International Journal of Waste Resources

Sustainable solutions for urban waste streams

5^th World Convention on Recycling and Waste Management

September 11- 12, 2017 Singapore

Augustine Quek, Yen Wah Tong, Karina Gin, Chi-Hwa Wang, Yiliang He and Yanjun Dai

National University of Singapore, Singapore
Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Scientific Tracks Abstracts: Int J Waste Resour

Abstract:

Oman Haya Water Company has developed its pioneering Kala Composting Plant to enable the efficient reuse of sewage bio-solids and green waste enabling their conversion to a compost product that can be used for agriculture, landscaping and energy generation. With Kala Compost the company is achieving the twin benefits of finding a practical way to reuse water and green waste that will benefit farmers, municipal authorities and individual gardeners, while finding a way to process waste that prevents the build-up of greenhouse gases, however high application of sewage biosolids could result in heavy metals accumulation and many health problems. Therefore, sewage biosolids applied to agricultural land must be treated and tested to determine nutrient content and to ensure they meet provincial quality standards. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different fertilizers especially Kala compost on the quality of soil and crops. Moreover, utilize Kala compost for biogas generation. The study was conducted at Sultan Qaboos University, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Agricultural Experiments Station open field with six commercial crops (cucumber, tomato, cabbage, lettuce, carrot and potato). Kala application improved soil physiochemical properties by increasing the water-holding capacity, reducing soil bulk density and adding mix nutrients compared to NPK fertilizer. Good plant growth was observed with higher plant production and better water productivity in Kala compared to NPK treatments. Generally, it can be concluded that Kala compost was a good media for plant growth supporting plant with many elements needed for high production. Chemical analysis did not show any problem of heavy metal accumulation either in soil or plant samples. Biologically, all tested crops were free from any microbial contamination. Using Kala compost as a fertilizer will support organic farming practices but farmers should evaluate its applicability with long run applications. The second phase of the project is to convert Kala compost to liquid fertilizer and produce biogas for energy generation.

Biography :

Augustine Quek is the Program Manager of the E2S2-CREATE program. He has held various positions from Post-doctoral Researcher to faculty position. His research has dealt with converting various solid wastes streams into useful materials which include converting waste rubber tyres into wastewater treatment adsorbents, hydrothermal treatment of horticultural wastes and utilizing incineration bottom ash (IBA) for land reclamation.