Compost and digestate : sustainability, benefits, impacts for the environment and for plant production. Proceedings of the international congress CODIS 2008, February 27-29, 2008, Solothurn, Switzerland.

Summary

This proceedings volume contains the papers presented at the CODIS
2008 congress held on 27 - 29 February 2008 in Solothurn (Switzerland).
The composting and digestion of biogenic waste materials and the subsequent
application of compost and digestate to soil contributes to nutrient
recycling and renewable energy production. Moreover, compost and
digestate can improve soil fertility and suppress plant diseases. On the
other hand, compost and digestate may also contain a variety of pollutants
hazardous to soil, such as heavy metals and organic contaminants.
Compost and digestate have been thoroughly investigated in the framework
of two associated projects entitled “Organic Pollutants in Compost
and Digestate in Switzerland” and “Effects of Composts and Digestate on
the Environment, Soil Fertility and Plant Health”. These projects yielded
new insights into the properties of compost and digestate, mainly with
regard to biological parameters and the occurrence of both “classic” and
“emerging” organic pollutants.
The CODIS 2008 congress was the final event of these two projects.
For more information, see www.codis2008.