Production of compost-based soil mixture from wastewater sludge of biological treatment plants for growing ornamental plants

Kazan National Research Technological University, 68, Karl Marx Street, Kazan, 420015, Russia

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Abstract

The possibility of utilizing sludge from biological treatment facilities to create an organic fertilizer and apply it to the soil for growing ornamental plants in urban landscaping is considered. The results of the agrochemical and microbiological analyzes of sewage sludge and the fertilizer obtained from it are presented. Work was carried out to disinfect and render harmless the sewage sludge. It was demonstrated that the sludge formed during wastewater treatment can be transformed into a fertilizer. A soil mixture composition based on the obtained fertilizers for growing ornamental plants in greenhouses was developed. A selection of components for application to urban soil was carried out; the mixture consists of fertilizer obtained from sewage sludge and zeolite. The experiment included seeds of the Cut-flower Aster variety (Callistephus chinensis L.). The germination rate of ornamental plant seeds in the resulting mixture in laboratory conditions is 70 %, and the survival rate in field conditions − 95 %.