Smart organic amendments: Composted household waste and olive pomace to improve soil physicochemical qualities

¹ Civil Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (LGCE), Water and Environmental Materials Team, Higher School of Technology in Salé, MA11060 Salé, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco
² INRA, Regional Center for Agronomic Research of Rabat, Research Unit on the Environment and the Natural Resources Conservation, MA10112 Rabat, Morocco

^* Corresponding author: ayoub_doughmi@um5.ac.ma

Abstract

Composting is a good example of circular-economy ideas in agriculture. It turns organic waste, such household organics and olive-oil dregs, into compost that adds carbon and nutrients back to the soil, keeps garbage out of landfills, and cuts down on the need for synthetic fertilizers. This lessens the damage that making and using fertilizer does to the environment, improves water quality, and helps fight climate change by storing carbon in the soil. This study examined composts produced from household organic waste and olive pomace, used either separately or in conjunction, on sandy soil. We introduced compost mixtures (D, Gr, and GD1-GD4) at a rate of 5-20% after the composting process had been going on for 120 days. Sodium, TOC, EC, pH, potassium, phosphorus, and OM were all measured in the soil. Increases in fertility are dose-dependent, according to the results. The two main areas that were most affected by GD2 (20%) were TOC (27.57% increase) and OM (47.53% increase). Twenty percent of the GD1 was nitrogen. The amounts of potassium and phosphorus were highest in D20. Although the EC of D20 was 2091 µS/cm, which is within the allowed range, it still requires regular monitoring to prevent salt accumulation.