Co-composting of chicken manure, alperujo, olive leaves/pruning and cereal straw at full-scale: Compost quality assessment and odour emission

• Published in: Process safety and environmental protection Vol. 139; pp. 362 - 370
• Main Authors: Toledo, M., Gutiérrez, M.C., Peña, A., Siles, J.A., Martín, M.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Rugby Elsevier B.V 01-07-2020; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Biodegradability; Biodegradable materials; Biodegradable wastes; Biodegradation; Chickens; Co-composting; Compost quality; Composting; Composts; Emission analysis; Evaluation; Feasibility studies; Fermentation; Fertilizers; Lagoons; Leachates; Leaves; Legislation; Liquid wastes; Manures; Nutrient content; Odor; Odour emission; Olfactometry; Organic liquids; Organic matter; Physico-chemical characteristics; Poultry; Poultry manure; Pretreatment; Pruning; Quality assessment; Quality control; Recycling centers; Respirometry; Straw; Wetting; Compost quality; Olfactometry; Odour emission; Co-composting; Respirometry; Physico-chemical characteristics
• ISSN: 0957-5820; 1744-3598
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2020.04.048

•Chicken manure, alperujo, olive leaves/pruning and cereal straw were co-composted.•Lignocellulosic wastes reduced the odour emissions derived from chicken manure.•Physico-chemical, respirometric and olfactometric variables were properly monitored.•The compost obtained was stabilised, sanitised and rated as Compost type A.•The average global odour emission rate of the composting plant was 5.16 ouE/kg.
Co-composting is a simple and inexpensive alternative for stabilizing and reducing jointly different biodegradable waste. In this study, the feasibility of co-composting chicken manure (CM), alperujo (AL), olive leaves/pruning (OL) and cereal straw (CS) was evaluated at full-scale. The different areas of a composting plant such as fermentation area, composting area and leachate lagoon, were evaluated from physico-chemical, respirometric and olfactometric points of view. The compostable mixture was previously subjected to anaerobic fermentative pretreatment to hydrolyse the non-easy biodegradable organic matter and favour the subsequent composting process. The physico-chemical, respirometric and olfactometric characterization of the composted mixture showed a high-quality final product characterized by a 57 % average organic matter content, an adequate metal content (Compost type A) and a suitable microbiological stability (SOURmax value of 14mmol O2/kg VSh), complying with current national legislation for use as fertilizer in agriculture. Furthermore, the average global odour emission rate of the composting plant was 5.16 ouE/kg, considering the total mass of the compostable mixture and the time required to be treated. Finally, the leachate collected from different treatments of the compostable mixture was found to be a stabilized organic liquid waste with a high nutrient content, useful for wetting composting piles.