composting process, totally complies with the desirable sustainable growth for our society by the treatment of sludge produced in waste water treatment plants and by the elimination of the xenobiotic compounds that limit its valorisation.

Abstract AJ The goal of this thesis is to thoroughly chart the problem of waste management in Czech Republic and the European Union and to outline legal and economic situation in waste treatment and in its alternatives. This thesis deals with different types of landfills, their technical aspects and methods of depositing waste. The thesis also tries to point out material and energetic use of waste before landfilling. Recycling is considered to be important because it decreases the amount of waste stored in landfills. Composting and anaerobic digestion are the other methods of disposal. The thesis also describes the possibilities of usage of the landfill gasses with the help of cogeneration units. The thesis refers to current level of waste landfilling in the Czech Republic and in other countries of the European Union. Key words: waste management, landfilling, landfills, waste sorting, material recovery from waste, recycling, composting, energy recovery from waste, incineration,

A indústria sucroenérgetica gera grande quantidade de resíduos, sendo a torta de filtro e as cinzas os principais resíduos sólidos. Uma das tecnologias desenvolvidas para o manejo destes resíduos é a compostagem. A aplicação do composto tem mostrado efeitos positivos na cultura da cana-de-açúcar no que diz respeito à fertilização fosfatada. Os objetivos do presente trabalho foram: I. Observar o comportamento das comunidades bacterianas durante a compostagem e o efeito da inoculação de estirpes bacterianas mobilizadoras de fósforo sobre a disponibilidade de fósforo no composto final; II. Avaliar o efeito da aplicação de diferentes fontes de P e de bactérias mobilizadoras de fósforo no desenvolvimento de plantas de cana-de-açúcar e o efeito sobre as comunidades bacterianas do solo. Nesse sentido, pilhas de compostagem foram instaladas na Usina São José da Estiva em Novo Horizonte, SP. Os tratamentos consistiram de pilhas com e sem rocha fosfática; e pilhas com e sem a inoculação das estirpes Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 e Bacillus sp. BACBR1. Amostragens foram realizadas quinzenalmente durante 60 dias. Adicionalmente determinou-se a atividade enzimática, e parâmetros químicos do composto. A comunidade bacteriana foi acessada por meio da técnica independente de cultivo T-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) e sequenciado por meio da plataforma de nova geração MiSeqTM System (Illumina). Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito do composto e da inoculação de bactérias mobilizadoras de P no desenvolvimento da cana-de-açúcar foi instalado um experimento em casa de vegetação com plantas de cana de açúcar, utilizando-se composto, rocha fosfática e super fosfato triplo como fontes de P, além da inoculação dos seguintes: Inoculante 1: Pseudomonas sp. PSBR10, Azotobacter sp. AZTBR19, Rhizobium sp. RIZBR01; e o Inoculante 2: Bacillus simplex BACBR04, Bacillus sp. BACBR06, Rhizobium sp. RIZBR01. O experimento foi conduzido durante 75 dias. Ao fim do experimento foram analisados os seguintes parâmetros: biomassa seca, acúmulo de P, N, e K na parte aérea, e fosfatases no solo. A estrutura das comunidades bacterianas no solo foram avaliadas por meio do sequenciamento na plataforma Illumina. A aplicação de bactérias mobilizadoras de P durante a compostagem diminuiu o P ligado ao Ca. A mudança nas comunidades bacterianas durante a compostagem foi temporal, no início dominaram membros da ordem Lactobacillales, após 15 dias as ordens Bacillales e Clostridiales passaram a dominar o processo. As comunidades bacterianas são influenciadas principalmente pelos parâmetros pH, temperatura e umidade. Quanto ao experimento em casa de vegetação, o uso dos inoculantes (principalmente o inoculante 2) aumentou o acúmulo de P, N e K na parte aérea nos tratamentos que receberam composto e super fosfato triplo como fonte de P. A aplicação dos inoculantes e a adição do composto modificou a estrutura das comunidades bacterianas do solo; essa alteração quando os inoculantes são aplicados pode estar relacionada com o incremento no acúmulo de nutrientes. O uso de bactérias mobilizadoras de P é uma tecnologia potencial para o uso na agricultura, tanto na compostagem de resíduos da indústria sucroenergética com rocha fosfática, como no aumento da eficiência da fertilização fosfatada na cana-de-açúcar. / Sugarcane industry generates large amounts of waste, filter cake and ashes being the main solid wastes. One of the technologies developed for the management of this waste is composting. The application of compost has shown positive effects on the sugarcane culture with regard to phosphorus fertilization. The objectives of this study are: I. To study the diversity of bacterial communities during composting and the effect of inoculation of phosphorus mobilizing bacterial strains on the phosphorus availability in the final compost; II. To evaluate and compare the effects of the application of different sources of phosphorus and P mobilizing bacteria on the development of sugarcane and the effect on soil bacterial communities. Therefore, compost piles were installed at Usina São José da Estiva in Novo Horizonte, Brazil. Treatments consisted of piles with and without rock phosphate and with and without inoculation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 and Bacillus sp. BACBR1 strains. Samples were taken every two weeks for 60 days. In addition, the enzymatic and chemical composition of the compost was determined. The bacterial community was assessed through T-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) and was sequenced through the new generation platform MiSeqTM System (Illumina). The abundance of bacteria was evaluated by qPCR. In order to evaluate the effect of compost and of inoculating P mobilizing bacteria on sugarcane development, a greenhouse experiment was installed with sugarcane using compost, rock phosphate and triple superphosphate as P sources, besides inoculations, as follows: Inoculant 1: Pseudomonas sp. (PSBR10) Azotobacter sp. (AZTBR19), Rhizobium sp. (RIZBR01); and Inoculant 2: Bacillus simplex (BACBR04), Bacillus sp. (BACBR06), Rhizobium sp. (RIZBR01). The experiment was conducted during 75 days. At the end of the experiment the following parameters were analyzed: dry plant biomass, accumulation of P, N, and K in the shoot, and phosphatases in soil. Bacterial soil communities were sequenced through the new generation Illumina. The application of P mobilizing bacteria during composting decreased the Ca-linked P. Changes of the bacterial communities during composting were temporal. In the beginning, members of the order Lactobacillales were dominant and after 15 days a succession of bacterial communities occurred, when Bacillales and Clostridiales began to dominate. Bacterial communities are mostly influenced by the parameters pH, temperature and humidity. Moreover, in the greenhouse experiment, the use of inoculants (mainly inoculant 2) increased the accumulation of P, N and K in shoots in the treatments that received compost and triple superphosphate as P source. Inoculant application and compost addition modified soil bacterial community structures. Changes in the soil microbiome when inoculant was applied may be related to the increase in nutrients accumulation. The use of P mobilizing bacteria is a potential technology for use in agriculture, when composting waste from the sugarcane industry with rock phosphate or when increasing P fertilization efficiency in sugarcane in the field.

About one third of all edible food is wasted globally each year. This calls for improvements in resource and waste management. An interesting solution for organic waste is fly larvae composting, which both produces protein in the form of larvae and a nutrient rich residue. The larvae can be used as animal feed while the residue can be applied as an organic fertilizer, thus recycling the nutrients. Fly larvae composting with the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens, is relatively new, but there is extensive research on how the treatment is affected by different parameters, e.g. temperature, moisture and type of organic waste that is treated. The role of bacteria has only been the topic of a few studies in recent years but has shown promising positive effects on larval growth. This study investigated the impact of bacteria isolated from BSF eggs on fly larvae composting of food waste by BSF larvae. The study was done in two experimental phases. In phase I, groups of three bacteria were added to each treatment together with the larvae and only single treatments were executed; in phase II triplicates of promising groups of three, two or single bacteria were evaluated. The results of phase I suggested that selected groupings of bacteria could either decrease or increase the bioconversion ratio and in general decrease the reduction ratio of the food waste, while the survival ratio did not seem to be impacted. However, in phase II no significant difference (p&lt;0.05) between the treatments with bacteria and the control were found for any evaluated variables. Interestingly, the variation in resulting bioconversion ratio and reduction ratio (on a VS basis) was found to be reduced when one or more bacteria were present. The coefficient of variation in bioconversion ratio was 9.5% for the control compared to between 2.5% and 6.1% for treatments with bacteria. For the reduction ratio the variation was reduced from 5.6% and to between 0.9% and 4.6% for the bacteria treatments. Hence, seeding with bacteria may improve stability of the process, which is especially interesting when scaling up the process. / Globalt slängs ungefär en tredjedel av all ätbar mat. Därmed finns ett stort behov av säker och hållbar avfallshantering. En intressant lösning för organiskt avfall är fluglarvskompostering, som både producerar protein i form av larver och en näringsrik behandlingsrest. Larverna kan exempelvis användas som djurfoder medan behandlings-resten kan användas som gödselmedel, vilket innebär att näring kan återvinnas. Fluglarvskompostering med amerikansk vapenfluga (BSF), Hermetia illucens, är en relativt ny teknik men det finns redan omfattande forskning på hur olika processparametrar, t.ex. temperatur och vattenhalt, påverkar processen. Bakteriers roll har studerats endast i ett fåtal studier men de indikerar att tillsats av bakterier kan ha en positiv inverkan på larvernas tillväxt. Den här studien har därför undersökt hur tillsats av bakterier isolerade från BSF ägg påverkar fluglarvskompostering av matavfall med BSF larver. Studien gjordes i två experimentella delar. I fas I undersöktes effekten av tillsats av bakteriegrupper om tre bakterier till matavfallet samtidigt med larverna; i fas II utfördes triplikat av lovande bakteriegrupper med tre, två eller enstaka bakterier. Resultaten från fas I indikerade att olika bakteriegrupper antingen kunde höja eller sänka bioomvandlingskvoten och generellt gav en minskning i materialreduktions-kvoten medan överlevnadsgraden inte verkade påverkas i samma utsträckning. I fas II observerades däremot ingen signifikant skillnad (p&lt;0,05) mellan någon av bakteriebehandlingarna och kontrollen för samtliga processvariabler. Variationen i resulterande bioomvandlingskvot och materialreduktionskvot (på VS basis) var dock lägre för bakteriebehandlingarna jämfört med kontrollen. Variationen i bioomvandlings-kvot var 9,5% för kontrollen jämfört med 2,5-6,1% för bakteriebehandlingarna. För materialreduktionskvoten minskade variationen från 5,6% till mellan 0,9% och 4,6%. Detta tyder på att tillsats av bakterier kan förbättra stabiliteten hos fluglarvskompostering, vilket är särskilt intressant vid uppskalning av processen.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-25T12:23:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Angela Carolina de Medeiros.pdf: 816809 bytes, checksum: ac7c00cad843d88070dc5e748e2319ca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-18 / This study had the object of evaluating the influence of the frequency of aeration and the quantity of structural material in the process of co-composting of sludge from house septic tanks with residual organic solids. The research was carried out at the Experimental Station for the Biological Treatment of Sewage (EXTRABES), in the city Campina Grande, Paraiba during the period from August 2008 to July 2009. To mount the experimental system of co-composting sludge was collected from the house septic tanks in the district of Malhada da Roça, in the small town of São João do Cariri, situated in the semi-arid region of the state of Paraiba. The residual organic solids were collected from the Paraiba Company for Food and Agricultural Services (EMPASA), Campina Grande, PB. The experimental system comprised a new treatment of co-composting of sludge from house septic tanks with residual organic solids using a process of turning over, with a frequency of 1, 2 and 3 times per week with proportions of porous material of 4 and 8%. The monitoring period was for 112 days and weekly samples were collected for physic-chemical analysis and parasite counts. The turning frequency did not have a significant effect on the transformation of total volatile solids during the treatment period. The quantity of added structural material directly influenced the efficiency of the transformation of dry mass which was inversely proportional to the percentage of structural material added. The process of co-composting showed efficient removal of helminthes eggs. The compost produced met the legal requirements in relation to the quantities of macronutrients. The efficiency of the co-composting system showed two distinct phases: namely rapid during the first 35 days and a slow subsequent phase. The kinetic constants for biodegradation were determined from adjusted exponential equations, and showed higher values during the rapid phase and values approximately ten times lower during for the slow phase. / O trabalho teve objetivo de avaliar a influência da freqüência de aeração e quantidade de estruturante no processo de co-compostagem de lodo de tanque séptico unifamiliar e resíduos sólidos orgânicos. A pesquisa foi realizada na Estação Experimental de Tratamento Biológico de Esgoto (EXTRABES), na cidade de Campina Grande-PB, durante o período de Agosto de 2008 a Julho de 2009. Para a montagem do sistema experimental de co-compostagem foram coletados lodos de tanques sépticos unifamiliar no distrito de Malhada da Roça, Município de São João do Cariri, localizado no semi-árido paraibano. Os resíduos sólidos orgânicos foram coletados na Empresa Paraibana de Alimentos e Serviços Agrícolas (EMPASA), Campina Grande-PB. O sistema experimental foi constituído de nove tratamentos de co-compostagem de lodo de tanque séptico unifamiliar e resíduos sólidos orgânicos, realizando o processo de reviramento com freqüência de uma, duas e três vezes por semana e percentagem de estruturante de 0, 4 e 8%. O monitoramento do sistema experimental foi realizado durante 112 dias, e semanalmente eram coletadas amostras para realização de análises físico-químicas e parasitológicas. A freqüência de reviramento não apresentou influência significativa na transformação de STV nos tratamentos estudados. O material estruturante influenciou diretamente no processo, de modo que o comportamento da eficiência de transformação de massa seca foi inversamente proporcional ao percentual de estruturante. O processo de cocompostagem mostrou-se eficiente na remoção de ovos de helmintos. O adubo produzido atendeu aos requisitos da legislação, com relação à quantidade de macronutrientes. O desempenho do sistema de co-compostagem permitiu visualizar duas fases distintas: rápida nos primeiros 35 dias e fase lenta nos dias subsequentes. As constantes cinéticas de biodegradação foram determinadas a partir de equações exponenciais ajustadas, apresentando valores maiores na fase rápida, e valor aproximadamente dez vezes menor na fase lenta.

A indústria sucroenérgetica gera grande quantidade de resíduos, sendo a torta de filtro e as cinzas os principais resíduos sólidos. Uma das tecnologias desenvolvidas para o manejo destes resíduos é a compostagem. A aplicação do composto tem mostrado efeitos positivos na cultura da cana-de-açúcar no que diz respeito à fertilização fosfatada. Os objetivos do presente trabalho foram: I. Observar o comportamento das comunidades bacterianas durante a compostagem e o efeito da inoculação de estirpes bacterianas mobilizadoras de fósforo sobre a disponibilidade de fósforo no composto final; II. Avaliar o efeito da aplicação de diferentes fontes de P e de bactérias mobilizadoras de fósforo no desenvolvimento de plantas de cana-de-açúcar e o efeito sobre as comunidades bacterianas do solo. Nesse sentido, pilhas de compostagem foram instaladas na Usina São José da Estiva em Novo Horizonte, SP. Os tratamentos consistiram de pilhas com e sem rocha fosfática; e pilhas com e sem a inoculação das estirpes Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 e Bacillus sp. BACBR1. Amostragens foram realizadas quinzenalmente durante 60 dias. Adicionalmente determinou-se a atividade enzimática, e parâmetros químicos do composto. A comunidade bacteriana foi acessada por meio da técnica independente de cultivo T-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) e sequenciado por meio da plataforma de nova geração MiSeqTM System (Illumina). Com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito do composto e da inoculação de bactérias mobilizadoras de P no desenvolvimento da cana-de-açúcar foi instalado um experimento em casa de vegetação com plantas de cana de açúcar, utilizando-se composto, rocha fosfática e super fosfato triplo como fontes de P, além da inoculação dos seguintes: Inoculante 1: Pseudomonas sp. PSBR10, Azotobacter sp. AZTBR19, Rhizobium sp. RIZBR01; e o Inoculante 2: Bacillus simplex BACBR04, Bacillus sp. BACBR06, Rhizobium sp. RIZBR01. O experimento foi conduzido durante 75 dias. Ao fim do experimento foram analisados os seguintes parâmetros: biomassa seca, acúmulo de P, N, e K na parte aérea, e fosfatases no solo. A estrutura das comunidades bacterianas no solo foram avaliadas por meio do sequenciamento na plataforma Illumina. A aplicação de bactérias mobilizadoras de P durante a compostagem diminuiu o P ligado ao Ca. A mudança nas comunidades bacterianas durante a compostagem foi temporal, no início dominaram membros da ordem Lactobacillales, após 15 dias as ordens Bacillales e Clostridiales passaram a dominar o processo. As comunidades bacterianas são influenciadas principalmente pelos parâmetros pH, temperatura e umidade. Quanto ao experimento em casa de vegetação, o uso dos inoculantes (principalmente o inoculante 2) aumentou o acúmulo de P, N e K na parte aérea nos tratamentos que receberam composto e super fosfato triplo como fonte de P. A aplicação dos inoculantes e a adição do composto modificou a estrutura das comunidades bacterianas do solo; essa alteração quando os inoculantes são aplicados pode estar relacionada com o incremento no acúmulo de nutrientes. O uso de bactérias mobilizadoras de P é uma tecnologia potencial para o uso na agricultura, tanto na compostagem de resíduos da indústria sucroenergética com rocha fosfática, como no aumento da eficiência da fertilização fosfatada na cana-de-açúcar. / Sugarcane industry generates large amounts of waste, filter cake and ashes being the main solid wastes. One of the technologies developed for the management of this waste is composting. The application of compost has shown positive effects on the sugarcane culture with regard to phosphorus fertilization. The objectives of this study are: I. To study the diversity of bacterial communities during composting and the effect of inoculation of phosphorus mobilizing bacterial strains on the phosphorus availability in the final compost; II. To evaluate and compare the effects of the application of different sources of phosphorus and P mobilizing bacteria on the development of sugarcane and the effect on soil bacterial communities. Therefore, compost piles were installed at Usina São José da Estiva in Novo Horizonte, Brazil. Treatments consisted of piles with and without rock phosphate and with and without inoculation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PSBR12 and Bacillus sp. BACBR1 strains. Samples were taken every two weeks for 60 days. In addition, the enzymatic and chemical composition of the compost was determined. The bacterial community was assessed through T-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) and was sequenced through the new generation platform MiSeqTM System (Illumina). The abundance of bacteria was evaluated by qPCR. In order to evaluate the effect of compost and of inoculating P mobilizing bacteria on sugarcane development, a greenhouse experiment was installed with sugarcane using compost, rock phosphate and triple superphosphate as P sources, besides inoculations, as follows: Inoculant 1: Pseudomonas sp. (PSBR10) Azotobacter sp. (AZTBR19), Rhizobium sp. (RIZBR01); and Inoculant 2: Bacillus simplex (BACBR04), Bacillus sp. (BACBR06), Rhizobium sp. (RIZBR01). The experiment was conducted during 75 days. At the end of the experiment the following parameters were analyzed: dry plant biomass, accumulation of P, N, and K in the shoot, and phosphatases in soil. Bacterial soil communities were sequenced through the new generation Illumina. The application of P mobilizing bacteria during composting decreased the Ca-linked P. Changes of the bacterial communities during composting were temporal. In the beginning, members of the order Lactobacillales were dominant and after 15 days a succession of bacterial communities occurred, when Bacillales and Clostridiales began to dominate. Bacterial communities are mostly influenced by the parameters pH, temperature and humidity. Moreover, in the greenhouse experiment, the use of inoculants (mainly inoculant 2) increased the accumulation of P, N and K in shoots in the treatments that received compost and triple superphosphate as P source. Inoculant application and compost addition modified soil bacterial community structures. Changes in the soil microbiome when inoculant was applied may be related to the increase in nutrients accumulation. The use of P mobilizing bacteria is a potential technology for use in agriculture, when composting waste from the sugarcane industry with rock phosphate or when increasing P fertilization efficiency in sugarcane in the field.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-12T14:47:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TESE_ FRANCIELI .pdf: 3210488 bytes, checksum: 139233665a2fb9191412af6ecba0f292 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-02-06 / The composting process has been used as the main way to stabilize agro-industrial waste from the broiler production chain. These wastes are generated in the run-fattening stage and during the slaughtering and processing of meat, originally inadequate to composting process due to its high levels of nitrogen. The objective of this research was to evaluate different lignocellulosic materials available regionally as a carbon source to be added to the composting process. The lignocellulosic materials were carding cotton waste, pruning of urban trees, sawdust, crushed sugarcane bagasse and crushed napier grass, which mixed with other wastes (reproductive poultry bedding, hatchery waste, flotation sludge, sausage skins and coal from boilers), constituted the treatments. Five windrows were set up and monitored, with C:N ratio of around 30. The windrows were turned twice a week in the first month and once a week in the following months until stabilization, confirmed by the decline of the windrow temperature until it reaches values of room temperature. At every turning, moisture was adjusted to 60%. The time of composting was evaluated, as well as mass reductions and volume (parameters related to optimization of the composting area); losses of N, P and K; concentration of N, P and K and the ratio of humic to fulvic acid - HA / FA that to characterize the agronomic value of the final compost, in addition to monitoring of microbiological parameters such as basal respiration and activity enzymatic &#946;-glucosidase, cellulase, acid and alkaline phosphatase. With the aid of techniques of Multivariate Analysis (Cluster Analysis and Principal Component), it was concluded that the treatment which used the carding cotton waste as a carbon source allowed optimizing the use of composting area and provided the production of a organic compost with greater agronomic value. Regarding the microbiological parameters, these were most intense in the thermophilic phase, being the cellulase activity most accentuated. / O processo de compostagem é utilizado como principal forma de estabilizar resíduos agroindustriais provenientes da cadeia produtiva do frango de corte. Trata-se dos resíduos gerados no período que antecede a fase de engorda e durante o abate e industrialização da carne, originalmente inadequados ao processo de compostagem por apresentarem altos teores de nitrogênio. Objetivou-se avaliar diferentes materiais lignocelulósicos disponíveis regionalmente como fonte de carbono a ser adicionado na compostagem destes resíduos. Os materiais lignocelulósicos avaliados foram: resíduos da desfibrilação do algodão, podas de árvores urbanas, serragem, bagaço de cana moído e capim napier triturado, que em mistura com os demais resíduos (cama de matrizeiro, resíduos de incubatório, lodo de flotador, tripa celulósica e carvão), constituíram os tratamentos. Foram montadas e monitoradas cinco leiras, com relação C:N em torno de 30. As leiras foram revolvidas duas vezes por semana no primeiro mês e uma vez por semana nos meses seguintes até a estabilização, confirmada pelo declínio da temperatura da leira até atingir os valores da temperatura ambiente. A cada revolvimento, a umidade foi corrigida para 60%. Os parâmetros avaliados foram o tempo de compostagem e as reduções de massa e volume (parâmetros relacionados à otimização do pátio de compostagem); perdas de N, P e K, concentração de N, P e K e relação ácidos húmicos:ácidos/fúlvicos AH/AF que permitiram caracterizar o valor agronômico do composto final. Monitorou-se os parâmetros microbiológicos, como a respiração basal e a atividade enzimática de &#946;-glucosidase, celulase, fosfatase ácida e alcalina. Com auxílio de técnicas da Análise Multivariada (Análise de Agrupamento e de Componentes Principais), concluiu-se que o tratamento em que se utilizou o resíduo da desfibrilação de algodão como fonte de carbono permite otimizar a utilização do pátio de compostagem e proporciona a produção de um composto orgânico com maior valor agronômico. Com relação aos parâmetros microbiológicos, estes foram mais intensos na fase termofílica, sendo a atividade de celulase a mais pronunciada