Group photo
@HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein

25 years of research in the field of sewage sludge and organic compost

@HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein

25 years of research in the field of sewage sludge and organic compost

25 years of research show: sewage sludge and organic compost as fertilizer can be used sensibly on fields in the long term if they are of good quality and the soil is controlled

For a quarter of a century (1994), the Higher Federal Teaching and Research Institute for Agriculture Raumberg-Gumpenstein (HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenberg) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna have been analyzing the use of compost in agriculture in cooperation with the waste disposal and recycling company Saubermacher. The results make it clear: Fertilization with sewage sludge and organic compost ensures higher quality soil, clean drinking water and higher yields in agriculture in the long term.

More humus, more phosphate and less nitrate. improved by 0.1 to 0.3 percent when fertilized with sewage sludge and organic compost compared to NPK fertilizer 1 The heavy metal contents have only changed slightly compared to manure compost or NPK. In addition, the nitrate levels were significantly reduced. When fertilized with sewage sludge and organic compost, they were 10 to 20 mg/l water. For comparison: values ​​of just over 50 mg/l water were measured at NPK. Also positive: fertilization with sewage sludge and organic compost resulted in a significant increase in agricultural yields. “If used correctly, sewage sludge and organic composts of good to very good quality can improve the soil, keep drinking water free of nitrates, increase yields and ingredients and do not bring about a significant increase in heavy metal content in the soil and products,” said the “Circular Economy” project group happily “ the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein and BOKU-Wien. “The careful integration of sewage sludge and organic compost of proven quality into a closed cycle is desirable and also necessary in the interests of sustainable agriculture,” explained Gerhard Ziehberger, member of the Saubermacher board.

Project presentationField trials on 28 crops. For the research project, precise field trials in crop rotations and in a silage maize monoculture have been carried out in Bärnbach since 1994. Comparative sewage sludge and organic compost were used for fertilization in all 28 crops in order to investigate the effects of biomass, nutrients and heavy metals on the soil, water and harvested products. The results of 25 years of research were presented on November 12, 2019 as part of the presentation of the bachelor's and master's theses by BOKU Vienna students in the Saubermacher Ecoport.

For environmental and climate-relevant reasons, “human waste” should also be brought back into the cycle as much as possible. In the long term, we have to bring the nutrients and also the valuable biomass back into the cycle.

1Fertilizers that contain nitrogen (N), phosphate (P) and potassium (K) – the core nutrient elements

 

 Dr. Karl Buchgraber