Tratamento aeróbio de resíduos sólidos orgânicos gerados em condomínio vertical

Abstract

The form of improper disposal of solid household waste is one of the challenges for global environmental security. Thus, it is considered that the composting system capable of transforming the putrescible organic fraction of household solid waste into organic compost could in a short time be a sustainable technological alternative, especially for regions with arid climate and desertification problems. However, it will be necessary to have robust selective collection programs, at the local, municipal, state, national and international levels, aiming to improve the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the household solid waste produced. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of the aerobic biological treatment applied to the putrescible organic fraction of the household solid waste generated in a vertical residential condominium. In order to carry out the selective collection process for household solid waste, several activities were carried out with the residents of the condominium, taking into account the guiding principles of Environmental Education, notably the more specific ones recommended for the study in question. After the organic portion of this waste was generated and collected, it was stored and transported to the external area of the GGEA Laboratory and then subjected to physical pretreatment and chemical characterization was carried out. The experimental system consisted of two types of composters, with different geometric characteristics, construction material and monitoring process, and three repetitions for each type of composter with a 30 kg capacity. The physical, chemical and sanitary parameters applied to the characterization of household solid waste "in natura", in the stage of aerobic biostabilization and biostabilization were: temperature; aeration; moisture content; total solids (TS); total volatile solids (TVS); TKN; total phosphorus; potassium; pH and helminth eggs, taking into account the analytical methods recommended by APHA (2012). In the case of solid household waste arising from collection with segregation at the source itself, a significant percentage of carbonaceous material that could be bio-stabilized aerobically in a short period of time was quantified, enabling the generation of organic compost within a good quality standard. In the aerobic bio-stabilization process, temperature values were reached in the thermophilic phase in the second to fourteenth day of monitoring, there was an increase in pH, TS and relative percentages of TKN, TP and K. Regarding the TVS, moisture content and TOC, there was a downward trend, starting from average values of 79.01%, 66.27% and 43.89%, respectively, for 53.23%, 30% and 29.58% of total solids at the end of the process. Regarding the amount of helminth eggs, they suffered a significant reduction, starting at 4.6 eggs/gST, with no helminth eggs found in the compound produced. Therefore, it can be seen that the average percentage of aerobic biotransformation of household solid organic waste into organic compost in the composting system of the present study was higher compared to that observed in other studies, given the presence of a significant percentage of carbonaceous material and strict monitoring process. In this sense, the present research contributed to the nutrient cycling process, enabling the transformation of a major environmental and public health problem, into a sustainable solution in the environmental, economic and social fields.