The Initial Study on the Application of Sewage Sludge for Agriculture on the Laboratory Scale

Abstract

Chemical fertilizers currently poison arable agriculture, so organic fertilizers are now a new trend for soil improvement. This study investigates the appropriate ratio of fertilizer use and materials mixed with sewage sludge in the anaerobic co-digestion treatment method, which will best support agriculture. In the study, bio-organic fertilizer was composted of the co-digestion anaerobic with sewage sludge and agricultural wastes such as rice husk, rice husk charcoal, water hyacinth, cassava peel, and then tested on rice. The specific criteria of fertilizers such as total organic (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and effective phosphorus (P2O5) and plant growth parameters such as germination rate (%), tillering rate, total weight (g) were evaluated. Initial results show the untreated sludge can be impacted negatively on plant development. The concentration of nutrients in the co-digestion composts was meet the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture’s standards of organic fertilizer. These bio-fertilizers will play an important role in soil productivity and sustainability. Hence, the widespread use of organic fertilizers from waste to partially replace chemical fertilizers will open up opportunities to reduce farming costs for farmers and develop agriculture sustainably.