The quality of composts prepared in automatic composters from fruit waste generated by the production of beverages

Abstract

Ensuring the processing of food waste from the production of food and beverages in the automatic composters can be difficult because of the physicochemical properties of input raw materials. Very often, the final product does not meet the requirements for composts according to the European Compost Network. Optimisation of input food waste from the production of beverages was performed by the addition of the bulk materials such as sawdust and clay minerals (bentonite). Toxicity of the compost is caused by organic compounds with polar and non polar properties. These compounds belong to the groups of alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids, tannin, and phenols, coumarins and terpenes. Phytotoxicity is mostly influenced by the group of terpenes. The addition of sawdust used as bulking agent decreases the concentrations of almost all chemical compounds. The group of tannin and compounds containing phenols represents an exception because these compounds are released from sawdust.