Composting with industrial and

domiciliary ashes in Temuco, Chile

Gustavo Curaqueo, Paul Riquelme, Erico Carmona,

Andrés Pérez-San Martín & Aixa González

Temuco · octubre de 2019

Waste Generation

4 Gt 3 Gt 2 Gt
Industrial Solid Waste Industrial Hazarous Waste Urban Solid Waste

 The generation of residues in Chile 19% between 2012-2017

 Urban Solid Waste Disposed in
Landfill
Particulate material

1800 Mt

Ashes, Contamination
powders Soil, water, atmosphere
(Data, 2018)

Urban organic waste

Pruning,
 Chilean urban areas generate sawdust,
around 3.12 Mton year-1 of shells Lost of quality of
Country: life
organic residues
5 Mt
La Araucanía Regional Context
Consumption
> 2 M m3 of wood

Domicialiary Stoves

Source of Domicialiary Biolers

ashes

Biomass Power Plants

12 ton/day
 La Araucanía Regional Context
Domicialiary waste
Organic 15%

Source of
Municipality waste
organic waste

Agriculture &
Forestry
4.6 M ton
The Solution: Waste valorization
Resource
Minimize utilization
Environmental
Reduce
Impacts consumption
of Natural No danger for the
Resources
human life
Replacement
of materials or
energy
No danger to
sources environment
Composting A biological transformation of organic residues

Benefits

Waste Valorization
MICROBIAL
PROCESS
(Fungi, Bacteria, etc)
Nutrient cycling

COMPOST Improve soil-plant

ORGANIC MATTER
Water system
Water
Heat
Oxygen
CO2
Objective
This study proposes to establish the optimum percentages of both
industrial biomass and domiciliary ashes doses which could improve
compost quality concerning to physicochemical parameters and
compost maturity
Material & Methods Operational
30% Domiciliary ashes conditions
C/N 38
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Aeration
C/N 30 0, 10, 20% w/w
• Mass loss evolution
40%
30% • 90 days
Industrial Biomass fly ash
C/N 17
Results

Figure 1. Elemental analysis of domiciliary ashes (a) and biomass industrial ashes (b)
Results

Figure 2. Evolution of mass loss of compost bins expressed as percentage during a time period of 90 days
Results

Figure 3. Development of temperature during composting with 0, 5 and 10% of domiciliary ashes
(DE) and biomass (BI) ashes
Results
Table 1: Physicochemical parameters of the composts obtained

Compost pH Humidity (%) EC (dS/m)  (kg/m3)

C0 7.3±0.006 49.8±0.005 4.7±0.008 290.0±0.10
C5-DE 9.0±0.01 60.7±0.005 5.9±0.006 295.3±0.02
C10-DE 8.0±0.01 57.9±0.004 6.5±0.008 305.4±0.03
C5-BI 7.8±0.02 49.2±0.005 4.9±0.003 314.9±0.03
C10-BI 7.1±0.006 44.7±0.003 6.4±0.008 321.4±0.02
EC: Electrical Conductivity,  :Bulk density
Results
Table 2: Germination Test with Radish seeds (Raphanus sativus) in leachates of
the compost obtained

Compost PGR (%) CTR (%) IG (%)

C0 100±0.0 88.2±48.1 88.2±48.1
C5-DE 93.3±5.7 20.0±4.0 18.7±3.2
C10-DE 100±0.0 30.4±3.2 30.3±13.2
C5-BI 100±0.00 92.6±36.1 92.6±36.1
C10-BI 96.7±5.7 77.1±33.0 74.5±34.5
PGR: Germination percentage, CTR :Relative radicle growth, IG: Germination index percentage
Results
Table 3: Germination Test with Radish seeds (Raphanus sativus) with the compost obtained

Compost PGR (%) CTR (%)

C0 86.7±15.2 100±55.5
C5-DE 0.0±0.0 0.0±0.0
C10-DE 43.3±45 5.4±9.4
C5-BI 96.7±5.7 134.2±31.4
C10-BI 86±23.0 72.8±39.0
Conclusions
The use of industrial biomass fly ash increased the duration of the thermophilic
phase during the composting process contrasted with the heating stoves ashes
applied, which generated a final product with betters physicochemical and maturity
properties

The quality of the compost obtained using 5% of industrial biomass ashes, mostly
meets the requirements to classify it as a Class B compost of according to the
Chilean Standard of Compost

The results evidence a beneficial effect of the ashes application in the

composting process, obtaining a quality stabilized material for use as a soil
amendment