Obtaining compost from agricultural waste markets biotransformation
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Abstract
The generation of solid urban waste in Havana city with more than two million habitants reaches 20,000 m3 per day and demands efficient alternatives for its management and treatment. A considerable fraction corresponds to agricultural products residues, derived from the operation of more than 300 existing public markets, which due to their chemical nature can become a source to obtain organic matter carriers for agriculture. The biotransformation of these wastes was evaluated as an alternative treatment to avoid unfavorable environmental impacts associated to their accumulation and decomposition; the urban solid waste from the markets was composted (of fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers). The biotransformed material was evaluated for pH, electrical conductivity and the contents of organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc, cadmium and lead; the germination index, basal respiration and the presence of pathogenic microorganisms (total and fecal coliforms and Salmonella sp.) were also determined. The obtained compost serves to prepare substrates for agricultural use, in mixtures with acid reaction soils. Its use does not imply contaminations by pathogenic microorganisms nor by heavy metals, according to valid international norms, which validates the selected treatment route for these residues.
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