Algae Involved Generation of Compost

Authors

  • Yujiao Wang The Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University, A1B 3X5, St. John’s, Canada
  • Baiyu Zhang The Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University, A1B 3X5, St. John’s, Canada
  • Tahir Husain The Northern Region Persistent Organic Pollution Control (NRPOP) Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University, A1B 3X5, St. John’s, Canada

Abstract

This research investigated the potential application of blue-green algae to improve the quality of composts generated from multiple waste streams including- fly ash, fish waste, and sludge from a local wastewater treatment plant. The alga strain used is called Anabaena 387, which was obtained from the Canadian Phycological Culture Centre. Different mixture ratio of fly ash, fish waste compost, sludge and algae and different reaction period were tested to generate different levels of compost products. The parameters including trace elements concentration, carbon to nitrogen ratio, pH level, moisture content, organic matter, and germination index were monitored for evaluating the quality of composts. Three different levels of compost were generated, which are Type AA, A, and B. The algae treated compost could be used as an amendment for agriculture application.

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Published

2014-10-02