Abstract

Composting is an alternative for treating and recycling municipal solid waste. Composting directly on the soil changes the attributes related to soil acidity. The study aimed to evaluate the influence of municipal solid waste composting in a small scale system on the attributes related to the acidity of soils used for making compost piles. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and 30-40 cm in four areas under composting (1C, 2C, 3C and 4C) and four adjacent reference areas with no history of composting (1R, 2R, 3R and 4R). The soil was submitted to evaluation of pH in water, total organic carbon (TOC), potential acidity (H+Al), aluminum saturation and base saturation. We found the composting in a small scale system with piles directly on the soil promoted the increase of soil pH values, TOC contents and base saturation up to 40 cm, regardless of the time of use. This shows the potential of the leachate to reduce acidity and aluminum saturation in the subsoil.

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