Sediment and green waste co-composting and analysis of the process. Deliverable Action B2

In the Czech Republic, composting was carried out starting from 30 October 2019 at the EPS certified composting site of the biogas plant in Nový Dv?r (CZ); The pretreated sediment and green waste biomass (fresh cut grass, corn cob biomass, wood chips, and dry leaves) from local agriculture sources were mechanically homogenized and disintegrated several times. Subsequently, the desired bulk amounts of sediment and individual biomass components were separately portioned to prepare each of the compost configurations 3:1, 1:1, 1:3. Finally, all components for each compost configuration were mixed together and piled, adding urea powder; compost piles were periodically homogenized using an excavator equipped with a mixing unit. The Italian co-composting phase began on 27 October 2020. The bags containing the starting matrices (green waste and dredged sediments) arrived at the composting site inside the "Gorini Piante" nursery,and as foreseen in the authorization provided by the Tuscany Region, the area where the co-composting took place was previously prepared: the ground was covered with a highly resistant waterproof sheet (Patisilos LLD Avorio®), in turn, protected by a polypropylene (PP) geotextile sheet, while three galvanized steel composters were prepared to contain the material being processed, designed in such a way as not to allow any wastewater to spill onto the ground and covered with the same plastic material used to waterproof the ground below to protect the composted material from rain. The same ratios between green waste and dredged sediments were adopted as in the process carried out in the Czech Republic. In both experiments periodic analyses were carried out, both directly on the heaps and on the material taken from them at regular intervals; temperature and Gas emissions (O2, CO2, CH4, H2S) were measured inside the compost piles.