Abstract
ABSTRACT The pursuit for waste recovery has been the best way to contribute to environmental sustainability. The mix of sewage sludge (SS) from Sewage Treatment Plant with diatomaceous material containing oil (DE), used as a filter in biofuel production, can form a substrate rich in minerals and organic matter through vermicomposting. Therefore, this study aimed to produce vermicompost using worms, Eisenia foetida, from a pre-compost (PC) of sewage sludge and garden pruning residues mixed with different proportions of DE in relation to PC: 0; 7.53; 15.06; 22.59; and 30.12% v/v. The design was randomized complete blocks with five treatment replicates. The chemical characteristics of the vermicompost were analyzed after a period of four months. The proportion of up to 30.12% v/v of DE met the criteria established for agriculture uses, registration and marketing of the product as organic compost in accordance with the Normative Instructions SDA 27/2006 and 25/2009 from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Highlights
The sludge originated from urban sewage treatment is a waste with high organic content and with inorganic components, presenting a challenge for the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with respect to its disposal, due to the large volume generated, caused by the population growth (Caldeira et al, 2013).Despite being widely used in agriculture because of its chemical properties, the sludge has some limiting factors, such as pathogenicity, high content of heavy metals and toxic organic compounds, characteristic odor, among others (Paredes Filho, 2011).There are various alternatives of sewage sludge (SS) stabilization, in order to reduce the presence of pathogens and allow its agricultural utilization
The study was carried at the Institute of Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (ICA/ UFMG) on the campus of Montes Claros, MG, in protected environment
The total contents of N, P, Ca and K were reduced in the vermicomposting of sewage sludge and plant residues with the increase in the volumetric proportion of diatomaceous earth (Table 2)
Summary
The sludge originated from urban sewage treatment is a waste with high organic content and with inorganic components, presenting a challenge for the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with respect to its disposal, due to the large volume generated, caused by the population growth (Caldeira et al, 2013).Despite being widely used in agriculture because of its chemical properties, the sludge has some limiting factors, such as pathogenicity, high content of heavy metals and toxic organic compounds, characteristic odor, among others (Paredes Filho, 2011).There are various alternatives of sewage sludge (SS) stabilization, in order to reduce the presence of pathogens and allow its agricultural utilization. The sludge originated from urban sewage treatment is a waste with high organic content and with inorganic components, presenting a challenge for the Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) with respect to its disposal, due to the large volume generated, caused by the population growth (Caldeira et al, 2013). Despite being widely used in agriculture because of its chemical properties, the sludge has some limiting factors, such as pathogenicity, high content of heavy metals and toxic organic compounds, characteristic odor, among others (Paredes Filho, 2011). There are various alternatives of sewage sludge (SS) stabilization, in order to reduce the presence of pathogens and allow its agricultural utilization. The CONAMA resolution 375 defines criteria and procedures for the agricultural use of sewage sludge and its derivatives, establishing maximum limits and some measures that must be taken for its correct utilization (BRASIL, 2006b)
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