Volume: 3, 2024
3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland:
ENVIRONMENT – PLANT – ANIMAL – PRODUCT
Abstract number: E030
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.E030
Published online: 24 April 2024
ICDSUPL, 3, E030 (2024)
Prospects of using biochar as an additive to compost
Anastasiia Tkachenko1*, Olga Sagdeyeva1
1 Department of Ecology, Water and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Oil, Gas and Ecology, Odesa National University of Technology, Kanatna 112, 65039 Odesa, Ukraine
* Corresponding author: anastasiafox8@gmail.com
Abstract
Even though food waste is organic and, under favorable conditions, decomposes into simple chemical substances that do not pose a threat to the environment, their unregulated accumulation can lead to several serious consequences for the environment, human health, and the economy. Such negative consequences include soil and water pollution, especially by-products of organic decomposition and bacteria. Air pollution by greenhouse gasses is another negative effect, while food waste dumps also attract pests and rodents, leading to the spread of diseases, and so forth. Given the constantly increasing amount of food waste, there is a great need to improve existing waste management technologies. Composting is an environmentally friendly and ‘natural’ technology for processing organic waste. Additives to compost can be applied to improve the composting process. Biochar is a carbon-rich product produced by biomass pyrolysis, which can be used as an alternative energy source, soil conditioner, sorbent for wastewater treatment, and more. In recent years, biochar has received increasing attention as a potential means of improving the composting process, primarily due to its properties such as moisture retention and cation exchange capacity, charged and porous surface, and surface functional groups. Biochar’s main characteristics and properties depend on the raw material from which it was made, and the production and activation methods. The conducted research aimed to determine the prospects of using biochar as an additive to compost to improve the decomposition of organic matter. The study revealed that biochar can be made from the same waste intended for composting. Adding biochar to compost significantly improves its characteristics and properties, in particular, the porous structure of biochar improves gas exchange inside the compost, promoting aeration of its deeper layers, thus leading to increased microbial activity. Additionally, microbial communities can use the pores of biochar as a surface for attachment and reproduction, leading to an increase in the volume of bacteria decomposing organic compounds. Furthermore, since biochar is carbonrich, it can be used to restore the C/N ratio in composts with a high nitrogen content. Based on the main research results, it was concluded that biochar has great potential as an additive to compost, but some mechanisms of biochar retention in compost require more detailed experimental research.
Keywords: biochar, composting, food waste
How to cite
A. Tkachenko, O. Sagdeyeva, 2024. Prospects of using biochar as an additive to compost. In: 3rd International PhD Student’s Conference at the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Poland: Environment – Plant – Animal – Product. https://doi.org/10.24326/ICDSUPL3.E030