Distinctive features of composts of different origin: a thorough examination of the characterization results

Abstract

The potential of composts produced from different origin residues to be used in environmentally friendly agriculture is addressed in this work. Seven composts obtained from different raw materials and composting methodologies are compared using elemental, thermal and spectroscopic characterization data. Despite the stabilization of the organic matter in all composts being adequate for agricultural applications, they display distinct elemental and structural compositions. Likewise, the fertilisers have very different effects on lettuce growth. Despite the observed differences, some common features were found, namely a mass loss (TGA) of 25.2 g <i>per</i> mol C, association between groups of elements (<i>Fe</i>, <i>Al</i>, <i>Ni</i>, <i>Co</i>, <i>Cr</i>, <i>Cu</i> and <i>S</i>; <i>Mg</i>, <i>Na</i>, <i>K</i> and <i>P</i>, <i>C</i>, <i>C_oxi</i>, <i>N</i> and <i>Pb</i>) and correlations between the amount of carbon nanostructures and the characteristic aromaticity parameters. These results suggest that the tuning of the compost features for specific cultures may be possible for sustainable food production.