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Effect of Biochar on Composting of Cow Manure and Kitchen Waste

Author

Listed:
  • Felicien Sebahire

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan
    Department of Civil Engineering, INES-Ruhengeri, Ruhengeri 155, Rwanda)

  • Faridullah Faridullah

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan)

  • Muhammad Irshad

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan)

  • Aziz Ur Rahim Bacha

    (State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Carbon Materials Research and Comprehensive Application, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Organic Pollution Prevention and Control, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518055, China
    Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China)

  • Farhan Hafeez

    (Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad 22060, Pakistan)

  • Jean Nduwamungu

    (Department of Forestry and Nature Conservation, University of Rwanda, Kigali 210, Rwanda)

Abstract

Composting is a common method for managing organic waste and creating nutrient-rich soil amendments. Recently, biochar, a carbon-rich material from biomass pyrolysis, has been noted for potentially improving composting. This study examines the impact of adding biochar to compost made from cow manure and kitchen waste through a controlled lab experiment. The treatments were labeled as CMX (cow manure), KWX (kitchen waste), and CMKWX (both) with X being the percentage of CM, KW, and CMKW minus that of biochar in the mixture. Key parameters such as temperature (T), pH, and electric conductivity (EC) were tracked during the composting processes, and the final composts were analyzed for total nitrogen (N), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), total potassium (TK), organic carbon (OC), calcium (Ca 2+ ), magnesium (Mg 2+ ), and organic matter (OM). The results showed that adding less than 10% biochar influenced composting positively. Specifically, 5% biochar amendment led to higher thermophilic temperatures (45–57 °C) and stable pH levels (6.3–8.7) compared to controls. However, biochar did not significantly enhance EC, which peaked at 1.78 dS/m in both the control and 5% biochar treatments. Nutrient analysis revealed that biochar increased Ca 2+ (13.62 meq/g) and Mg 2+ (5.73 meq/g) retention in CM composts (CM85 and CM100). The highest OM content was 16.84% in CM90, while the lowest was 3.81% in CM95. Higher OM negatively affected TN, with CM treatments having more OM and KW treatments having more TN. TP and TK were higher in control treatments without biochar. This study highlights the benefits of integrating biochar with organic waste for enhancing compost nutrient profiles and soil fertility. It was observed that the more diverse the compost feedstock, i.e., CMKW, the higher the nutrient content for treatments containing less than 10% biochar.

Suggested Citation

  • Felicien Sebahire & Faridullah Faridullah & Muhammad Irshad & Aziz Ur Rahim Bacha & Farhan Hafeez & Jean Nduwamungu, 2024. "Effect of Biochar on Composting of Cow Manure and Kitchen Waste," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:13:y:2024:i:10:p:1545-:d:1484066
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Miriam Githongo & Lucy Ngatia & Milka Kiboi & Anne Muriuki & Andreas Fliessbach & Collins Musafiri & Riqiang Fu & Felix Ngetich, 2023. "The Structural Quality of Soil Organic Matter under Selected Soil Fertility Management Practices in the Central Highlands of Kenya," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Minghan Li & Shuyan Li & Shigeng Chen & Qingyu Meng & Yu Wang & Wujie Yang & Lianhui Shi & Fangjun Ding & Jun Zhu & Ronghui Ma & Xinsong Guo, 2023. "Measures for Controlling Gaseous Emissions during Composting: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Kapil Dev Sharma & Siddharth Jain, 2020. "Municipal solid waste generation, composition, and management: the global scenario," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 16(6), pages 917-948, June.
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