The effect of vermicomposting on kinetic behavior of the products is not well recognized. An incubation study was conducted to investigate C mineralization kinetics of cow manure, sugarcane filter cake and their vermicomposts. Two different soils were treated with the four solid wastes at a rate of 0.5 g solid waste C per kg soil with three replications. Soils were incubated for 56 d. The CO(2)-C respired was monitored periodically and a first-order kinetic model was used to calculate the kinetic parameters of C mineralization. Results indicated that the percentage of C mineralized during the incubation period ranged from 31.9% to 41.8% and 55.9% to 73.4% in the calcareous and acidic soils, respectively. The potentially mineralizable C (C(0)) of the treated soils was lower in the solid waste composts compared to their starting materials. Overall, it can be concluded that decomposable fraction of solid wastes has decreased due to vermicomposting.
Industrial Waste ; prevention & control ; Kinetics ; Refuse Disposal ; methods ; Soil ; analysis ; Soil Pollutants ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

The interaction of salinity stress and plant residue quality on C mineralization kinetics in soil is not well understood. A laboratory experiment was conducted to study the effects of salinity stress on C mineralization kinetics in a soil amended with alfalfa, wheat and corn residues. A factorial combination of two salinity levels (0.97 and 18.2 dS/m) and four levels of plant residues (control, alfalfa, wheat and corn) with three replications was performed. A first order kinetic model was used to describe the C mineralization and to calculate the potentially mineralizable C. The CO(2)-C evolved under non-saline condition, ranged from 814.6 to 4842.4 mg CO(2)-C/kg in control and alfalfa residue-amended soils, respectively. Salinization reduced the rates of CO(2) evolution by 18.7%, 6.2% and 5.2% in alfalfa, wheat and corn residue-amended soils, respectively. Potentially mineralizable C (C(0)) was reduced significantly in salinized alfalfa residue-treated soils whereas, no significant difference was observed for control treatments as well as wheat and corn residue-treated soils. We concluded that the response pattern of C mineralization to salinity stress depended on the plant residue quality and duration of incubation.
Carbon ; chemistry ; Carbon Dioxide ; chemistry ; Cellulose ; metabolism ; Ecosystem ; Kinetics ; Medicago sativa ; metabolism ; Models, Chemical ; Plants ; metabolism ; Salts ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Soil ; Soil Pollutants ; Triticum ; metabolism ; Zea mays ; metabolism