Spectral characterization and quality assessment of organic compost for agricultural purposes

Purpose The study presents the physico-chemical, heavy metal and spectral characterization of aerobic compost to assessthe suitability of its use for different purposes generated from two different municipal solid waste dumpsites located in thecities of Solan and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.Methods The spectral characteristics of the compost material were determined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM),Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) technique. The heavy metal analysis of compost materialwas analyzed through atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The study also focused on the determination of the qualitativenature of compost by utilizing an indexing method based on Fertilizer Control Order (FCO) Standards. The utility of thecompost was characterized on the values of ‘Fertility Index’ and ‘Clean Index’.Results The Fertility Index (FI) of compost for Solan and Mandi was observed 3.5 and 3.6, respectively, whereas CleanIndex (CI) of compost for both regions was observed 4.0 and 5.0 at the 60th day of sampling, respectively, with the formerbeing classified as category D and the second being classified as category A of high fertilizing potential.Conclusions The MSW compost of Solan cannot be used as fertilizer due to its low fertilizing potential. The heavy metalconcentration for the study regions has been found within the permissible limits of the fertility control order standards. Itis concluded from the study that aerobic composting is a suitable option for processing of waste as well as it can reduce theweight of organic waste in the dumpsite.