Abstract—Recycling composted organic waste for agricultural use is gaining interest in Vietnam. This study investigated the effect of using composted municipal solid waste (MSW) as fertilizer to grow Sudan grass (Panicum maximum) and compared it with composted sewage sludge (SS), composted cow dung (CD), and traditional urea-based chemical fertilizer. A cultivation experiment (using containers) was conducted by growing the grass in sandy loam-textured soil using an automatic irrigation system in a greenhouse. ¹⁵N labeled urea-N was used to distinguish N (nitrogen) that derived from urea-N or from compost. The various types of compost (MSW, SS, CD) and urea-N were applied as a basal fertilizer (incorporating into soil), while additional urea-N fertilizer was applied 4 weeks after planting. There was no significant difference in either grass shoot length or shoot dry weight among the MSW, SS, and urea-N treatments and their values were higher than grass grown under the CD treatment. The order of percent N uptake by grass derived from compost was as follows: MSW (39.4%) = SS (39.6%) > CD (17.1%). In contrast, approximately 4.0% of N derived from urea-N was assimilated by the grass. Approximately two-thirds of the urea-N fertilizer was lost by leaching while half of N derived from organic fertilizers remained in the soil. The amount of leached N from soil decreased in the following order: MSW = CD > SS. These results provide data needed to support the development programs for organic waste recycling and agricultural use of organic waste-based fertilizers in Vietnam.

 

Index Terms—municipal solid waste, sewage sludge, N uptake, leaching, agricultural use, Vietnam

Cite: Hoang Thi Quynh, Shima Kazuto, and Nguyen Thanh Binh, "Evaluation of Composted Municipal Solid Waste for Agricultural Use in Vietnam," Journal of Advanced Agricultural Technologies, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 14-18, March 2018. Doi: 10.18178/joaat.5.1.14-18