Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture

The growth of the global population, coupled with concomitant economic development, has resulted in the generation of a substantial quantity of waste. The transition of the European Union’s economy towards a closed-loop model is prompting a comprehensive search for waste management concepts across a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Halyna Kominko, Katarzyna Gorazda, Katarzyna Łoś, Zbigniew Wzorek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-11-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2788
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850050292566982656
author Halyna Kominko
Katarzyna Gorazda
Katarzyna Łoś
Zbigniew Wzorek
author_facet Halyna Kominko
Katarzyna Gorazda
Katarzyna Łoś
Zbigniew Wzorek
author_sort Halyna Kominko
collection DOAJ
description The growth of the global population, coupled with concomitant economic development, has resulted in the generation of a substantial quantity of waste. The transition of the European Union’s economy towards a closed-loop model is prompting a comprehensive search for waste management concepts across a range of industrial sectors. The objective of this study is to valorise deinking paper sludge, which has a high potential for soil formation due to its high organic matter content. To produce organic–mineral fertiliser, the deinking sludge was subjected to acid hydrolysis, then neutralised with KOH solution and enriched with poultry litter ash. The final products were characterised in terms of their nutrient and heavy metal content. The bioavailability of phosphorus, along with the forms in which it occurs in fertilisers, was determined through the implementation of a five-step fractionation procedure. Furthermore, an eight-week incubation period was conducted to assess the fertilisers’ performance in soil. Soil samples were tested on a weekly basis for pH, water-soluble and bioavailable phosphorus content using the spectroscopic method after previous extraction in water and Bray’s solution, and catalase activity using the titrimetric method. The resulting fertilisers were found to meet the requirements for organo-mineral fertilisers and were categorised as PK-type fertilisers with a total nutrient content of 24.6–39.3%. Fractionation studies demonstrated that the fertilisers contained 20–30% of the total potentially bioavailable phosphorus. Furthermore, the long-term release of phosphorus from the fertilisers was confirmed through incubation studies. Additionally, the fertilisers were observed to contribute to an increase in catalase activity in the soil.
format Article
id doaj-art-cfd3e2b91c264fb18770a81e4f735bd9
institution DOAJ
issn 2073-4395
language English
publishDate 2024-11-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Agronomy
spelling doaj-art-cfd3e2b91c264fb18770a81e4f735bd92025-08-20T02:53:30ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952024-11-011412278810.3390/agronomy14122788Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable AgricultureHalyna Kominko0Katarzyna Gorazda1Katarzyna Łoś2Zbigniew Wzorek3Department of Chemical Technology and Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, PolandDepartment of Chemical Technology and Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, PolandDepartment of Chemical Technology and Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, PolandDepartment of Chemical Technology and Environmental Analytics, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Cracow University of Technology, Warszawska 24, 31-155 Cracow, PolandThe growth of the global population, coupled with concomitant economic development, has resulted in the generation of a substantial quantity of waste. The transition of the European Union’s economy towards a closed-loop model is prompting a comprehensive search for waste management concepts across a range of industrial sectors. The objective of this study is to valorise deinking paper sludge, which has a high potential for soil formation due to its high organic matter content. To produce organic–mineral fertiliser, the deinking sludge was subjected to acid hydrolysis, then neutralised with KOH solution and enriched with poultry litter ash. The final products were characterised in terms of their nutrient and heavy metal content. The bioavailability of phosphorus, along with the forms in which it occurs in fertilisers, was determined through the implementation of a five-step fractionation procedure. Furthermore, an eight-week incubation period was conducted to assess the fertilisers’ performance in soil. Soil samples were tested on a weekly basis for pH, water-soluble and bioavailable phosphorus content using the spectroscopic method after previous extraction in water and Bray’s solution, and catalase activity using the titrimetric method. The resulting fertilisers were found to meet the requirements for organo-mineral fertilisers and were categorised as PK-type fertilisers with a total nutrient content of 24.6–39.3%. Fractionation studies demonstrated that the fertilisers contained 20–30% of the total potentially bioavailable phosphorus. Furthermore, the long-term release of phosphorus from the fertilisers was confirmed through incubation studies. Additionally, the fertilisers were observed to contribute to an increase in catalase activity in the soil.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2788fertilisersorganic matter recyclingdeinking paper sludgephosphorus fractionationwaste management
spellingShingle Halyna Kominko
Katarzyna Gorazda
Katarzyna Łoś
Zbigniew Wzorek
Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
Agronomy
fertilisers
organic matter recycling
deinking paper sludge
phosphorus fractionation
waste management
title Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
title_full Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
title_fullStr Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
title_full_unstemmed Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
title_short Valorisation of Deinking Paper Sludge for Fertiliser Purposes: New Perspective in Sustainable Agriculture
title_sort valorisation of deinking paper sludge for fertiliser purposes new perspective in sustainable agriculture
topic fertilisers
organic matter recycling
deinking paper sludge
phosphorus fractionation
waste management
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/14/12/2788
work_keys_str_mv AT halynakominko valorisationofdeinkingpapersludgeforfertiliserpurposesnewperspectiveinsustainableagriculture
AT katarzynagorazda valorisationofdeinkingpapersludgeforfertiliserpurposesnewperspectiveinsustainableagriculture
AT katarzynałos valorisationofdeinkingpapersludgeforfertiliserpurposesnewperspectiveinsustainableagriculture
AT zbigniewwzorek valorisationofdeinkingpapersludgeforfertiliserpurposesnewperspectiveinsustainableagriculture