Abstract
Developing countries face serious environmental, social and economic challenges in managing different types of organic waste. Proper treatment strategies should be adopted by solid waste management systems in order to address these concerns. Among all of the treatment options for organic waste, composting is the most approved method as an effective strategy to divert solid waste from landfills. This experimental research aimed to examine the potential of producing compost from source-separated municipal organic waste in Shiraz, Iran. Market waste (fruits and vegetables) and garden waste (plant residues) were used as the raw input materials. They were subjected to the windrow pile composting method in an open site area. The process was monitored against several physical, chemical and biological parameters. In-situ measurements (temperature and moisture content) were carried out on a daily basis. Sampling and lab analyses were conducted over the period of the biological treatment. The final product was of acceptable moisture and nutrient levels, pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), and Carbon/Nitrogen ratio. All of the analyzed compost samples had lower concentrations of heavy metals than the Iranian and German standards. Overall, the results obtained revealed that composting is a promising method for municipal organic waste treatment. The findings also imply the effectiveness of the source-separation collection method in the production of high-quality compost.
Highlights
Worldwide, the development of urban areas, as well as the rapid growth of the population, has resulted in production of waste in an alarming ratio
Carbon sequestration is significant at the application rate of 20 and 30 tons of compost per hectare. This would have the effect of preventing soil erosion, which is in agreement with sustainable development goal target 15.3, i.e., combat desertification and restore degraded land and soil by 2030. This project was undertaken in order to adopt a feasible method for the effective treatment of municipal organic waste in mega cities in Iran
Segregated municipal organic wastes were subjected to aerobic pile composting technology in an established compost plant in Shiraz, Iran
Summary
The development of urban areas, as well as the rapid growth of the population, has resulted in production of waste in an alarming ratio. Organic waste is the main fraction of the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) produced in urban settlements. It is estimated that 2.6 million tons per day of municipal organic waste are generated globally [1]. The significant proportion of organic materials contributes to a high moisture content, ranging between 55% and 60%, with a thermal value expected to be about 7–8 MJ/kg [4]. This results in the generation of an excessive amount of leachate and landfill gas in dump/landfill sites, leading to serious environmental threats such as the contamination of the soil, and surface and underground water.
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