Recycling Nutrient-Rich Municipal Wastes into Ready-to-Use Potting Soil: An Approach for the Sustainable Resource Circularity with Inorganic Porous Materials

Using waste products is a promising and sustainable alternative to conventional non-renewable peat nutrient-rich renewable materials. Their are gaining importance for closing the loop in ornamental plant industry. Porous inorganic materials have recently become potential bulking agents (BA) sewage sludge (SS) owing their high porosity, surface area, passivation capacity, recycling potential, potting soil components. The main purpose of present work was investigate feasibility pumice (PU) expanded perlite (EP) on composting parameters, nutrient bioavailability suitability SS serve as an substrate. addition PU EP at 50% (v/v) resulted higher optimal initial moisture content, temperature rise (56.24 ± 0.13 °C, 56.21 0.11 respectively), CO2 evolution (39.41 0.17%, 41.70 0.22% daily peaks). Composting with BA EP-50 PU-50 mixtures beneficial nitrogen content (3.82 3.70%, respectively) readily bioavailable nutrients (270 mg kg−1 phosphates 1835 potassium). use found helpful improving slow-release properties compost. overall results indicated that viable approach achieve good nutrient-providing profile if compost used component components or garden amendments.