Soil revitalization via waste utilization: Compost effects on soil organic properties, nutritional, sorption and physical properties

Journal Pre-proof Soil revitalization via waste utilization: Compost effects on soil organic properties, nutritional, sorption and physical properties Mayur Shirish Jain, Ajay S. Kalamdhad

PII: DOI: Reference:

S2352-1864(19)30452-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100668 ETI 100668

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Environmental Technology & Innovation

Received date : 18 August 2019 Revised date : 2 February 2020 Accepted date : 9 February 2020 Please cite this article as: M.S. Jain and A.S. Kalamdhad, Soil revitalization via waste utilization: Compost effects on soil organic properties, nutritional, sorption and physical properties. Environmental Technology & Innovation (2020), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eti.2020.100668. This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Soil revitalization via waste utilization: compost effects on soil organic

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properties, nutritional, sorption and physical properties a

Mayur Shirish Jain*, bAjay S Kalamdhad

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a

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and Research, Pune 411045, India

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b

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Guwahati 781039, India

School of Construction Management, National Institute of Construction Management

Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati,

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*Corresponding author

Email: [email protected]; Ph.: +91-90853 92471

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Abstract

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Composting process is a viable method to prepare soil amendment that represents

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suitable aquatic waste management option to treat nitrogen-rich invasive aquatic weed

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Hydrilla verticillata. Two soils viz. laterite (alfisols) and alluvial (fluvisols) with poor

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nutritional value, lower porosity and water-holding capacity were treated using the H.

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verticillata compost. The organic compost was prepared, using H. verticillata, cow

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dung, sawdust and biochar as reported in the earlier study (Jain et al., 2018). The

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Quadrimester (120 days) pot study was conducted in the pots of 0.012 m3 volume.

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The compost was applied in various percentages to both laterite and alluvial soil

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(0,10,20,30% w/w). The effects of compost application on the organic matter, pH,

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nutritional properties, sorption properties and physical properties of soil were

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evaluated at a time interval of 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 days. The significant effect on

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the organic carbon, total nitrogen, and available phosphorus of soil was depicted after

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the application of compost. The addition of compost, aid in raising the pH of soil that

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agrees the neutral range of 7.0-7.2 in both soils. In case of laterite soil the total

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nitrogen content was depicted more (94% increase) when the amount of compost was

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30%, whereas in the alluvial soil the addition of 20% compost gave the better results

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(86% increase) in comparison to untreated and other treated soils. It was observed that

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the application of compost significantly improved the physical properties such as bulk

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density values decreased drastically by 38 and 37% in alluvial and laterite soil,

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respectively.

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Keywords: H. verticillata; biochar; compost; fluvisols; alfisols; bulk density

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1.Introduction Alluvial (AS) and laterite (LS) are the major soil deposits in the Northeastern

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region of India (Nair, 2013; Singnar and Sil, 2018). The alluvial soil is characterized

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as the coarse textured soil due to the sand as a dominant content and less amount of

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silt and clay present in it. This soil has continuously replenished due to the recurrent

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floods and became very weak and immature (Yadav et al., 2000). It is rich in minerals

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such as potash and other chemical compounds such as phosphoric acid as well as

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alkalies. But the nitrogen content of the alluvial soil is very low that ranges 0.5-0.6%

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(Amossé et al., 2015). In addition to the above, the water holding capacity and cation-

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exchange capacity of the alluvial soil is poor, due to the presence of considerable

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amount of sandy particles, which is less beneficial for the agriculture purposes. On the

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other hand, the laterite soil is typically characterized as the sandy soil and is red in

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color due to the presence of iron oxide (Dwevedi et al., 2017). The authors further

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reported that the laterite soil possesses less percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus,

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potassium, lime, and magnesia due to which it is less fertile (Byju et al., 2015). But

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the presence of iron, aluminum, titanium, and manganese oxides (90–100%) makes it

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a useful source of building material (Anifowose, 2000). The fertility and quality of a

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soil can be explained by the availability of the major nutrients viz. nitrogen (N),

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phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in it. According to past reported studies the

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chemical fertilizers had provided the above essential nutrients to the soil but the long-

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term application had also shown the negative impacts on the physical and nutritional

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properties (Rasool et al., 2008; Nayak et al., 2012) by increasing the concentration of

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heavy metals of the soil (Rascio et al., 2011). Therefore, there is a dire need to

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change existing practice of using chemical fertilizer to improve the overall soil health.

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Previously reported studies also suggested that the amendment of organic manure or

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compost is the best option to improve the physical, nutritional and sorption

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characteristics of the soil (Aggelides and Londra, 2000). The amendment of compost not only nourishes the soil but also increases its

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essential nutrients level and the organic matter. It also benefits the soil by improving

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its physical properties such as bulk density, porosity, water holding capacity, cation-

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exchange capacity and other chemicals and biological properties (Tits et al., 2014;

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Curtis and Claassen, 2009; Weber et al., 2007). Compost helps to reduce the financial

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burden of purchasing the chemical fertilizers and can decrease the environmental

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impacts associated with the production of chemical fertilizers and its utilization. Few

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recent studies elaborated the significance of compost application in the soil (Ren et

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al., 2018; Goswami et al., 2017; Vandecasteele et al., 2014; D’Hose et al., 2014).

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According to the authors compost treated soils showed significant positive effects on

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the overall health of the soil in comparison with untreated soils. For instance,

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Willekens et al. (2014) indicated an increase in the available potassium contents after

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the application of the compost to the soil. The application of compost also benefited

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the soil by preventing the leaching of nutrients in the groundwater (Grey and Henry,

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1999; Li et al., 1997).

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H. verticillata is one of the invasive aquatic weed that has found troublesome in

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many parts of the world (Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018a). However, due to its capacity to

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accumulate various nutrients especially nitrogen, it has been widely utilized by many

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researchers for multiple purposes (Edwards, 1980; Pal and Nimse, 2006; Srivastava et

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al., 2010). The researchers had also shown its potential as a sustainable agricultural

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product (Evans and Wilkie, 2010; Meier et al., 2014; Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018b;

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Jain and Kalamdhad, 2019). Thus, it can be hypothesized that the application of the

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compost produced from the H. verticillata can provide the essential nutrients to the

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soil. But only decomposition of H. verticillata will not be possible due to its higher

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moisture content (88-92%). Furthermore, the lower C/N ratio in H. verticillata is

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problematic as it can cause volatilization of ammonia (Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018b).

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The study on H. verticillata compost showed the good nutritional quality when added

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with dry materials such as sawdust, but higher percentage of moisture content (more

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than 75%) was observed at the end of the composting process, which was not

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recommended for application purpose (Jain and Kalamdhad, 2019). Therefore, to

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achieve superior quality compost, it is necessary to add optimum percentage of dry

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materials in the addition to components.

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Biochar is known to be the dry carbonaceous material having moisture content

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between 1-4%, depending upon the type of raw materials and the process of

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production (Jain et al., 2019). Biochar is a promising soil additive that enhances the

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nutrient levels of soil, which not only increases the water retention capacity but also

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improves physical properties of the soil (Herath et al., 2013). Moreover, it improves

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nutrient availability (N or P) by adsorbing cations (Liang et al., 2006) and by

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increasing the pH in acidic soils (Van Zwieten et al., 2010). Due to the above benefits

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of biochar, it was utilized as an additive in the composting of organic wastes that

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possess less C/N ratios than required limits (Sánchez-García et al., 2015; Jindo et al.,

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2016; López-Cano et al., 2016). It had also shown several positive impacts on the

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chemical, biological and physical characteristics of the final product. The recent study

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on composting of nitrogen-rich biomass (H. verticillata) had been found to be very

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promising towards improving the quality of compost (Jain et al., 2018a). Very few

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researchers have performed studies on the application of the composting of aquatic

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weeds (Goswami et al., 2017). Moreover, studies on the application of compost

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prepared from invasive aquatic weed H. verticillata and Biochar to the soil have

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rarely been demonstrated. The present study is focused on the novel approach of the application of the

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biochar amended H. verticillata compost to the alluvial and laterite soils. The

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compost was prepared from H. verticillata and the biochar-amended compost was

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added to enhance the nutritional value and physical health of both soils. The influence

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of this compost on soils was studied by adding it in various proportions to both the

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soils. The study has also assessed the effects of biochar-amended compost on the

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organic matter content, physical, chemical, and nutritional properties of both soils.

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2.Materials and Methods

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2.1 Compost preparation

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The composting feedstocks were prepared by mixing fresh H.verticillata (collected

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from Deepor Beel) with different organic wastes, i.e., saw dust and cow dung in ratio

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8:1:1. Biochar (5% w/w) was used as an additive to achieve the appropriate moisture

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level of the end product as recommended for soil application (Jain et al., 2018a). The

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sawdust and cow dung were collected from wood cutting mill and dairy farm nearby

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to the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IITG) campus, respectively. The

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efficient utilization of these wastes attributed to the sustainable waste management.

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The proportion of various wastes used to prepare the compost is as follows:

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- H.Verticillata (80 kg) + Cow dung (10kg) + Sawdust (10kg) + Biochar (5 kg)

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The detailed information about raw materials and the composting process is

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reported by (Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018b). The compost was prepared using rotary

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drum composter with working volume of 550 L. The composter was operated in batch

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mode. The composter was rotated daily to achieve aerobic conditions. The detention

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period of the composter was 20 days. The detailed description of the composter is

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given in the study by Jain and Kalamdhad, (2018b). The total 105 kg of wastes

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comprised of H. verticillata, cow dung, sawdust and biochar were fed to the

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composter. Temperature, moisture content, and volatile solids were considered as

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controlling parameters of the composting process. The characteristics of the compost

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produced are tabulated in Table 1, which indicates the good quality of compost (Jain

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et al., 2018).

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2.2 Experimental Design

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A Quadrimester (120 days) research study was conducted during the period

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January-April, 2018 in IITG campus. The alluvial soil was collected from the bank of

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Brahmaputra River in the area of Amingaon, in the neighborhood (26°10’57. 3” N,

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91°41’48. 3” E) of IITG campus and the laterite soil was collected from the IITG

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campus (26° 11' 4.5'' N, 91° 41' 35.7'' E). The alluvial soil is a typical fluvial soil

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having average particle size of 18 µm whereas laterite soil is considered as alfisols

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having average particle size of 5 µm. The initial characterization of the soil is

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presented in Table 2. Both soil were characterized with a less amount of nitrogen and

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available phosphorus than the required limits.

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The pot study was conducted in a hard plastic material reactor of working volume

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0.012 m3. At the bottom of the pot, plastic sheet was placed to avoid the loss of water.

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The bottom layer (10-20 cm) was placed with gravels having sizes between 4-16 mm.

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Next layer (30-40 cm) was placed with the homogenized mixture of soil mixed with

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the compost. The soil weight is kept constant (4 kgs) and compost was applied in

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various proportion (0%, 10%, 20%, 30% by total weight of soil) in both the soils.

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Each varying proportion of the mixtures was placed in triplicates. The initial

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characteristics are tabulated in Table 3.

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2.3 Sampling and Analyses

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2.3.1 Sampling

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For each reactor, sampling was carried out in triplicates immediately after placing

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the reactor (referred as day 0 sample) and then after day 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120.

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Sampling was done randomly at a depth of 10 cm with the help of soil auger from

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each pot (Karak et al., 2015). The collected soil samples were subjected to dry in hot

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air oven at 105°C for 24 h and ground to pass through 200µm IS sieve.

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2.3.2 Analyses protocols

The pH for soil sample was measured as per the method described in (Rayment

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and Higginson, 1992). Cation-exchange capacity was determined by 1 M ammonium

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acetate extraction method buffered at pH 7 for 30 min using Atomic absorption

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spectrophotometer. Soil organic carbon was measured by the Walkey and Black

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method (Nelson and Sommers, 1982). Determination of total kjeldahl nitrogen was

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done by using Kjeldahl nitrogen distillation method, whereas available phosphorus by

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colorimetric method as described in (Jain et al., 2018a; Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018b).

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The physical properties such as bulk density and total porosity was determined as

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per the described method by (Xin et al., 2016; Jain and Kalamdhad, 2018b). The

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water holding capacity of the soil was determined by volume basis using method

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described in (Goswami et al., 2017)

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2.4 Statistical Analyses

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In order to determine the significant differences among treatments and the days,

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the data were subjected to two-way ANOVA. For all the statistical analyses, SPSS

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v20.0 was used with 95% confidence level. As noted earlier, the samples gathered

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from individual composting reactors were treated as triplicates for each sampling time

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and their mean with standard deviation is reported, which was calculated using

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Microsoft Excel, 2010.

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3. Results

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3.1 Compost characteristics

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The nutritional value characterized that the compost prepared using H. verticillata,

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cow dung, sawdust, and biochar, is enriched in nitrogen content as well as stabilized

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organic matter. The composting process also achieved thermophilic temperatures

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(68.1°C) thus indicated the hygienic and pathogen-free compost (Jain et al., 2018a).

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The compost utilized in the present study for the application in alluvial and laterite

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soil depicted the values of the mineral elements as tabulated in Table 1. The pH and

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electrical conductivity of the compost were within the range of 7-7.5 and 3.7-3.8,

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which is suitable for the application of soil as recommended by FCO (2009).

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3.2. Effect on soil organic matter, pH and nutritional properties

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The soils were characterized by a deficient soil organic matter (SOM) content,

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which was observed as 1.2 and 4.5% in LS and AS, respectively. However, the rate of

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increase in the application of compost significantly increased the SOM content in all

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the treatments except control LS0 and AS0. The initial SOM values for LS0-LS30

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were 1.2, 17.8, 21.3 and 24.9%, respectively but with the progression in days it was

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observe decreasing and noted as 1.2, 9, 9.6 and 11.4%, respectively. Similarly, for

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AS0-AS30 the initial values were noted as 4.5, 23.7, 27.3 and 31%, respectively. But

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with due period (0-120 days), the SOM content was observed to be decreasing (Fig.

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4.24a) and noted as 4.6, 11.2, 13.8 and 12.6% in AS0-AS30, respectively. The

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treatment with 20% of compost amount (L20) showed maximum reduction of 55%,

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whereas to the AS, it was observed for the AS30 59%. The SOC value of raw AS (2.3%) was observed 3 fold higher compared to that of

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raw LS (0.7%). The prepared compost was characterized by a higher amount of total

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organic carbon approximately 30%, which was more than the recommended value

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(16%) given by FCO (2009). With the increasing application rates of the compost, the

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SOC was observed increasing in all the treatments except the control (LS0 and AS0).

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The day-0 values of SOC for LS0- LS30 were noted as 0.7, 8.9, 10.6 and 12.4% and

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for AS0-AS30 were recorded as 2.4, 11.8, 13.6, and 15.5% respectively. The time

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study showed the significant decrease in the SOC when compared to control as shown

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in Fig. 1b. After 120 days the SOC values for LS0-LS30 were noted as 0.7, 4.5, 4.8,

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and 5.7% and for AS0-AS30 were recorded as 2.5, 5.6, 6.9, 6.3%, respectively. The

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reduction in SOC followed a similar pattern to that of maximum reduction in SOM

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content.

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Initially, the soils were characterized as the acidic soil with pH value 6.9 and 5.9

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for AS and LS, respectively. However, the application of H. verticillata compost

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prepared with biochar had a significant impact on the pH of soil. The pH of both the

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soil rose from acidic to neutral (Table 5), when the rate of application of compost

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increased from 0% to 30%. The study indicated the final pH values for LS0-LS30 as

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5.96, 6.72, 6.81 and 7.03 and for AS0-AS30 as 6.96, 7.08, 7.21 and 7.27, respectively,

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after 120 days, which was significantly higher than that of the baseline or control, i.e.,

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LS0 (5.9) and AS0 (6.9) (Fig. 1c).

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The total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and available phosphorus (AP) content of the

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treated soil samples were obtained from all the treatments, i.e., LS0-LS30 and AS0-

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AS30. The variation in TKN and AP due to percentage application of the compost is

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shown in Fig. 1d and 1e. The immediate positive effect on TKN and AP concentration

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was seen, as compared to the control for both the treatments. Higher the rate of

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application of compost, higher the 0-day values of TKN and AP observed in this

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study. The TKN and AP contents of the AS0-AS30 treatments were higher as

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compared to that of LS0-LS30. However, with the progression of time of application

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of the compost, both nutrients showed reduction as shown in (Fig. 1). The recorded

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final TKN values for LS0-LS30 were 0.11, 0.67, 0.77 and 1.0% and AS0-AS30 were

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0.31, 0.91, 1.55, 1.15%, respectively after 120 days, which was significantly higher

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than that of the control, i.e., LS0 and AS0. Similarly, for AP the values were noted as

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0.9, 0.99, 1.39 and 1.31 g/kg and 0.21, 0.56, 0.68 and 0.91 for AS0-AS30 and LS0-

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LS30, respectively. The study showed higher TKN and AP concentration in AS20 and

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LS30 compared to other trials.

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3.3. Effect on soil sorption properties

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The sorption capacity of the compost prepared using biochar indicated a high level

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of cation-exchange capacity (CEC) as well as water holding capacity (WHC) than the

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recommended range, and therefore its application in soil (AS and LS) caused a

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considerable decrease in its potential acidity, increase in CEC and WHC (Table 4).

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This effect was not distinctly expressed in the first month of the experiment, while the

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CEC and WHC increased in the following months as shown in Fig. 2a. All pots

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amended with composts showed significantly higher CEC and WHC compared with

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the control and baseline. In case of soil amended with 20% compost in AS (AS20)

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and 30% in LS (LS30), it was noticed that the CEC as well as WHC was higher than

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other trials. The CEC and WHC were related to differential compost rates and

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distinctly changed with time and increase was perceived within 45 days. On day-120

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CEC and WHC content found significantly higher, compared to the control, in all the

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treatments as shown in Table 4.

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3.4. Effect on soil physical properties

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The bulk densities (BD) of LS and AS were 1.36 and 1.67 g cm-3, respectively.

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The application of compost influenced the soil BD by lowering its 0-day value of raw

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soil. The BD for all treated soil samples were recorded as 1.67, 1.58, 1.34 and 1.21 in

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AS0-AS30 and 1.36, 1.21, 1.05, 0.987 g cm-3 in LS0 - LS30, respectively. Smaller BD

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values were observed in all the soil samples treated with the higher percentage of

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compost with an average of 1.47 and 1.14 g cm-3 in AS and LS, respectively (Fig. 3a).

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The lower percentage of compost showed higher BD values in both the soil samples

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(1.60 and 1.25 g cm-3 on an average in AS and LS, respectively). A higher BD value

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indicates lesser porosity and lesser porosity indicates lesser that soil is highly dense

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and thus decreases WHC. An opposite effect was perceived for TP when compared to

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the facts obtained for BD. The TP of the raw AS and LS was 45 and 55%, and it

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increased with the increase in percentage of compost applied to both the soils.

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4. Discussion

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The composts used in this research work showed the enhanced mineral

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composition and nutrients characteristics when compared to other composts that were

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prepared from different wastes such as sewage sludge, municipal solid wastes, agro-

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industrial wastes which have been used so far as organic fertilizers (Paredes et al.,

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2005; Fernández-Hernández et al., 2014).

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Soil Organic matter content is an essential element in the soil that supplies

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necessary plant nutrients, aid in reducing soil erosion, and improves soil aggregation

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as well as water holding capacity (Ryals et al., 2014). SOM is the primary source that

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provides carbon as energy to the soil microbes, which regulate the nutrients in their

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bodies (Cooperband, 2002). The poor SOM content in both soils is mainly due to the

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heavy rainfall that occurs in the study area (Guwahati, Assam). The recurrent flood

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washes away the SOM from the topsoil surface. But the application of organic

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compost showed an immediate positive effect on both soils, i.e., SOM content showed

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the significant increase with increasing percentage of compost. However, when 120

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days of study was considered, the decreasing SOM content was found in all the

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treatments compared to control the SOM content. This fact might be due to the

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mineralization process that had been occurred in the soil by the microbial biomass

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(Marschner and Kalbitz, 2003; Kemmitt et al., 2008). The SOM content can also be

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declined because of the erosion and repeated cultivation (Wolka and Melaku, 2015).

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Other researchers observed the similar patterns for SOM during various compost

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amendments in sandy and various soils (Navas et al., 1998; Baiano and Morra, 2017;

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Goswami et al., 2017; Weber et al., 2007).

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So, far many researchers have explained the fact about the increase in the SOC

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after the application of biochar (Lehmann et al., 2011; Kuppusamy et al., 2016).

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Biochar is a carbon-rich material. Hence, in the present study, the combination of H.

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verticillata and biochar significantly increased the SOC content with the increasing

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percentage of compost in both soils. However, SOC was seen to be reducing with

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time in all the treatments. The reduction of carbon from the substrates varied between

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10-70% that depends on the soil micro-flora and the synthesized microbial cells. Even

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after 120 days of the compost application, the SOC contents were observed as higher

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as compared to the control pots for both the soils, i.e., LS0 and AS0, respectively.

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The pH of the raw soil (LS and AS) used in this study was observed as acidic. This

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study followed the similar pattern for the soil pH as observed in other studies on

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sandy soils (Fowles, 2007; Bass et al., 2016). However, it was contradictory to the

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study carried out by Abujabhah et al. (2016) on the temperate agricultural soil. The effect of biochar-amended compost on the pH of soil is reliant on the initial

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pH of the raw materials and the biochar itself, which is dependent on the type of the

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feedstocks and the pyrolysis was used for biochar production (Lehmann et al., 2011;

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Abujabhah et al. 2016). As the biochar utilized in this research work had a slightly

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basic pH of 8, therefore, it was apparent to exhibit the increase in the pH due to its

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higher buffering capacity. The decrease in the organic matter might also be

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responsible for the rise in the soil pH due to the microbial activity. This pattern is

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following the other studies that are reported on the application of compost on various

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soils (Jiang et al., 2006; Wolka and Melaku, 2015). According Jiang et al. (2016), the

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high value of pH (9-10) may increase the microbial community and can change its

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composition.

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The LS soil exhibited lower nutritional (TKN and AP) values compared to that of

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AS. As anticipated, application of the nutrients enriched compost showed the

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immediate positive effect during the treatment of both the soils. Many researchers

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observed the similar patterns for TKN and AP after applying the compost (Lehmann

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et al., 2011; Abujabhah et al. 2016). The TKN and AP were observed to be reducing

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with time in all the treatments. According to Wolka and Melaku (2015), the decline in

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nutrients might occur due to the leaching or nitrification process. The reduction also

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depends on the soil micro-flora and the synthesized microbial cells. Even after 120

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days of the compost application, the higher TKN and AP values were depicted as

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compared to the control pots of both soils, i.e., LS0 and AS0, respectively. A

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fascinating observation was represented in this study that despite of applying higher

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percentage of compost (30%) in AS soil (AS30), it showed lesser increment in TKN

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and AP content when compared with AS20. This fact is due to the significant

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reduction in porosity, which caused substantial leaching of the nutrients (Baiano and

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Morra, 2017; Goswami et al., 2017). However, in the case of LS30, the higher amount

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of TKN and AP concentration was observed as compared to other trials.

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351

The impact of compost application on soil physicochemical properties may have

352

advantageous effects on the soil sorption capacity, i.e., WHC and CEC. Various

353

researchers have observed the similar results for CEC and WHC after the application

354

of compost (Gallardo-Lara and Nogales, 1987; Leifeld et al., 2002; Weber et al.,

355

2007). However, the amount of compost, amended did not affect the soil reaction. The

356

compost prepared using biochar had shown significant changes in the soil porosity

357

that aid in improving its sorption or hydraulic properties. Curtis and Claassen (2005)

358

reported a 2-fold increase in WHC after applying 24% compost in the soil.

In the present study, both WHC and CEC increased with the increasing percentage

360

of compost. This WHC pattern in this study agrees with the pattern followed by other

361

studies on the application of compost conducted on various soils (Aggelides and

362

Londra, 2000). However, the study by Mamo et al. (2000) reported no significant

363

effect on the WHC after applying the compost.

rna lP

359

Biochar is also known for its higher affinity for CEC and WHC. In the present

365

study, the addition of Biochar improved the CEC and WHC. Abel et al. (2013) also

366

reported such increasing pattern of WHC in sandy soils. But according to Xu et al.

367

(2012), improvements in soil WHC by Biochar additions were mainly restricted to

368

coarse-textured soils. Previous studies reported the improvement in physical

369

properties of soil after the application of compost (Celik et al., 2004; Głąb, 2014). In

370

this study, the application of compost significantly impacted the physical properties of

371

both the soils. According to Głąb et al. (2018), these changes in BD and TP are

372

primarily due to an addition of less dense material (compost) with the soil. Similar

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364

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patterns were also observed on fine and coarse-textured soils in the earlier studies

374

(Celik et al., 2004; Głąb, 2014; Głąb et al., 2016). A review study also presented a

375

healthy relationship between the compost application and its impact on the physical

376

properties of soil (Hargreaves et al., 2008). The higher is the percentage of compost

377

applied to the soil, the lower is the BD and higher is the TP values of the soil. This

378

variation in BD and TP is following the pattern that is reported in other studies

379

(Aggelides and Londra, 2000; Pagliai et al., 2004). Variations in BD were suggested

380

in the differential porosity of the soil. Thus compost application increased the pore

381

volume as compared to the control. A similar effect was observed in the study

382

conducted by Larney and Angers (2012) and they noted that soil microporosity and

383

macroporosity increased with the increase in the percentage of compost or livestock.

384

Moreover, an addition of the biochar during composting significantly aided in

385

improving the physical health of the soil after the application of compost as compared

386

to the control samples of LS and AS.

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repro of

373

According to Tejada and Gonzalez (2008) and Jien and Wang (2013), the biochar

388

amendment in the soil contributed in altering soil aggregate sizes, which in turn

389

decreased the bulk density of the soil. Even after 120 days of the compost application,

390

the lower BD and TP contents were depicted when compared to the control pots of

391

both soils (LS0 and AS0).

392 393

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387

5. Conclusion

394

The compost utilized in this study was rich in the essential mineral composition

395

such as nitrogen (5.2%), available phosphorus (3.4 g kg-1), and potassium (38.1 g kg-

396

1

397

content to a greater extent might be possible due to the presence of biochar in the

) that was beneficial for applying to the soil. The increase in the organic carbon

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compost. The nitrogen-rich compost prepared using H. verticillata found to be

399

beneficial to raise the nitrogen content by 1% in laterite soil that contained 30%

400

compost whereas 1.5% in alluvial soil that owed 20% compost. Another significant

401

effect of compost application was seen on sorption properties, i.e., water holding

402

capacity and cation exchange capacity increased with the increasing percentage of

403

compost. The presence of biochar in the compost played a significant role in

404

decreasing the bulk density whereas an inverse effect was seen to the total porosity.

405

The lowest bulk density (1.21 and 0.98 g cm-3) was depicted with the maximum

406

percentage of compost applied to alluvial and laterite soil, respectively, measured

407

after 120 days. After the thorough understanding, the effect of compost application on

408

various properties of AS and LS, the authors recommend to use the novel compost

409

(prepared using H. verticillata, cow dung, sawdust, and biochar) on alluvial and

410

laterite soil at the rate of 20% and 30%, respectively, to achieve the better soil health.

411

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repro of

398

412

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413

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414

Impact of biochar and hydrochar addition on water retention and water repellency

415

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632

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644

repro of

Fig. 1. Fig.1. Variation in a) Soil organic matter; b) Soil organic carbon; c) pH, b) Total kjeldahl N and c) Available P Fig. 2. Variation in a) Cation-exchange capacity and b) Water holding capacity Fig. 3. Variation in a) Bulk Density and b) Total Porosity

rna lP

652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692

Captions in the illustrations

Jou

645 646 647 648 649 650 651

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8.0

a

7.0

repro of

Soil Organic Matter (%)

693 694 695

6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0 16.0

b

12.0 10.0 8.0 6.0 4.0 2.0

Jou

0.0

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Soil Organic Carbon (%)

14.0

Journal Pre-proof

7.3

c

7.1

repro of

6.9

pH

6.7 6.5 6.3 6.1 5.9

2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5

2.5 2.0 1.5

Jou

Available Phosphorus (g/kg)

0.0

rna lP

Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (%)

2.5

e

1.0 0.5 0.0

696

d

AS0

AS10

AS20

AS30 LS0 Treatments

LS10

LS20

Day 0

Day 15

Day 30

Day 45

Day 90

Day 120

Day 60

LS30

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697 698

Fig.1. Variation in a) Soil organic matter; b) Soil organic carbon; c) pH, b) Total kjeldahl N and c) Available P a

90

repro of

Cation-exchange Capacity (cmol/kg)

80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Water Holding Capacity (%)

70 60 50 40 30 20 10

Jou

0

rna lP

80

AS0

Day 0

699 700 701 702 703 704

AS10

AS20

AS30 LS0 Treatments

LS10

LS20

Day 15

Day 30

Day 45

Day 90

Day 120

Day 60

LS30

Fig. 2. Variation in a) Cation-exchange capacity and b) Water holding capacity

b

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705 706 707 a

repro of

1.7 1.6

Bulk Denisty (g/cm3)

1.5 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.1 1

75 70

Porosity (%)

65 60 55 50

Jou

45

b

rna lP

0.9

40

AS0

Day 0

708 709 710 711

AS10

AS20

AS30 LS0 Treatments

LS10

LS20

Day 15

Day 30

Day 45

Day 90

Day 120

Day 60

Fig. 3. Variation in a) Bulk Density and b) Total Porosity

LS30

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Table 1. Chemical, Nutritional and physical properties of tested composts made of H.verticillata, cow dung, saw dust Parameters Units Compost and biochar (mean±std.) Dry Matter Volatile Solids pH

41±0.7

%

55±3.3

7.6±0.1

Electrical Conductivity

dS/m

3.7±0.2

Total Organic Carbon

%

30±3.1

Total Kjeldhal Nitrogen

%

5.2±0.1

Available Phosphorus

g/kg

3.4±0.5

Potassium

g/kg

38.1±0.3

g/kg

48.6±0.2

g/kg

1.4±1.5

g/cm3

0.76±0.12

%

98.1±0.3

Calcium Sodium Bulk density Porosity Free Air Space

%

Particle Density

kg/m

51±2.4

3

1.57±0.3

Table 2. Initial Characteristics of soils used in the experiments Parameters

Laterite Soil (LS)

Alluvial Soil (AS)

Moisture Content

(%)

24±1.2

34±1.7

Soil Organic Matter

(%)

1.2±0.3

4.5±0.1

5.96±0.01

6.93±0.02

Soil Organic Carbon

(%)

0.7±0.2

2.3±0.5

Total Nitrogen

(%)

0.1±0.0

0.31±0.0

Available Phosphorus

(g/kg)

0.13±0.04

0.9±0.07

Cation Exchange Capacity

(cmol/kg)

5±0.4

12±0.8

(%)

12±0.3

18±1.0

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pH

Water Holding Capacity

740 741 742

%

rna lP

713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739

3

Bulk density

(g/cm )

1.36±0.1

1.67±0.1

Porosity

(%)

55±2.1

45±3.0

Sand

(%)

32±0.5

15±0.5

Silt

(%)

56±0.7

65±0.3

Clay

(%)

12±0.4

20±0.3

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Weight of

s Name

Soil (kgs)

LS0

4

LS10

4

LS20

4

LS30

4

AS0

4

AS10

4

AS20

4

AS30

4

% Compost

Total Weight

repro of

Treatment

Application (kgs)

(kgs)

0% (0)

4

10% (0.4)

4.4

20% (0.8)

4.8

30% (1.2)

5.2

0% (0)

4

10% (0.4)

4.4

20% (0.8)

4.8

30% (1.2)

5.2

rna lP

747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779

Table 3. Mix proportions of different trials

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743 744 745 746

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Table 4. Initial (0th day) and Final (120th day) characteristics after compost application in soil

783 784

Units

LS0

LS10

LS20

LS30

AS0

AS10

AS20

AS30

After compost application (0th day) Soil Organic Matter (%)

24

24

24

24

4.5

23.7

27.3

31.0

pH

5.96

6.51

6.59

6.71

6.94

6.99

7.07

7.12

Soil Organic Carbon

(%)

0.7

8.9

10.6

12.4

2.4

11.9

13.7

15.5

Total Nitrogen

(%)

0.1

1.4

1.8

2.1

0.3

1.9

2.2

2.5

Available Phosphorus

(g/kg)

0.2

1.0

1.3

1.7

0.9

1.2

1.6

2.0

Cation Exchange Capacity

(cmol/kg)

5

17

38

47

12

37

56

62

Water Holding Capacity

(%)

10

14

22

27

18

25

31

37

(g/cm )

1.36

1.05

0.99

1.3

1.67

1.58

1.34

1.21

(%)

55

59

62

65

45

61

66

68

After 4 months (120 day) Soil Organic Matter (%)

24

24

24

4.5

4.5

11.2

13.8

12.6

pH

5.96

6.72

6.81

7.03

6.96

7.08

7.21

7.27

3

Bulk density Total Porosity th

(%)

0.7

4.5

4.8

5.7

2.4

5.6

6.9

6.0

Total Nitrogen

(%)

0.1

0.7

0.8

1.0

0.3

0.9

1.6

1.15

Available Phosphorus

(g/kg)

0.2

0.5

0.7

0.9

0.9

1.0

1.4

1.3

Cation Exchange Capacity

(cmol/kg)

5

27

49

72

12

52

79

78

Water Holding Capacity

(%)

10

32

44

61

18

45

52

68

(g/cm )

1.36

1.29

1.31

1.3

1.67

1.63

1.55

1.59

(%)

55

52

54

58

45

45

50

49

Total Porosity

3

Table 5. Results from a two-factor ANOVA testing for the effects of days and compost rates on two different soil parameters Facto d Parametersa rs f SO SOC pH TN AP CEC WHC BD TP M F p F p F p F p F p F p F p F p F Treat 7 2 < 4 < 51 < 6 < 7 < 3 < 6 < 6 < 2 ments 6 . 7. . 4. . 6. . 8. . 7 . 9. . 4. . 0. 0 6 0 4 0 4 0 6 0 8 0 1 0 7 0 2 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 Days 6 1 < 1 < 11 < 1 < 1 < 1 < 1 < 8. < 1 6 . 6. . .4 . 5. . 0. . 4. . 5. . 2 . 1. 0 4 0 9 0 0 0 3 0 5 0 0 1 0 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 a SOM: Soil organic matter; SOC: Soil organic carbon; TN: Total Nitrogen; AP: Available Phosphorus; CEC: Cation-exchange capacity; WHC: Water Holding capacity; BD: Bulk density; TP: Total porosity.

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790 791 792 793 794

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Soil Organic Carbon

Bulk density

785 786 787 788 789

repro of

Parameters

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p < . 0 5 < . 0 5

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795 Highlights  Alluvial and laterite soil possesses poor nutritional value  Compost prepared from H. verticillata and biochar has potential to improve soil health.  This study evaluated soil organic, physical and nutritional properties.  Compost addition aid in increasing soil porosity  Total Kjeldahl N and Available P were seen increasing after compost application.

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796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809

812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822

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810

823

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824

Authors Contribution

826

Title: Soil revitalization via waste utilization: compost effects on soil organic properties, nutritional, sorption and physical properties

827 828 829 830 831 832 833

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825

 Dr. Mayur Shirish Jain: Framed the study, collection of the wastes, and soil, preparation of compost mix and compost, physical, chemical and biological analyses, Data collection and Article writing.  Prof. Ajay S Kalamdhad: Helped on technical check with the proof reading.

834 835 836

839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849

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Author declaration

852

1. Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest exists.

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853 854 855 856

We wish to confirm that there are no known conflicts of interest associated with this publication and there has been no significant financial support for this work that could have influenced its outcome.

857

2. Funding

858 859

No funding was received for this work. 3. Authorship

We confirm that the manuscript has been read and approved by all named authors.

861 862

We confirm that the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all named authors.

863

4. Contact with the Editorial Office

864

The Corresponding Author declared on the title page of the manuscript is:

865

[Mayur Shirish Jain]

866 867

This author submitted this manuscript using his/her account in Elsevier Online System.

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860

We understand that this Corresponding Author is the sole contact for the Editorial process. He/she is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions of revisions and final approval of proofs.

871 872

We confirm that the email address shown below is accessible by the Corresponding Author.

873

[[email protected]]

874 875 876 877

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868 869 870

Dr. Mayur Shirish Jain Corresponding author

38