| Abstract |
The drive to a more circular economy has created increasing interest in recycling organic wastes as bio-based fertilizers. This study screened 15 different manures, digestates, sludges, composts, industry by-products, and struvites. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) release was compared following addition to soil. Three waste materials were then 'upgraded' using heating and pressure (105 degrees C at 220 kPa), alkalinization (pH 10), or sonification to modify N and P release properties, and compared in a second soil incubation. Generally, maximum N release was negatively correlated with the CN ratio of the material (r = -0.6). Composted, dried, or raw organic waste materials released less N (mean of 10.8 +/- 0.5%, 45.3 +/- 7.2%, and 47.4 +/- 3.2% of total N added respectively) than digestates, industry-derived organic fertilizer products, and struvites (mean of 58.2 +/- 2.8%, 77.7 +/- 6.0%, and 100.0 +/- 13.1% of total N added respectively). No analyzed chemical property or processing type could explain differences in P release. No single upgrading treatment consistently increased N or P release. However, for one raw biosolid, heating at a low temperature (105 degrees C) with pressure did increase N release as a percentage of total N added to soil from 30% to 43%. |