Assessment of co-composting process with high load of an inorganic industrial waste

• Published in: Waste management (Elmsford) 2017-01, Vol.59, p.80-89
• Main Authors: Soares, Micaela A.R., Quina, Margarida J., Reis, Marco S., Quinta-Ferreira, Rosa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Assessments; Biological activity; Bulk density; Calcium - chemistry; Co-composting; Data visualisation; Egg Shell; Eggshell waste; Gases; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industrial Waste - analysis; Industrial wastes; Multivariate Analysis; Nitrogen - metabolism; Oryza; Physical properties; Principal Component Analysis; Principal components analysis; Sheds; Soil; Solanum tuberosum; Temperature; Waste management; Waste Management - methods
• ISSN: 0956-053X; 1879-2456
• DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2016.09.044

•Eggshell waste (ES) recycling through composting was studied up to 60% incorporation.•Principal component analysis unravelled relationships structuring variability of composting.•Pathogen killing temperatures were attained during composting with 60% content of ES.•Physical properties are most relevant to explain variability due to ES incorporation.•A calcium-rich marketable compost for soil application was obtained. This study aims to investigate the co-composting of an inorganic industrial waste (eggshell - ES) in very high levels (up to 60% w/w). Since composting is a process in which solid, liquid and gaseous phases interact in a very complex way, there is a need to shed light on statistical tools that can unravel the main relationships structuring the variability associated to this process. In this study, PCA and data visualisation were used with that purpose. The co-composting tests were designed with increasing quantities of ES (0, 10, 20, 30 and 60%ES w/w) mixed with industrial potato peel and rice husks. Principal component analysis showed that physical properties like free air space, bulk density and moisture are the most relevant variables for explaining the variability due to ES content. On the other hand, variability in time dynamics is mostly driven by some chemical and phytoxicological parameters, such as organic matter decay and nitrate content. Higher ES incorporation (60% ES) enhanced the initial biological activity of the mixture, but the higher bulk density and lower water holding capacity had a negative effect on the aerobic biological activity as the process evolved. Nevertheless, pathogen-killing temperatures (>70°C for 11h) were attained. All the final products obtained after 90days were stable and non-phytotoxic. This work proved that valorisation of high amounts of eggshell by co-composting is feasible, but prone to be influenced by the physical properties of the mixtures.