Biodigester Bales: Method for the Ecological Management of Organic Residues

Abstract

The environmental and public health problems by inadequate management oforganic waste continue to worsen in many parts of the world. The high rates ofwaste generation associated with deficiencies in collection and treatment servicesare a source of negative impacts; the inadequate disposition of the material boundto an incorrect separation causes proliferation of pest species, bad smells, toxicgases formation, fumes and dust that contribute to the contamination of theecosystems. The cause of these problems that alter the quality of the environmentand the health of the people is certainly of anthropic origin, because in nature, therecycling of nutrients is an essential function for life. In view of this scenario, it isproposed the implementation of an ecological method, alternative to traditionalcompost, which has been proven effective by developing it in higher educationinstitutions and university. Among the benefits offered is the management of tonsof organic material in small spaces, the sustainable use of waste derived from foodconsumed in schools, among others. Studies for the analysis and evaluation of thephysicochemical and nutritional quality of the organic fertilizer obtained indifferent climatic conditions, from biodigester bales assembled in Medellín,Colombia and Texcoco, Mexico, showed favorable amounts of nutrients thatbenefit the growth of seedlings planted in the same bale or when applied asfertilizer in gardens and orchards. Therefore, the development of this proposal alsobenefits the urban and ecological agriculture areas.

Agroecology and Higher Secondary Education: Educational Practices Focused to Curriculum Greening

“…Working directly with the students of EPO 100 makes it possible to develop these questionnaires in an explicit way regarding the evolution of an environmental education. Indeed, students have participated in various activities related to the preservation of the environment during the development of this project, among the most outstanding is the collection of PET containers for recycling and the development of biodigester bales: the latter consists of reusing food waste to create organic fertilizer for crops, is much simpler than a compost, can be done quickly and with basic tools, plus laboratory studies for organic fertilizer have proven their effectiveness in their physicochemical properties and the content of macro and micronutrients (Velázquez et al, 2017). 38.5% of respondents believe that the care and conservation of the environment should be part of a habit of life, a percentage that exceeds those who responded that should be a need, a duty and obligation.…”

“…Science achieves its task of dominating nature but causes the oppression of man, who, in his intention to be the master of nature, ends up getting rid of it (Adorno and Horkheimer, 1988). This is reflected in the high rates of waste generation associated with deficiencies in collection and treatment services that are a source of negative impacts; the inadequate disposition of the material linked to an incorrect separation is causing proliferation of plague species, bad odors, formation of toxic gases, fumes and dust that contribute to the contamination of ecosystems (Velázquez et al, 2017). Therefore, it is considered, as an alternative, to resort to the state of knowledge of agro-ecology, interdisciplinary linking agronomy, and ecology is responsible for the development of agricultural techniques oriented to an environmental approach (Granados and Lopez, 1996).…”

La paca biodigestora como estrategia de tratamiento de residuos orgánicos

“…De acuerdo con Posada (2015) en el contenido de nutrientes, el compostaje y las pacas presentaron algunas diferencias significativas, en el primero se presentaron niveles superiores al 1 % de Ca, P, K, mientras que en el segundo se encontró que solo el Ca y K superaron La relación inversa entre el cambio en la altura y el tiempo de descomposición permiten predecir el estado del abono orgánico resultante. Diferentes autores consideran que el tiempo requerido para obtener un sustrato estable y maduro es de al menos seis meses, justo cuando la paca biodigestora de un metro cúbico alcanza una altura menor a los 50 cm (Ardila et al, 2015;Cardona, 2018;Pulgarin & Wills, 2019;Velázquez et al 2017). Con relación a las características fisicoquímicas, microbiológicas, fitotóxicas y nutricionales, el abono que se obtiene cumple con los estándares de calidad de la Norma Técnica Colombiana NTC 5167 (2011) lo que permite considerar su incorporación en el suelo, aportando nutrientes para las plantas y mejorando las propiedades biológicas y fisicoquímicas.…”

“…Con relación a las características fisicoquímicas, microbiológicas, fitotóxicas y nutricionales, el abono que se obtiene cumple con los estándares de calidad de la Norma Técnica Colombiana NTC 5167 (2011) lo que permite considerar su incorporación en el suelo, aportando nutrientes para las plantas y mejorando las propiedades biológicas y fisicoquímicas. De acuerdo a los análisis microbiológicos, el abono maduro se encuentra libre de patógenos y de compuestos contaminantes o fitotóxicos ( Ardila et al, 2015b;Velázquez et al, 2017). Indiferente de los residuos utilizados, Cardona (2018); Ossa (2016); Posada (2015) y Pulgarin & Wills (2019) encontraron que los contenidos de Salmonella sp., Enterobacterias, nemátodos y protozoos cumplen con los niveles mínimos establecidos por la NTC 5167/2011, lo que posibilita su uso sin afectar el desarrollo de las plantas o la salud del suelo.…”

Intervenciones comunitarias en el contexto socioambiental: buenas prácticas en la conservación desde el sur de México

“…The technique used for this purpose is called "biodigester bales" or "Silva digester bales," which consists in a microecosystem that is constituted by hand, it works outdoors and mimics the soil ecosystem, where the biodegradable waste is accumulated and transformed into organic fertilizer, a stable and mature solid product like the humus (Figure 1). It is a method for the biological digestion of all types of organic waste (Velázquez-Cigarroa, et al, 2017).…”