results indicate the lack of toxic effect of the tested fertilization doses on the germination of the test plants, with the exception of cress. There was, however a strong inhibition of seedling growth during 72 h in samples containing 10% of the tested fertilizers, especially when they showed significant salinity and high pH. The most sensitive species used for doses of fertilizer was cress, and the least sensitive was cucumber, for which there was a strong stimulation of root growth already at 5% share of tested fertilizer in the substrate. EI shows particular individual character of tested species using fertilizer based on SCG. The inhibition of wheat roots elongation was observed even in 2.5% fertilizers fare.Keywords Spent coffee grounds · SCG · Acute toxicity · Organic fertilizer · Sustainable agriculture IntroductionSeparate collection of biodegradable waste fractions, carried out at its source, enables not only to channel it to the process of composting or biogas production, but also to obtain high-quality fertilizer. This also applies to the waste solvent extractable materials generated after the preparation of beverages from coffee beans. These wastes are formed in large quantities due to the increasing consumption of this beverage [1]. The annual coffee consumption in Poland has been increasing and currently stands at 3 kg per capita, however this is a number several times lower than in the Scandinavian countries. In large part these wastes are directed to biodegradable fraction containers. In practice, however, the containers contain significant amounts of non-compostable waste and, even if a compost is produced, its quality will be low.Abstract Sustainable agriculture places new demands on agricultural practice and, in particular, plant protection treatments and fertilization. Therefore, an increase in demand for organic fertilizers of good quality is expected. In particular, the organic matter contained in the waste of the food industry or generated in households, in the absence of contamination, can be used for the production of "fertilizer", which could be used in organic crop production. The paper presents basic characteristics of tested mixtures and the results of testing for acute toxicity of the mixture made from spent coffee grounds (SCG) modified with ash arising from the low-temperature combustion of biomass or magnesium sulphate and blood meal. The plant tests were conducted on: mustard (Synapis alba L.), wheat (Triticum sp. L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.).Toxicity tests were carried out using a standard 72 h procedure using the Phytotoxkit microbiotest platelet involving fertilizer 2. 5, 5 and 10% (v/v This causes not only the loss of organic matter, but also the time and effort necessary to carry out the composting process. Spent coffee grounds (SCG) material includes a wide range of valuable organic compounds which contain, among others, tannic acid, cellulose, hemicellulose, lipids, organic acids and polyphenols and therefore it is used for th...

Soils that are exposed to floodwaters because of shallow groundwater and periodical wetlands are, to a large extent, exposed to contamination by organic and inorganic compounds. These are mainly compounds that have drifted along with the inflow of heavily laden floodwater and are produced within the soil profile by the anaerobic transformation of organic matter. Heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compounds are absorbed by the soil of the floodwaters, and moving in the soil profile, they pose a threat to groundwater. What is more, after a flood, they may be absorbed by the crops. This paper focuses on the effects of Odra River (Poland) floods, heavy metals, and PAHs on soil and the possibilities of the migration of these pollutants into the soil profile. In the tested sludge samples of floodwater and soil, there were no abnormal concentrations of heavy metals, but the flooding time positively affected the amount listed in the test samples. Concentrations of PAHs increased, but they also exceeded the standards for arable soils in the case of single compounds.

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The research comprised of studying the effect composting sewage sludge with sawdust and vermicomposting with earthworm Eisenia fetida has on the degradation of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Raw rural sewage sludge prior composting was more contaminated with PAHs than urban sewage sludge, in both cases exceeding EU cutoff limits of 6 mg/kg established for land application. Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBahAnt), acenaphtylene (Acy) and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene (IPyr) were predominant in rural sewage sludge, whilst the urban sewage sludge contained the highest concentrations of benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbFl), benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkFl) and indeno[1,2,3-c,d]pyrene (IPyr). Thirty days of composting with sawdust has caused a significant reduction of 16 PAHs on average from 26.07 to 4.01 mg/kg (84.6%). During vermicomposting, total PAH concentration decreased on average from 15.5 to 2.37 mg/kg (84.7%). Vermicomposting caused full degradation of hydrocarbons containing 2 and 6 rings and significant reduction of PAHs with 3 aromatic rings (94.4%) as well as with 5 aromatic rings (83.2%). The lowest rate of degradation (64.4%) was observed for hydrocarbons with 4 aromatic rings such as fluoranthene, benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene and pyrene. On the other hand, the highest level of degradation was determined for PAHs with 2 rings (100%), 3 rings (88%) and 6 aromatic rings in the molecule (86.9%) after composting with sawdust. Acenaphthene and pyrene were found to be the most resistant to biodegradation during both composting methods.

This research involved studying the physico-chemical parameters of fly ash derived from the combustion of 100% biomass in bubbling and circulating fluidized bed boilers of two large energy plants in Poland. Chemical composition revealed that ash contains substantial amounts of CaO (12.86–26.5%); K2O (6.2–8.25%); MgO (2.97–4.06%); P2O5 (2–4.63%); S (1.6–1.83%); and micronutrients such as Mn, Zn, Cu, and Co. The ash from the bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) was richer in potassium, phosphorus, CaO, and micronutrients than the ash from the circulating fluidized bed (CFB) and contained cumulatively less contaminants. However, the BFB ash exceeded the threshold values of Cd to be considered as a liming amendment. Additionally, according to our European Community Bureau of Reference (BCR) study Pb and Cd were more mobile in the BFB than in the CFB ash. Except for a low nitrogen content, the ash met the minimum requirements for mineral fertilizers. Acute phytotoxicity revealed no inhibition of the germination and seed growth of Avena sativa L. and Lepidium sativum plants amended with biomass ash. Despite the fact that low nitrogen content excludes the use of biomass fly ash as a sole mineral fertilizer, it still possesses other favorable properties (a high content of CaO and macronutrients), which warrants further investigation into its potential utilization.

produced in large quantities because of the considerable coffee consumption. The annual coffee consumption in Poland is constantly increasing and today it amounts to 3 kg/person. However, this number, is a few times smaller than in the Scandinavian countries, where the consumption reaches up to 12 kg/person/a (Ciesielczuk et al. 2015). In households, these wastes are discarded to containers with mixed wastes or directed to the containers with biodegradable fraction. Extracted coffee (CSG) contains a wide range of valuable organic compounds, including for example tannin, cellulose, hemicelluloses, polyphenols and organic acids; therefore, it is often used for

Organic plant cultivation, especially those intended for human consumption, poses new requirements for gardening. It is recommended to use organic slow-action fertilizers, which provide doses of nutrients essential for plants for a long time. Particularly valuable fertilizers are those that arise within the household, due to their high quality and the absence of costs associated with their purchase and transport. Organic matter contained in the food industry waste or arising in households, in the absence of contamination by other types of waste, can be used for self-production of organic fertilizer. The paper presents the results of testing organic fertilizers, which you can make yourself, destined for the cereal plants. The experimental fertilizers were made from coffee spent grounds (CSG) and ash from the thermal conversion of biomass (A), and the components limiting the amount of pests in the form of leaves and flowers of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.). The fertilizer can be used at the time of planting and sowing, because of the slow release of nutrients. Moreover, the addition of leaves and flowers of tansy helps to protect the seedling due to the content of essential oils. As a comparison, the horse manure and rabbit droppings fertilizers were used. Such fertilizers can be prepared independently, which leads not only to reducing the weight of biodegradable and mineral waste, but also provides the ability to generate financial savings of the household and promote organic gardening. Fertilizers made from a mixture of CSG and A support the implementation of good agricultural practice and sustainable development.

The study presents the results of research on the acute toxicity of a fertilizer formulas made of spent coffee ground (SCG) with addition of ash from low-temperature combustion of biomass or ash with an admixture of magnesium sulphate and blood meal. The experimental fertilizer formulas included also rape oil used as a plasticizer for controlling the nutrients release from the fertiliser. Mustard (Sinapis alba L.), oats (Avena sativa sp. L.), cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and cress (Lepidium sativum L.) were used as test plants species in the experiment. The toxicity tests were performed using a standard procedure of 72 h with the use of Phytotoxkit microbiotest and fertilizer application of 2.5; 5 and 10% (v/v). The obtained results indicated an increase of acute toxicity for all tested plant species, proportionally to the applied doses of the fertilizer. During the 72 h period, the strongest inhibition of seedling growth was recorded in samples consisting of 10% of the tested fertilizers, particularly when they showed considerable level of salinity or low pH values. From the tested plant species, cress (Lepidium sativum L.) turned out to be the most sensitive to the applied fertilizers, the least was cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) for which only a small inhibition of root system growth was observed. The inhibited growth of roots could be attributed to a reduced oxygen access and excessive salinity of the substratum caused by the applied additives.