Composting animal manure reduces heavy metal contamination, boosts plant growth.
The study evaluated compost made from animal manure to see how mature it was and if it contained heavy metals. They used a self-screwed turner to mix dairy, beef, and swine manures with sawdust over 63 days. They found that ammonia levels decreased, while nitrate levels increased during composting. The amount of humic acids in the compost increased, but fulvic acids decreased. The temperature and ammonia concentration in the compost pile also changed over time. Seed germination improved during composting, and the compost samples had good germination values at the end. Different composting processes had varying levels of zinc, copper, and lead. This study helps us understand how animal manure compost matures and what metals it contains.