Abstract
This research assessed the potential ecotoxicological impacts of municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) as soil fertility improvement material on soil, plants and humans in urban Katsina. MSW Compost samples were collected from different dump sites and mixed with sand and kaolin into 2:2:1 ratio respectively. Maize and beans were planted on the mixture for phytotoxicity assessment as describe by Zucconi et al., 1981. Both the mixture and plant vegetative biomass were tested in the laboratory for non-biodegradable chemicals of Zn, Pb, Mn, Fe, Cd, Cr and pH using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer and pH meter methods respectively. In phytotoxicity assessment, Bean show high phytotoxicity while maize considers MSWC as phytonutrients. Paired ttest reports no statistical difference of nonbiodegradable substances concentrations in soils and in plants vegetative biomass. Single factor pollution index values range from clean to slightly polluted. Ecological risk index (ERI) values indicate low risk for all the heavy metals. Estimated daily intake of contaminants in beans and maize plants are far below the maximum allowable limits of WHO/FAO while Target hazard quotients (THQ) values are likely to cause noncarcinogenic effects to the ecosystem. This finding is promising particularly to the maize farmers. Both beans and maize farmers should ensure quality standard and regulations such as source separation and matured composting to remove harmful nonbiodegradable chemical substances before application.
Published Version
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