Report on analysis and full characterization of co-composted sediments:. Deliverable Action C1

Two co-composting trials were carried out in this action, one in Italy and one in Czech Republic at the EPS site of Nový Dv?r. Monitoring campaigns of 8 and 6 months were carried out in Czech Republic and Italy, respectively, in order to evaluate the evolution of the three co-composts. The composting samples were collected and analyzed by CNR-IRET and UNIFI for physical, chemical (included organic and inorganic contaminants), hydraulic, biochemical, biological, and toxicological point of view. In addition, temperature and gas emissions were frequently measured directly on the piles. The chemical and biological results suggested the reaching of compost stability and maturity in both Czech Republic and Italy. In addition, the increase in germination index, the reduction in organic contaminants, the absence in salmonella and E. coli lower than 100 CFU/g indicated the absence of toxic elements and the sanctification of the materials. At the end of the process, the characteristics of the three co-composts of both countries were compared with the respective national legislation for their reuse as agronomic substrate. In Czech Republic there are two legislations of reference: the legislation on fertilizer N° 147/2000 and that on sediment reuse in agriculture Decree N° 257/2009, while in Italy there is only the D. Lgs.75/2010 for agronomic substrates. In Czech Republic, concerning the legislation on fertilizers, the three composts did not respect the limits for pH and electrical conductivity, being higher than the legal limits, while the volatile solids were within the range of legislation only in compost C. In Italy, the three composts followed the legislation for all parameters except for electrical conductivity (EC) and total organic carbon (TOC) in compost A and B.However, the mixing of compost with matrices with high organic matter content and low salinity like peat or coconut would allow the use of all 3 composts as agronomic substrates. It is possible to conclude that the dredged sediments co-composted with green wastes provide a suitable strategy for their management in circular economy perspective. In fact, the co-composting led to the production of proper substrate for agriculture, plant nursery and soil reconstitution for degraded soil rehabilitation