The content, behaviour and significance of heavy metals in composted waste materials is important from two potentially conflicting aspects of environmental legislation in terms of: (a) defining end-of-waste criteria and increasing recycling of composted residuals on land and (b) protecting soil quality by preventing contamination. This review examines the effects of heavy metals in compost and ...

Tillage operation and fertilizer type play important roles in soil properties as far as soil microbial condition is concerned. Information regarding the simultaneous evaluation of the effect of long-term tillage and fertilization on the soil microbial traits of soybean farms is not available. Accordingly, it was hypothesized that, the microbial biomass and enzyme activity, more often than not, ...

Alkane degrading microorganisms play an important role for the bioremediation of petrogenic contaminated environments. In this study, we investigated the effects of compost addition on the abundance and diversity of bacteria harboring the alkane monooxygenase gene (alkB) in an oil-contaminated soil originated from an industrial zone in Celje, Slovenia (Technosol). Soil without any amendments (c...

This paper describes how compost, a by-product generated by solid waste treatment plants, can be usefully applied to road embankments to prevent erosion. Our study analyzed this process in terms of the following variables: (1) location and orientation; (2) embankment slope; (3) soil and compost characteristics; (4) compost dosage; (5) vegetation species; (6) plot dimensions; and (7) planting me...

The goal of this study was to evaluate the microbial die-off in a latrine waste composting system in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Temperature data and samples were collected from compost aged 0-12+ months. Samples collected from compost bin centers and corners at two depths were assessed for moisture content, E. coli concentration, and Ascaris spp. viability. Center temperatures in compost bins were ...

This study investigated the chemical characteristics and microbial population during incubation of four kinds of aerated compost teas based on oriental medicinal herbs compost, vermicompost, rice straw compost, and mixtures of three composts (MOVR). It aimed to determine the effects of the aerated compost tea (ACT) based on MOVR on the growth promotion of red leaf lettuce, soybean and sweet cor...

A stable compost is needed in plant growth media. However, when compost is land applied, its effect is through the initiation and acceleration of microbial processes leading to the production of soil stabilizing agents. It was proposed that there is an optimum degree of maturity of compost used for land application, a degree characterized by the reduction of the labile organic matter to a point...

The recycling of livestock manure in cropping systems is considered to enhance soil fertility and crop productivity. However, there have been no systematic long-term studies of the effects of manure application on soil and crop macro- and micro-nutrients, heavy metals, and crop yields in China, despite their great importance for sustainable crop production and food safety. Thus, we conducted fi...

Composting has been recognized as one of the most cost effective and environmentally sound alternatives for organic wastes recycling from long and composted wastes have a potential to substitute inorganic fertilizers. We investigated the potential of composted tannery sludge for ornamental purposes and to examine the effects of two different composts and concentrations on ornamental Capsicum gr...