back to the roots – the art of composting and the humus...

Organic Resources and Biological Treatment1

3rd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCEon Sustainable Solid Waste

ManagementTinos, 2-4 June 2015

Back to the roots –the art of composting and

the humus challengeFlorian Amlinger

in cooperation with Urs Hildebrandt

Organic Resources and Biological Treatment

C-Kreislauf_Neu_3

Sheet 2

Changing the dynamics of the global carbon cycle

760

CO2

39.0002.500

SOC=1.550Fossil C4.000

a

a) Reduction of emissions from burning of fossile fuels

b

b) Utilisation of plant biomass C as renewable energy source

c

c) Increasing the C sink in soils and plant biomass

‘Every ton of carbon lost

from soil adds 3.67 tons of

carbon dioxide (CO2) gas

to the atmosphere.

Conversely, every 1 t/ha

increase in soil organic

carbon represents 3.67

tons of CO2 sequestered

from the atmosphere and

removed from the

greenhouse gas equation.

560

MRT: 25 yrs

MRT: 25 yrs

Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 3

Organic vs conventional farming (Germany, Hülsbergen) + 0.2% Corg + 9 t C/ hectare 300 to 500 kg C build-up / year

Soil Carbon Dynamics and Soil Management


Lal, 2008

Key agricultural practices supporting C-sequestration in in soils


Soil C Stocks & Dynamics

< 1 % Corg 1 - 2 % Corg

14 % 34 %Total 48 %

Mediterr. 75 %

Loss of Soil Organic Matter and its Restoration; By William A. Albrecht;

Soils and Men, Yearbook of Agriculture 1938, pp. 347-360


Erosion and soil loss –a result of man made desertification

Foto: Hartl, W.Foto: Hartl, W.

NATURE (Vol. 437), 8 September 2005 CARBON CONTENT OF SOIL in England and Wales fell steadily in the

period 1978-2003, with some 13 million tonnes of carbon released from British soil each year. On average, British soils have lost 15% of their carbon.


• Plants provide up to 25% of the photosynthesis process for theirsymbionts –

• guess the evolution did not make a mistake with this interaction?!

• The root sphere contains 50-times the microbial colonisation than theenvironment soil !


Soil … Living Organ of the Biosphere

Picture: M.H. Gerzabek

„... For plants there is no sharp boundarybetween life within and the environment of the plant in which it grows”

„Fertilisation must constitute a vitalisation of the soil, in order to prevent that the plant may grow in a dead environment. This is essential because otherwise it would be not easy for the pant to form biomass and fruits out of its own vitality.“

“Compost .... Here we have a vitalisation agent for the soil ...“

R. Steiner, Agricultural Course, 1924

Mediator betweendead mineral /rock (= lithosphere) and plant life


What clay-humus complex provides

Sheet 9

Provides a conducive environment for beneficial microbes

Enhances N, P, K, and other nutrient uptake

Aids in the decomposition of soil minerals by forming metal-clay-organic processes

Improves the soil’s water holding capacity

Loosens the soil structure

Aids in the degradation or inactivation of toxic substances

Buffers soil pH

Liberates CO2 needed for photosynthesis

Stabilizes soil temperatures

Reduces water evaporation

Reduces leaching of trace elements

Increases seed germination and seedling development

Accelerates root growth

Increases the uptake of the high-energy adenosine tri-phosphate (ATP) within the plant cell

Increases yield & quality directly and indirectly

Increases the permeability of nutrients back and forth through the cell wall

Speeds up the plant’s metabolism

Enhances the chlorophyll content of leaves

Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 1010 µm

Prof. W.W. BlumFoto: Blum, W.W.

0 200 400 600 800 1000

sand

loam

clay

soil

humified org. matter

< 0.1

0.1 - 1

5 - 400

5 - 500

800 - 1000

[m²/g]


Organic Matter increase in compost amendedsoils – field trials

Foto: Hartl et al. (2014); Vienna compost trial from 1992


Organic Matter increase in compostamended soils

Hartl et al. (2014)

Mean compost application per year = 5 – 14 t f.m. /ha*a

C5 C10 C14

CompostControlMineralfertiliser

Combined compost+ mineral fertiliser

N1 N2 N3


Carbon balance & sequestration

C5 C10 C14 N1 N2 N3

C5 C10 C14 N1 N2 N3

NET CO2 -Sequestration

NET CO2-Emission

Hartl et al. (2014)C5 C10 C14 N1 N2 N3


Organic Matter increase in compost amended soils

Kluge et al. (2008)

Mean compost application per year = 6 – 7 t/ha d.m.

OM-Input = 2,5 – 3,0 t/ha d.m.

+ 300 to 1000 kg C per ha *yr

Incr

ease

SO

M in

soi

l(%

)

Supply of organic matter to soil (t dry matter/ha )


Rodale Institute 10-years composted manure • Carbon sequestration of up 2,000 kg/hectare 7,000 kg CO2 per Hectare

• Standard tillage + chemical fertilizers lost almost 300 kg/hectare]

Carbon sequestration in compost fertilisation systems


Carbon distribution in humic fractions

Fließbach et al. (2000)

21 yearsDOC-trialFiBlCH

„Humines, the most stable humic fraction, are significantly increased in

bio-dyn manure compost plots“

C distribution in humic fractions

N … control

M … mineral fertilisation

D2 … Bio-Dynamic composted manure

O2 … organic fresh manure

K2 … mineral fert. + pesticides + herbicides


Hypothesis The idea that fertilisation means supplying plant nutrients is one of the biggest

misconceptions of the 20th century … and we have still not overcome

Org. Matter = extremely limited resource

Entire potential of ca. 90 - 130 Mt biowaste …. Needs 4 - 5 % of EU agric. Soils!

Organic matter should be transformed in a way that it best contributes to create the self sustaining biological soil system (phyto-microbial symbiosis)

Fertilisation = making soil fertile and not feeding the plants directly with nutrients. This is the basic concept of eco farming

World market / external economic drivers lead to concentration and industrialisation of farming systems (slurry lagoons)

The new paradigm in fertilisation must prioritise: “humus efficiency” instead of “nutrient efficiency”

By this the plant root / soil microbial biocenosis will be - in combination with eco-orientated crop varieties – also effective in nutrient uptake from soil mineral and organic compartments


What compost do we need?

Compost from an industrialwaste treatment facility

Compost from an open windrowcomposting plant


Windrow Composting …… Natural Aeration

Oxigen supply by diffusion &convection

Sufficient material structure & pore volume+ FREQUENT turning

Air supply


Inhomogene conditions induce inefficient composting process!


The main task: create and maintain the the optimumenvironment for the transformation & humus build-up process

Temperature max. 65 °C

Sufficient OXIGEN min. 5 %

Sufficient CO2 min 10 – 12 %

Humidity 55 – 60 %

C : N ratio 25 - 35 : 1

Addition of clay SOIL 10 - 15 %

Addition of COMPOST 10 - 15 %

Fresh residues min. 15 %

Bulking agents 30 – 40 %

+ WATER … WATER … WATER


The controlledprocess: °C & CO2

oC & CO2 in a controlled process

CO2

oC


Every plant manager MUST have experience in composting by his own hands


Austria


KaOman


Mexico

http://info.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0208/0208d_oman2_b.jpg


KaAustralia


Ethiopia

Organic Resources and Biological TreatmentSekem - Egypt


Kenya


China


Usbekistan

Organic Resources and Biological Treatment 36

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