Effects of different composts on the performance of green beans
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Date
2015-11-08
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Abstract
Composting of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has received renewed attention as a result
of increasing waste disposal cost and the environmental concerns associated with using
landfills. A targeted end use of the compost is for horticultural crop production.
Currently, quality standards for MSW compost are lacking and there is the need to
establish them. Elevated heavy metal concentrations in MSW compost have been
reported; however, through proper sorting and recycling prior to composting,
contamination by heavy metals can be reduced Compost has been shown to be useful in
horticultural crop production as it improves soil physical properties, such as lowering
bulk density and increasing water-holding capacity. Compost enhances supply of
essential nutrients to some extent. However, supplemental fertilizer, particularly N, is
usually required. A pilot dry digestion composting plant was thus established on the
campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),
Kumasi by The Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG)
supported by the Zurich University of Applied Science. The setup was to assess the
effectiveness of processing of organic municipal waste to obtain biogas for domestic use
and digestate for the purposes of composting. The different composts obtained were then
used in planting green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The aim of this work was to assess
the effects of the different composts on the performance of green beans. Results of this
work identified and highlighted the superiority of fertilized crops over non-fertilized
ones in terms of growth and dry matter accumulation. A long term research should be
carried out on the effects of prolonged use of composts produced by vermicomposting,
co-composting and windrow composting on crop and soil. Public awareness on the
effects of compost on soil, crop yield and environment should be intensified.
Description
A Thesis submitted to the Department of Materials Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Faculty of Materials and Chemical Engineering College of Engineering,