FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY OF COMPOST PRODUCED FROM
AGRICULTURAL WASTE: ASSESSMENT OF RISK
Kostas Komnitsas1, Dimitra Zaharaki2, Despina Vamvuka3
Dpt. Mineral Resources Engineering, Technical University Crete, Chania, Crete, 73100, Greece
1
komni@mred.tuc.gr
2
zaharaki@mred.tuc.gr
3
vamvuka@mred.tuc.gr
ABSTRACT
Agricultural wastes (AW) are often characterized by rather low pH and substantial contamination potential which is usually
related to their high organic load, affecting thus living organisms, soils, water bodies and plants when improperly disposed
of. Composting of AW is the most commonly used management option which results in minimization of the risk for soil,
water and ecosystems while the final product can be used as soil improver to enhance crop growth due to its nutrient
content. However, various parameters should be taken into consideration in order to select the most appropriate composting
method and define the optimum use of the final product. In the present paper, selected parameters such as optimal
conditions for compost production, application rates of compost on soil, limit values for concentrations of heavy metals in
soil as well as risk for humans exposed to various recalcitrant compounds contained in treated or untreated AW, are
presented and discussed. Pre-treatment of AW, careful application on soils, use of standardized procedures to evaluate
toxicity and determination of the fate of contaminants in soil and water will improve sustainability in agriculture and
minimize impacts on ecosystems and human health.
Keywords: agricultural waste, compost, soil, water and human risk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of the European Commission (LIFE+ Environment
Policy & Governance) in the framework of the WasteReuse LIFE10 ENV/GR/594 project, www.wastereuse.eu.
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