The knowledge and experiences gained in the research described in this paper were successfully transferred and used in the research conducted in the frame of our project, since our project is dealing also with the structural materials addition in composting for e.g. different types of soil. In this article results of a long-term field experiment performed to evaluate the impact of minimum tillage (MT) compared to conventional mouldboard ploughing (CT) on soil chemical, physical and microbial properties in a shallow Cambisol formed over fluvioglacial deposits of Drava river in Slovenia are showed. The results indicate that MT generates modest changes in soil structure and soil water retention properties and could support measures against erosion, drought and nutrient leaching. Considering increased microbial biomass in the topsoil of MT and shifts in microbial diversity, the impacts of MT on soil microbiome are also evident and need to be further investigated to identify the affected functional traits.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8210553
The article was published in the online form in 2015 (doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.07.080), so we included it in the report for the year 2015. This study presents an example of blackwater (0.8 L flush water, faeces, urine and toilet paper) composting from low-flush vacuum toilets, which is a part of a pilot-scale source separation system. Blackwater (BW) was collected from vacuum toilets into a tank and applied over peat filters for particle retention and dewatering on the gravity principle to obtain a solid fraction (SF). Before composting, SF was mixed with pine bark and wheat bran. With no mixing, the thermophilic phase was achieved only in the middle layer and lasted for three weeks. Sanitation was indicated by the inactivation of enterobacterial pathogens, the absence of parasites, and the cessation of phytotoxicity. At the end of composting, the NH4+-N/NO3-N mass ratio was between 0.5 and 3.0, which indicates mature compost that is ready for use in agriculture. In terms of the percentage of dry matter, the nutrients were nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium = 3.0:3.2:1.6, with a favourable ratio of C:N = 10, indicating the biological stability of the produced compost. The tested pilot-scale model has thus proved that the composting of SF is a viable option as a part of the separation system.
COBISS.SI-ID: 8230009
The article was published in the online form in 2015 (doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2015.10.010), so we included it in the report for the year 2015. The knowledge and experiences gained in the research described in this paper were successfully transferred and used in the research conducted in the frame of our project, especially in the field of algae cultivation. In the first part of this paper a general overview of techniques that employ hydrodynamic cavitation for cleaning of water and wastewater is presented. In the second part of the paper the focus is on using hydrodynamic cavitation for removal of different pollutants and organisms like toxic cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) and green microalgae (Chlorella vulgaris) from water and wastewater.
COBISS.SI-ID: 3649871