back to the roots – the art of composting and the humus...
TRANSCRIPT
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
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment
Lal, 2008
Key agricultural practices supporting C-sequestration in in soils
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 5
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
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 6
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.
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 7
• 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 !
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 8
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
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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 Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 13
Organic Matter increase in compost amendedsoils – field trials
Foto: Hartl et al. (2014); Vienna compost trial from 1992
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 14
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
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 15
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 Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 16
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 )
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 17
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
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 18
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
Organic Resources and Biological Treatment Sheet 19
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
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What compost do we need?
Compost from an industrialwaste treatment facility
Compost from an open windrowcomposting plant
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Windrow Composting …… Natural Aeration
Oxigen supply by diffusion &convection
Sufficient material structure & pore volume+ FREQUENT turning
Air supply
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Inhomogene conditions induce inefficient composting process!
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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
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The controlledprocess: °C & CO2
oC & CO2 in a controlled process
CO2
oC
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Every plant manager MUST have experience in composting by his own hands
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Austria
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