Besides composting, municipal waste can also be used in agriculture as liquid and solid digestate after anaerobic digestion of biodegradable fraction, as well as in the form of bottom ash resulted from waste incineration.
The anaerobic digestion of organic municipal waste can be employed to produce electricity whereas the digestate can be used as a soil amendment in farms, and plants nurseries.
I think it worth to look at this Doctoral thesis
https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/1172/1/Epsilon_PhD_No65.pdf
https://www.sciencedirect.com/search?qs=possible%20ways%20for%20utilizing%20municipal%20waste%20in%20agriculture&show=25&sortBy=relevance
These articles may helpful for you.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444636645000101
After hydrothermal carbonization, which gives solids as soil amendments and adsorb pollutant compositions, and liquids as fertilizers.
As long as the waste is seperated out and the green component composted, of course it can be used in agriculture. Biosolids from sewage and industrial waste can be used if they are first digested and then incorporated into green waste and further composted. The problem is that many biosolids are contaminated by heavy metals, and other industrial waste and so cannot be used in agriculture, even after digestion and composting.
- The problem with municipale west is the difficulty in handling because they are polluted and contained heavy materials , so its usage should be of course after recycling as a multipurpose fertilizer and as an irrigation water source , even in drinking water (if it could be purified 100% , it costs so much and only for territories that are suffering of water rareness ) .careness should be taken in account in fertilizing public or football yards due to its transportability through sticking with player or park visitors.
Treated municipal waste is a good option for increasing the carbon stock of the soil.
Anuvia Nutrients produces complex granular fertilizer concentrates which have no toxic metals due to the quality sourcing of dig estates. The process used for production destroys the bacteria and trace unwanted chemicals commonly found in municipal waste. The fertilizer is rich in organic carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and micronutrients. See our webpage for details on the process and product offerings.
Most of the possibilities of recycling municipal wastes have been dealt by different experts. Separation of organic and inorganic components ar source is practiced in many countries. This improves the opportunity of gainful re-use of the wastes.Anaerobic digestion to generate bio- gas is a good option.The slurry can be used in agriculture. However, these wastes should not be added to agricultural fields directly.This may have some adverse impacts on soil health due to possible presence of pathogens,weed seeds etc. Moreover, high C:N ratio in most of the organic wastes may result in immobilisation of nitrogen in soils.There are also good possibilities of developing wastelands by using municipal wastes.
It is a nice question. I think, if organic wastes are properly recycled they are valuable resources. In most cities, over 60% of total wastes is solid organic waste. This can be converted into soil amendments, for example composting is one of the possible alternatives to convert organic wastes into compost for soil fertility and nutrient management.
The other and most convenient way to use organic wastes both as soil amendment and land fill management is to pyrolyse or convert solid organic wastes into biochar. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment and it can be sequestered for several years in the soil. So conversion of organic wastes into biochar and compost is not only useful for enhancing soil fertility and agricultural productivity, but also for managing land fill and mitigating climate change through carbon sequestration.
My personal view:
If contaminations (e.g. heavy metals, micro- plastics) are low, a beneficial land application can be considered if economic viable and nutrient budgets at field level are met. In Germany some 8,000 anaerobic digesters are struggling at the moment as the nutrients in their digestive has to be budgeted in the nutrient budget. A competition agains farm manure. Other countries in the EU such as Ireland are still considering new large anaerobic digesters and are most likely facing the same problem.
If all criteria are leading towards land utilisation I would not call the residues a waste rather an organic resource.
Technology:
you need to consider if you wish to produce a carbon (humus) product or want to use the carbon for energy purposes and utilise the nutrients only.
Carbon to humus:
Composting in populated areas is cost intensive due to odour emissions as a result of high temperatures during the process. Wet materials such as sludges and kitchen wastes are often too wet for thermal composting. Turning of windrows or forced aeration requires energy. A buying agent (wood chips) are required for aeration and might require screening. In general a volume reduction of only 35% us achieved with high transportation costs to farmers and a relatively low value of the product.
Vermicomposting is a low cost technology and can be integrated in farm management. Solid content of only 15 to 20 % of the organic resource is suitable for vermicomposting. Volume reduction of up to 80% means less transport to endusers. Ashes can be used - potentially.
Carbon to energy:
Incineration (some call energy recovery) is only suitable for dryer materials so most organic residues require a lot of energy for pre drying. The argument of access heat from the incineration can be used is misleading as this energy should be used alternatively.
Anaerobic digestion can be considered if all the energy is used either as gas or if electrified the heat needs to be utilised. Methane losses of up to 20% are common in those plants. As anaerobic digestion requires a slurry as intake water is often added to the organic resources and the volume of the digestate is usually higher than the input. High transportation costs.
Fertiliser value of digestate: low in carbon, high in ammonia with a high risk of ammonia emission and pollution (Germany has been fined for this recently by the EU). High application costs and difficulty to apply during winter and on wet soils.
Biochar may still be an option. But scientists need to make up their mind if the biochar is a carbon sink or a slow releasing soil conditioner. You can't have both. Very light bulky material and application is expensive (dust prevention) as well the product is competing against energy prices for fuel. Very few soils respond positively to biochar application. In comparison with compost or vermicast biochar seems to be less productive.
If anyone wishes to discuss further feel free to contact me.
Again this is my personal few.
Regards
Michael
The following articles I founded for the possible ways for utilizing municipal waste in agriculture
Article Municipal waste management systems for domestic use
http://home.iitk.ac.in/~anubha/H16.pdf
http://home.iitk.ac.in/~anubha/H13.pdf
Article Recycling of municipal and industrial organic wastes in agri...
https://pub.epsilon.slu.se/1172/1/Epsilon_PhD_No65.pdf
The key to making this happen is segregation. That is the big challenge. The rest are easily doable.
I am in line with the previous answers, that is, besides composting and vermicomposting techniques, the liquid and solid digestate after anaerobic digestion of organic municipal waste could be utilized in agriculture.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Agriculture