A very important issue in urban agglomerations is the proper management of green waste, while reducing its negative impact on the environment. A possible solution is the use of green biomass—from the maintenance of parks, squares and domestic gardens—for the production of compost and compost-based pellets as organic fertilizers.
The objective of this study was to produce compost-based pellets intended for fertilization from compost derived from green waste and coniferous sawdust, and to analyze their mechanical and chemical properties. Ten variants of pellets with different proportions of compost and sawdust were evaluated.
Compost-based pellets showed the highest initial mechanical resistance; However, its resistance to external loads decreased over time, while the best long-term stability was observed in pellets containing 50% sawdust. The drying process influenced the stabilization or improvement of the mechanical properties of certain mixtures. Chemical analyzes showed that compost-based pellets contained the highest concentrations of nutrients (N, P, K), while increasing the proportion of sawdust reduced their fertilizer value. No excesses of the permitted limits of heavy metals were detected.
The results confirm the suitability of compost-based pellets manufactured from green biomass as a sustainable alternative to mineral fertilizers, supporting the principles of the circular economy.
Títutulu Original:
“Method of Management and Determination of Quality of Waste from Green Areas for the Production of Pellets Used for Fertilization Purposes”
Author/s:
Józef Gorzelany, Bogdan Sakretik, Marcin Bajcar, Miłosz Zardzewiały, Tomasz R. Sekutowski, Dariusz Gruszka & Katarzyna Szopka
