Open Access
Quality assessment of composts officially registered as organic fertilisers in Spain
(Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), 2019) Puyuelo, Belén; Sánchez Arizmendiarrieta, Joseba; Irigoyen Iriarte, Ignacio; Plana, Ramón; Agronomía, Biotecnología y Alimentación; Agronomia, Bioteknologia eta Elikadura; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
Composting of organic wastes is a management strategy linked to circular economy models through the transformation of these wastes into an organic product, compost, which can be used as fertiliser, soil amendment or growing media. However, the concept of ‘compost quality' is not enough defined to take a technical decision about which is its best use or application. In the last decade, different guidelines and regulations about organic fertilisers have been developed. For instance, in Spain the Fertilisers Regulation categorises compost under five kinds according to the raw materials used - organic amendment compost (OaC), manure compost (MaC), green compost (GrC), vermicompost (VC), ‘alperujo' compost (AlC) -, and under three quality levels (A, B or C) depending exclusively on the heavy metals content. This work analyses the national database of all composts (307) marketed in Spain, considering the analytical parameters declared, with the objective of proposing a methodology to define a global quality index. For this assessment, two indicators are employed: a fertility indicator, related to the nutrients content, and a clean indicator, related to the heavy metals content. Results show an average compost formulation 2.5:2.5:2.5 (N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O). MaC and OaC present the highest fertility indicator, whereas VC the lowest. Regarding the clean indicator, GrC, MaC and VC are cleaner than OaC. In the future, this new quality assessment should be completed by including other indicators related to physical and biological characteristic (e.g. porosity, stability/maturity, phytotoxicity) that could determine the most proper use of compost.
Open Access
Rational application of treated sewage sludge with urea increases GHG mitigation opportunities in Mediterranean soils
(Elsevier, 2017-02-01) Calleja Cervantes, María Eréndira; Aparicio Tejo, Pedro María; Villadas Latorre, Pablo José; Irigoyen Iriarte, Ignacio; Irañeta, Iosu; Fernández-González, A.J.; Fernández-López, M.; Menéndez, S.; Producción Agraria; Nekazaritza Ekoizpena; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen Zientziak; Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in Applied Biology - IMAB
Open Access
Effect of feeding regime on composting in bins
(Taylor & Francis, 2017) Storino, Francesco; Menéndez Villanueva, Sergio; Muro Erreguerena, Julio; Aparicio Tejo, Pedro María; Irigoyen Iriarte, Ignacio; Natura Ingurunearen Zientziak; Nekazaritza Ekoizpena; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Producción Agraria; IdAB. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología / Agrobioteknologiako Institutua
Composting in bins is one of the most practical home composting methods. There is currently a need for greater information to improve the management of the composting process and to create home composting programs, which ensure sustainable production of high quality compost. This study investigates how two aspects of the bin feeding regime—the feeding frequency and the amount of waste applied at each feed—influence the process's evolution and the quality of the compost. Compost bins were assayed after introducing the same amount of kitchen and garden waste according to three different frequencies: in a single batch, weekly, or every 3 weeks. A fourth treatment was applied to calculate the potential waste reduction achieved by the composting process, filling the bins to the brim on a weekly basis. Temperature, mass, and volume changes; the microbial diversity (by Biolog); and gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O, and NH3) were all determined during the process. At the end of the experiment, all of the composts were weighed and characterized. Results show that the main differences were very dependent on the quantity of waste provided. Large amounts of waste were added increasing the compost's temperature and maturity during the process, while slightly affecting the salinity and phytotoxicity of the final compost but without any clear effects on microbial diversity and gas emission. Therefore, from a technical point of view, the shared use of compost bins among several households (community composting) is preferable to individual us
Open Access
Integration of a communal henhouse and community composter to increase motivation in recycling programs: overview of a three-year pilot experience in Noáin (Spain)
(MDPI, 2018) Storino, Francesco; Plana, Ramón; Aparicio Tejo, Pedro María; Muro Erreguerena, Julio; Irigoyen Iriarte, Ignacio; Ciencias del Medio Natural; Natura Ingurunearen Zientziak; Producción Agraria; Nekazaritza Ekoizpena
This paper presents a three-year pilot experience of a new municipal waste management system developed in Navarre, Spain that integrates composting and hens. The aim of this new system is to motivate the general public to participate more in waste prevention programs. The Composter-Henhouse (CH) is a compact facility comprised of a henhouse and three composters. This is shared by 30 families who provide the organic part of their kitchen waste to feed the hens. Hens help speed up the composting process by depositing their droppings and turning the organic residue into compost. This study assesses the CH in terms of treatment capacity, the technical adequacy of the composting process, the quality and safety of the compost obtained and some social aspects. Over three years, the CH has managed nearly 16.5 tons of organic waste and produced approximately 5600 kg of compost and more than 6000 high-quality fresh eggs. No problems or nuisances have been reported and the level of animal welfare has been very high. The follow up of the composting process (temperature, volume reduction and compost maturity) and a physicochemical and microbiological analysis of the compost have ensured the proper management of the process. The level of involvement and user satisfaction has been outstanding and the project has presented clear social benefits.
Open Access
El compostaje descentralizado de los desechos de cocina como herramienta agroecológica: influencia de las políticas públicas en la comarca de Sakana (Navarra)
(Sociedad Española de Agricultura Ecológica (SEAE), 2017-06-01) Sánchez Arizmendiarrieta, Joseba; Iso Tinoco, Andoni; Irigoyen Iriarte, Ignacio; Plana, Ramón; Sociología; Soziologia; Producción Agraria; Nekazaritza Ekoizpena
Se muestra la exitosa experiencia de ayuntamientos navarros que trasforman mediante compostaje in situ los desechos orgánicos generados por su población en un recurso local al servicio de la agroecología.