Assessment of municipal solid waste compost quality using standardized methods before preparation of plant growth media.

The quality of compost and its suitability for agricultural application depend upon physical and chemical parameters such as water-holding capacity, porosity, pH, electrical conductivity, C/N ratio, available nutrients and the absence of toxic substances. In the present study a complete characterization of an industrial municipal solid waste compost (MSWC) based on standardized European methods (CEN) for soil improvers and growing media was obtained, and compared with the quality of other Spanish composted biowaste and conventional substrates such as peat and pine bark. The MSWC was obtained from the main composting plant in Galicia (Spain), which processes organic waste that has been separated at origin and collected from more than 100 000 inhabitants.

Pollution attenuation by soils receiving cattle slurry after passage of a slurry-like feed solution. Column experiments.

Designing soil filtration systems or vegetated filter strips as a means of attenuating water pollution should take into account soil purging capacity. Here we report data on laboratory column trials used to investigate the capacity of a Hortic Anthrosol to attenuate contamination due to downward leaching from cattle slurry applied at the surface. The columns comprised 900 g of soil to a depth of about 20-25 cm, and had been used previously in an experiment involving passage of at least 5 pore volumes of an ion-containing cattle slurry-like feed solution.

Chloride, sodium, potassium and faecal bacteria levels in surface runoff and subsurface percolates from grassland plots amended with cattle slurry.

This study investigated the effectiveness of vegetated buffer strips for removing contaminants in runoff from grassed plots (slope 15%) after application of cattle slurry. Plots (8 x 8 m2 or 8 x 3 m2) received slurry or inorganic fertilizer, and then simulated rainfall (1, 7 and 21 days after slurry/fertilizer application); after each event, runoff and percolates were sampled at various distances downslope (2, 4, 6, and 8 m), and analysed for Cl-, Na+, K+ and faecal bacteria contents. Contaminant concentrations were markedly higher in runoff from the slurry-amended plots than in runoff from the fertiliser-amended plots.