Factors affecting quality of compost produced from agricultural waste: assessment of risk

Summarization: Agricultural wastes (AW) are often characterized by rather low pH and substantial contamination potential which is usually related to their high organic load, affecting thus living organisms, soils, water bodies and plants when improperly disposed of. Composting of AW is the most commonly used management option which results in minimization of the risk for soil, water and ecosystems while the final product can be used as soil improver to enhance crop growth due to its nutrient content. However, various parameters should be taken into consideration in order to select the most appropriate composting method and define the optimum use of the final product. In the present paper, selected parameters such as optimal conditions for compost production, application rates of compost on soil, limit values for concentrations of heavy metals in soil as well as risk for humans exposed to various recalcitrant compounds contained in treated or untreated AW, are presented and discussed. Pre-treatment of AW, careful application on soils, use of standardized procedures to evaluate toxicity and determination of the fate of contaminants in soil and water will improve sustainability in agriculture and minimize impacts on ecosystems and human health.Παρουσιάστηκε στο: Istanbul International Solid Waste, Water and Wastewater Congres