Storage facilities reclamation using dredged sediments from waterways: Growing media formulation for plants according to the EU Ecolabel requirements

Abstract

Dredged sediments display a great potential for growing media applications; however, there are few studies about their beneficial reuse for the waste storage reclamation. This research study aims at checking the agronomic values and environmental impacts of three growing media based on waterways sediments (WSs) and green waste (GW) according ecolabel requirements. For this purpose, three growing media named GW0, GW25, and GW50 were prepared at field pilot scale by co-composting WS and GWs during 12 months. Samples were submitted to ecolabel analyses package. Following to the ecolabel requirements, the growing media comply with criteria like pH, electrical conductivity, trace elements and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contents, chlorides, and pathogens, whereas they are not in compliance with the EU Ecolabel guidelines for propagules, organic matter, and zinc contents. Results of laboratory leaching tests performed according to NF EN 12457-2 for GW0, GW25, and GW50 have shown that sulfates, soluble fraction exceed limit for inert waste storage. Lysimeter tests at pilot scale were performed during 6 months to check the leaching potential of pollutants from growing media under real field conditions, including a European ecolabel product. Results demonstrate that Ba, Mo, Sb, Zn, Se, and Sb are higher in GW0, GW25, and GW50 than in the European ecolabel. As, Cd, Cr, Ni, and F⁻ are more soluble in the commercial product compared to other growing media. This study allowed to demonstrate that main characteristics are fulfilling for reusing these growing media in the specific field of waste storage reclamation.

Keywords

Dredged sediments green waste co-composting beneficial reuse growing media waste storage reclamation

Introduction

Waterways sediments (WSs) are periodically dredged to keep adequate river activities and control the river flowing to prevent floods caused by the discharge of sediment into the canals due to agricultural and urban activities (Lafhaj et al., 2008). In France, 50 Mm³ of sediment are dredged each year, including more than 6 Mm³ of river sediments (Kasmi et al., 2017; Zentar et al., 2009). When crossing industrial areas, such as metallurgical factories, river sediments become severely polluted by trace metals (As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and other micropollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins (Superville et al., 2014). PCBs and dioxins, predominantly transported in combination with suspended particulate matter and accumulate in regions of low agitation like rivers and harbor reservoirs (Haag et al., 2001). Since 1970, new guidelines have been developed for the management of dredged sediments according to several international conventions like Barcelone Convention (1976), Helsinki Convention (1992), London Convention (1972), and OSPAR Convention (2004) for the protection of aquatic environment. In France, the limit values for organic and inorganic contaminants for reusing wastes should fulfill the acceptance criteria of the European Directive 2008/98/EC (JOCE, 2008). In this context, the development of new economic and ecological solutions for dredged material is desirable (Macía et al., 2014).

Indeed, several achievements have started by incorporating large amounts of sediments into different fields like in building materials by incorporation during the manufacture of cement (Agostini et al., 2007), in the production of bricks (Lafhaj et al., 2008), and in self-consolidating concrete (Rozière et al., 2015). All these authors have shown that the final product obtained based on dredged sediment could offer an economic profit for their reuse in civil engineering. Moreover, others have shown that it is possible to reuse dredged sediments in agriculture. In this way, Macía et al., (2014) and Séré et al. (2010) produced new growing media called Technosols. They processed by co-composting dredged sediments and green waste (GW) in order to stabilize biologically trace metals and organic pollutants trapped in sediments (Macía et al., 2014). Indeed, this process can be considered as an efficient and sustainable technology for recovering dredged sediments by improving the structure of the growing media (López-López and López-Fabal 2016; Macía et al., 2014) and increasing humic acid contents (Campitelli and Ceppi, 2008). According to the literature, various types of organic wastes have been used to prepare growing media. Mattei et al. (2016) used GW collected from public and private green area, whereas Ostos et al. (2008) combined municipal solid waste and sewage sludge. Benito et al. (2005) mixed ground leaves with sand, and Bustamante et al. (2008) used agro-industrial waste to prepare the growing media. However, none of the substrates meets the requirements of the ecolabel as growing media.

López-López and López-Fabal (2016) have demonstrated that the green compost has proven to be an effective, useful, and sustainable substrate to replace peat. In fact, the renewal of peat is very slow, and its large-scale use is an environmental issue. Moreover, the diminishing reserves of peat has led to increasing their price and limiting their use (López-López and López-Fabal, 2016; Sendi et al., 2013).

In fact, to get the ecolabel, the growing media need to meet ecological criteria established by the European standard (EU, 2015) of the 18th November, 2015. This European label aims to promote an environmental excellence and to give trust to the production in accordance with the European standard ISO 14024 (ISO, 1999).

The aim of this research is to study the performance of WS and GW for growing media manufacturing prior to their reusing on waste storage facilities. In order to ensure their suitability for this application, technical requirements according to the EU Ecolabel and environmental assessment using laboratory leaching tests and pilot lysimeters were performed.

Material and methods

Sampling site: Scarpe

The WS sample was collected after a scheduled dredging activity from the middle tract of the Scarpe channel on the Saint Laurent Blangy Zone in the northeast of France. The sediment sampling area is therefore located in an industrial area on the right bank and in a grassland area for agricultural use surrounded by the urban area on the left bank.

Co-composting process

Growing media were obtained by co-composting WSs, construction & demolition wastes (C&DW), and GW. GW used in this study was obtained after composting GW collected from private and public green areas during 12 months from August 2017 to July 2018.

Three growing media named GW0, GW25, and GW50 integrating different proportion of WS, GW, and C&DW were prepared in the large scale by an experimental platform of BAUDELET company (Blaringhem, France) in the context of SEDIMATERIAUX framework through VAL’AGRO project (Lemay et al., 2019).

For that purpose, 2 m³ of WS were mixed with 25% by weight of GW for GW25 and 50% for GW50. About 25% of C&DW was added to GW0 to aerate WS and improve their biological activities and properties as growing media. In addition, 10% of GW composts (GWCs) was added to GW0, GW25, and GW50 when the dry matter (DM) of sediments have reached 60%. A European ecolabel product (EEP) designated was taken as reference as growing media.

The windrows have been regularly turned over in order to prolong the dehydration operation and to enhance the microbial activity during the co-composting period.

Characterization techniques of raw sediment

The WSs were characterized for their physicochemical and environmental properties.

The particle size distribution was performed by using a Beckman Coulter’s LS 13 320 Particle Sizing Analyzer in accordance with the French standard NF ISO 13320-1 (Afnor, 2000c). This laser device allows determination of the granular particle distribution <1 mm.

The specific density of the sediment was calculated using a micrometrics Accu-Pyc 1330, helium pycnometer in compliance with the European standard EN 1097-7 (Afnor, 2008). Surface area was measured by the multipoint BET nitrogen adsorption. The measurement of the organic matter was determined after ignition at 450°C for 3 hours according to XP P94-047 standard (Afnor, 1998). The pH of the sediment was measured according to ISO 10390 (ISO, 2005a).

The mineralogical characterization through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed on a BRUKER AXS D8 ADVANCE (Bruker Corp., Billerica, MA, USA) using Co–Kα radiation having wavelength of 1.78 Å set at 40 kV. The identification and qualification of all the crystallized phases were observed at 2θ (1°–60°).

The powdered sample was analyzed by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry using a Bruker S4 Pioneer Spectrometer (Bruker Corp., Billerica, MA, USA) with a 4-kW wavelength dispersive. The XRF spectrometer was equipped with a rhodium anode. The measurements were carried out at 60 keV and 40 mA. The XRF analysis allows a semi-quantitative determination of elemental concentrations in natural samples.

The total content of trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) and the major constituents (P₂O₅, K₂O, CaO, and MgO) in the sediment were determined after acidic digestion (DIN, 2001). About 250 mg of sediments previously ground to 200 µm were placed in a Microwave Reactor CEM-MARS 5 (CEM Corp., Charlotte, NC, USA). A mixture of 3 ml of hydrochloric acid (HCl), 1 ml of nitric acid (HNO₃), and 0.5 ml of ultrapure water was added to the sediment according to the European standard (Afnor, 2000a). The suspension was brought to the volume of 12 ml by adding ultrapure water. The suspension was then filtrated using a syringe filter with a pore size of 0.45 µm prior to the analysis by the inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) (Varian 720-ES, Varian Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA).

Organic contaminants (PCBs; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); and total hydrocarbons (HCT) C10–C40 in sediment, total organic carbon (TOC), and phenol index were obtained using a mass spectrometry in combination with gas chromatography (GC–MS) after the extraction with hexane/acetone (1:1, v/v) according to the European norm X 33-012 (Afnor, 2002a).

To assess the environmental quality of the dredged sediment, a European leaching test was applied. The test consists of mixing sediment and distilled water under agitation for 24 hours with a ratio solid:liquid of 1:10 according to the standardized method NF EN 12457 (Afnor, 2002b). The chloride (Cl⁻), sulfate (SO₄²⁻), and fluoride (F⁻) anions were determined by using the ion chromatography (ICS-3000 Dionex; Dionex Corp., Sunnyvale, CA, USA).

Agronomic characterization of studied growing media

To determine the ability of GW0, GW25, and GW50 as growing media, several parameters were assessed at the beginning and end of the co-composting period.

The TOC content was measured by oxidizing the dried samples and quantified by infrared spectrometry to measure CO₂ production according to the European standard NF EN 13137 (Afnor, 2010). Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) was quantified by mineralization then distillation and titration using 0.2 N sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) in adaptation of the French standard NF EN 13342 (Afnor, 2000a). Ammonia content (NH4⁺) was determined by colorimetric following to the NFT90-015-1 standard (Afnor, 2000b).

The total content of trace metals, K,P₂O₅, Ca, and Mg were solubilized by the microwave digestion with a mixture of HCl and HNO₃ in a ratio of 3:1 (v/v) according to the European standard NF EN 13346 (Afnor, 2000d). Samples were filtered and determined by ICP-AES according to the European standard NF ISO 11885 (Afnor, 2005c).

All samples were analyzed by the accredited Eurofins laboratory (Laboratoired’analyses pour l’Environnement, Severne) (Accreditation N°1–1488, NF EN ISO/CEI 17025: 2005 by COFRAC, http://www.cofrac.fr) (Afnor, 2005b).

The assessment of growing media quality: The EU Ecolabel requirement

The obtained GW0, GW25, and GW50 were transferred to the AUREA Laboratory (Ardon, France) to assess their potential as growing media by measuring the physicochemical and biological properties in order to award the EU Ecolabel labeling (Tittarelli et al., 2009) according to the European standard (EU, 2015).

The DM was measured following to the European standard EN13041 (EN, 2012a). The organic matter was quantified following to the European standard EN13039 (EN, 1999). The electrical conductivity (EC) and pH measurements were performed in a ratio of 1:5 (v/v) following to the DIN EN 13038 and DIN EN 13037 (DIN, 2011, 2012) standards, respectively. Total content of PAHs were determined following to the CEN/TS 16181 (CEN, 2013a) standard. The total contents of heavy metals were determined according to the European norm EN 13650 (DIN, 2002). Total nitrogen by the modified Kjeldahl digestion was measured following to the European standard EN 16169 (EN, 2012b).

The phytotoxicity of GW0, GW25, and GW50 has been determined using a plant response by cultivating seeds of Chinese cabbage into containers following dimensions: 929 cm long × 544 cm wide × 30 cm deep to monitor germination and plant development following to the EN 16086-1 standard (CEN, 2011). An EEP was considered as standardized growing media, which makes it possible to establish a control sample for the germination and growth test. In fact, the test was considered valid when the germination rate of the control sample exceeds 80%.

About 20 Chinese cabbage seeds were grown on the tested growing media, under defined greenhouse conditions, until 50% of the plants became leafy (3–5 weeks) (Baumgarten, 2013; Schlatter et al., 2017). The germination of root and rate length of GW0, GW25, and GW50% was compared with EEP. Concerning the germination rate, plant biomass may be at least 50% of the plants that have more than five foliage leaves (Blok et al., 2019). The seeding funds used in the phytotoxicity assays had no hole in their bottom to avoid leaching of the contaminants and to evaluate the real toxicity of the soil samples (López-López and López-Fabal, 2016).

The stability of GW0, GW25, and GW50 was assessed using the Rottegrad self-heating in accordance with EN 16087-2 (CEN, 2011) standard. The values obtained should respect a limit values established by the European standard (EU, 2015) attributed to growing media. The physical contaminants like glass, metal, and plastic recovered in the biomass were determined according to the CEN/TS 16202 (CEN, 2013b) standard.

The monitoring of sanitation degree was evaluated in GW0, GW25, and GW50 by the detection of Salmonella spp. and the quantification of Escherichia coli. Both organisms were measured in the original material according to the European standards ISO 6579 and CEN/TR 16193 (ISO, 2007, 2013b), respectively.

The resulting products of GW0, GW25, and GW50 should be with respect to the guide values recorded in Table 1 as reported by Quintero et al. (2015).

Table 1.

Limit values attributed for growing media followed by EU (2015).

Parameters	Method of measurement	Ecolabel limits
Dry matter	EN13041	>25%
Organic matter	EN13039	>25%
pH	EN13037	4–7
EC	EN13038	100 m Scm⁻¹
PAHs	CEN/TS 16181	<6 mg kg⁻¹
Sodium	EN 13652	150 mg l⁻¹
Chlorides	EN 13652	500 mg l⁻¹
Rottegrad temperature	EN 16087	maximum 30°C
Plastics, glasses, and metals	CEN/TS 16202	0.5%
Weed seeds and viable propagules	CEN/TS 16201	<2 units L⁻¹
Pathogens
Escherichia coli	CEN/TR 16193	<1000 CFU g⁻¹
Salmonella	ISO 6579	absent in 50 g of raw material
Trace metals
Cd	EN13650	s1 mg kg⁻¹dw
Cr	EN13650	150 mg kg⁻¹dw
Cu	EN13650	100 mg kg⁻¹dw
Ni	EN13650	50 mg kg⁻¹dw
Pb	EN13650	100 mg kg⁻¹dw
Zn	EN13650	300 mg kg⁻¹dw
Hg	EN13650	1 mg kg⁻¹dw

EC: electrical conductivity; PAH: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon.

The characterization of GW0, GW25, and GW50 is carried out in the accredited AUREA Laboratory (Laboratoire d’agrosciences, AUREA, Ardon, France) (Accreditation N°1-6071, 1-6074, 1-6075, NF EN ISO/CEI 17025: 2005 by COFRAC, http://www.cofrac.fr) (Afnor, 2005b).

Environmental assessments of final products: Leaching tests

To assess the acceptability of GW0, GW25, and GW50 for disposal in a landfill site, two leaching tests were performed.

The first test was applied according to the European standard NF EN 12457 (Afnor, 2002b). The analysis of trace metals was performed using ICP-OES according to the French standard NF ISO 11885 (Afnor, 2005c). The sulfate (SO₄²⁻) and chloride (Cl⁻) anions were determined by Automated Visible Spectrophotometry-MO/ENV/IP/32 (MO/ENV/IP/3 Corp., Thermo Scientific^™, France) in accordance with the European standards NF T90-040 and NF EN 16192 (Afnor, 1986, 2012) respectively. The fluoride (F⁻) was determined by potentiometer according to the NF T90-004 standard (Afnor, 2002c). The soluble fractions in extracts obtained from GW0, GW25, and GW50 were determined according to the French standard NF EN 16192 (Afnor, 2012). The EC and pH measurements were determined in accordance with the European standards NF EN 27888 and NF EN ISO 10523 (Afnor, 1994, 2012), respectively. The phenol index, TOC concentrations in the eluates were measured by GC–MS in accordance with the NF EN 16192 (Afnor, 2012) standard. Total 7 PCBs and total 16 PAHs were analyzed by GC–MS according to the X 33-012 standard (Afnor, 2002). HCT C10–C40 were determined by the gas chromatography–flame ionization detection (GC–FID) according to the French standard NF EN 14039 (Afnor, 2005a). The TOC was performed according to the NF EN 13137 standard (Afnor, 2010). The BTEX was measured by GC–FID after extraction with hexane following to the French standard NF EN ISO 22155 (Afnor, 2013). The concentrations of organic and inorganic pollutants were evaluated to the guide values prescribed in the European Directive 2008/98/EC relative of inert waste storage facility (JOCE, 2008).

For the second test, lysimetric tests were adopted. The purpose of this test was to subject growing media to leaching scenarios equivalent to those of the field by assessing change conditions related to pH value (liquid:solid) ratio and long-term heavy metal release (Ahmed et al., 2010). Three plastic lysimeter containers were performed for the release of contaminants. Each unit consisted of 929 cm long, 544 cm wide, and 30 cm deep used in the laboratory (Figure 1).

Lysimeter should be carried out under a field condition of a typical growing medium. For that, each unit was composed by 35 cm layer of sediment and 5 cm layer of sand. A geotextile membrane was inserted at the bottom of the material to avoid loss of fines and to allow drainage of the leachates through the bottom tap (Ahmed et al., 2010; Bruder-Hubscher et al., 2001).

The sprinkling rate of each lysimeter was 10 L day⁻¹ of demineralized water (in two stages: at the morning and evening) per week for 6 months. The tanks were exposed to 10 hours of light for simulation to real conditions as closely as possible (Ahmed et al., 2010). The top of each contains was fully opened at one end to collect the extra water (Bruder-Hubscher et al., 2001). At the bottom of the tanks, a bucket gauge for the recovery of leachates was arranged (Yilmaz et al., 2018). The percolation water of each lysimeter was collected once per week for the first 3 months and twice per week for the last 3 months (Yao et al., 2009). The pH and EC measurement were monitored daily at the bottom of the lysimeter. The leaching concentrations of trace metals were determined by ICP-OES (Varian 720-ES; Varian Inc., Palo Alto, CA, USA) following to the European norm NF ISO 11885 (Afnor, 2005c). The chloride, NO₃⁻ and SO₄²⁻ concentrations were determined with a discrete analyzer in accordance with NEN-ISO 15923-1 standard (ISO, 2013a). The fluoride was performed using the liquid chromatography according to the NEN-EN-ISO 10304 (EN, 1995) standard. The TOC was measured according to the Dutch standard procedure NEN-EN 1484 (EN, 1997). The PCBs and HAP concentrations were determined by extraction with acetone/hexane by GC–MS according to the French standard ISO/TS 28581 (ISO, 2012). The HCT C10–C40 concentration was analyzed by GC–FID following to the ISO 9377-2 (ISO, 2000) standard.

Results and discussion

Characterization of WS

The particle size distribution obtained by the laser diffraction confirmed that WS is mostly loamy sands (94.3%) allowing the growth and development of the root system as reported by Valdes-Rodriguez et al. (2011).

The specific weight of WS measured, using a helium pycnometer, is slightly lower than the typical range for the inorganic solid soils (2600–2800 kg m⁻³). This is due to their moderately content of organic matter (9.7%).

The XRF analysis revealed a composition of SiO₂ = 55.51%; CaO = 5.77%; Al₂O₃ = 6.52%; Fe₂O₃ = 3.29%; K₂O = 1.81%; and Na₂O = 0.59% in agreement with the phases of quartz (SiO₂), calcite, and minor other traces of albite, muscovite, and microcline illustrated by the XRD analysis.

The WS of Arras is considered as fertile waste. In fact, pH, organic matter, C/N ratio, P₂O₅, K₂O, CaO, and MgO present a similar values in comparison with studies carried out for agriculture use for French sediments like those of marine sediment of Mont Saint-Michel, river sediment of Saint-Vidian, and those of Marckolsheim in agronomy as reported by Anger (2014) and Bourret (1997).

Table 2 shows clearly that the total metal concentrations of contaminants in WS are below the limit values for agriculture reuse thresholds S1 as defined by the ministerial decree published in the Official Journal on the French Republic on 9th August, 2006 (JORF, 2006). Hence, the quality of WS is acceptable for agricultural reuse. From Table 2, we can observe that the leaching of HCT C10–C40 derived from fresh dredged sediment (WS) and TOC exceeds the thresholds for inert waste, which limits the reuse of WSs as inert waste (JOCE, 2008).

Table 2.

Physiochemical and environmental characterization of the WS.

Parameters	Units	WS	Acceptance criteria (S1)	French thresholds for inert waste storage
Sand fraction (2000–63 µm)	%	94.3	–	–
Silt fraction (<63 µm)	%	5.7	–	–
Organic matter	%	9.7	–	–
Specific density	g cm⁻³	2.46	–	–
pH	–	8.3	–	–
C/N	–	4.48	–	–
P₂O₅	%	1.41	–	–
K₂O	%	67.8	–	–
CaO	%	3.3	–	–
MgO	%	3.3	–	–
Total content
As	mg kg⁻¹	3.01	30	–
Cd	mg kg⁻¹	0.43	2	–
Cr	mg kg⁻¹	21.6	150	–
Cu	mg kg⁻¹	41.5	100	–
Hg	mg kg⁻¹	0.66	1	–
Ni	mg kg⁻¹	13.2	50	–
Pb	mg kg⁻¹	41.6	100	–
Zn	mg kg⁻¹	222	300	–
⅀16 PAHs^a	mg kg⁻¹	5.1	–	50
BTEX	mg kg⁻¹	<0.9	–	6
⅀7 PCBs^b	mg kg⁻¹	0.02	–	1
Total hydrocarbons C10–C40	mg kg⁻¹	1500	–	500
TOC	mg kg⁻¹	31500	–	30,000
Eluate
As	mg kg⁻¹	<0.2	–	0.5
Ba	mg kg⁻¹	0.28	–	20
Cd	mg kg⁻¹	0.06	–	0.04
Cr	mg kg⁻¹	<0.10	–	0.5
Cu	mg kg⁻¹	<0.2	–	2
Hg	mg kg⁻¹	0.005	–	0.01
Mo	mg kg⁻¹	0.14	–	0.5
Ni	mg kg⁻¹	<0.10	–	0.4
Pb	mg kg⁻¹	<0.1	–	0.5
Sb	mg kg⁻¹	0.068	–	0.06
Se	mg kg⁻¹	0.036	–	0.1
Zn	mg kg⁻¹	0.21	–	4
Chloride	mg kg⁻¹	53.8	–	800
Fluoride	mg kg⁻¹	<5	–	10
Sulfate	mg kg⁻¹	1020	–	1,000
TOC	mg kg⁻¹	450	–	500
Soluble fraction	mg kg⁻¹	2190	–	4,000
Phenol index	mg kg⁻¹	<0.5	–	1

BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene; PCB: polychlorinated biphenyl; PAH: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; TOC: total organic carbon; WS: waterways sediment.

∑16PAHs = naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo (b) fluoranthene, benzo (k) fluoranthene, benzo (a) pyrene, dibenzo (ah) anthracene, benzo (ghi) perylene, and indeno (1, 2, 3-cd) pyrene.

∑7 PCBs = 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180.

In order to decrease the content in HCT C10–C40 toward a recommended limit for the inert waste storage of 500 mg kg⁻¹, a co-composting process was performed in this study, as a suitable and ecological management for a good reuse of the sediment.

Physicochemical and biological characterization of tested growing media

From Table 3, we can show that the TOC in GW25 and GW50 is in the range of urban solid waste compost as reported by Campitelli and Ceppi (2008). The initial ammonia (NH₄⁺) concentration of all the mixtures was high. This is probably due to the mineralization of organic nitrogen inducing the increases of pH values (Zhang et al., 2018). GW0, GW25, and GW50 have shown a high nutritional value compared to EEP.

Table 3.

Initial characterization of growing media tested according to Afnor (2006) and EU (2015) standards, respectively. Results report on a dry matter basis.

Sampling date		t = 0 months, 22th March, 2018				Limit values
Parameters	Units	EEP	GW0	GW25	GW50	Limit values
TOC	mg kg⁻¹	493,000	32,100	47,500	50,700	–
TKN	g kg⁻¹	0.6	<0.5	4	4.3	–
NH₄⁺	mg NH₄ kg⁻¹	530	58.5	<20	68.4	–
P₂O₅	mg kg⁻¹	5440	2840	3290	3260	–
K	mg kg⁻¹	6900	4210	4780	4900	–
Ca	mg kg⁻¹	17,800	116,000	100,000	86,900	–
Mg	mg kg⁻¹	1580	4740	4400	4040	–
Cd	mg kg⁻¹	0.44	0.8	0.73	0.73	1^b
Cr	mg kg⁻¹	27.3	23.9	19.5	24.1	100^b
Cu	mg kg⁻¹	18.7	71	55.3	56.3	100^a,b
Ni	mg kg⁻¹	4.21	19.3	17.6	19.4	50^b
Pb	mg kg⁻¹	12.7	81	65.7	84.9	100^b
Zn	mg kg⁻¹	65.3	316	303	515	300^a,b
Hg	mg kg⁻¹	<0.1	<0.1	0.2	0.2	1^a,b
Organic mater	% DM	84.31	5.71	8.78	10.87	>15^b
DM	% FM	61.2	86.3	83.3	83.5	>25^b
C/N	–	41.3	9.7	9.8	11.5	–
EC	mS cm⁻¹	1.5	1.79	2.24	2.47	100^b
Chloride	mg L⁻¹	243.5	136.9	372	500	500^b
pH	–	6.73	7.87	7.54	7.69	4–7^b
PAHs	mg kg⁻¹ DM	<0.50	<1.94	1.96	2.04	6^b
Plastics, glasses, and metals	% DM	0	0.05	0.08	0	0.5^b
Average germination rate	%	95	87	92	88	–
Average fresh weight per plant	G	1.79	1.68	1.79	1.94	–
Escherichia coli	UFC g⁻¹ FM	987,200	165	1267	7650	1000^b
Salmonella	absent in 25 g FM	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent^b
Rottegrad temperature	C°	–	–	–	–	Maximum 30°C^b
Number of weed seeds	Weeds L⁻¹	–	–	–	–	2^b

EEP: 100% European ecolabel product; GW0: 25% (C&DW) + 75% (WS) + 10% (GWC); GW25: 25% (GW) + 75% (WS) + 10% (GWC); GW50: 50% (GW) + 50% (WS) + 10% (GWC); DM: dry matter; EC: electrical conductivity; FM: fresh matter; GW: green waste; PAH: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; TKN: total Kjeldahl nitrogen; TOC: total organic carbon.

Recommended values for an ideal growing medium (Afnor, 2006).

Limit established as ecological criteria for the EU Ecolabel (EU, 2015).

Bold entries is used to clearly show the non-conformity of the obtanied values with the ecolabel values.

In addition, GW25 and GW50 provided interesting amounts of nutrients (K, Mg, P₂O₅, and TKN) in comparison with GW0 explaining by the absence of GW in GW0 (Table 3). Similar values were similar to those reported by Ali et al. (2007) for vermicompost.

All the measured metals had concentrations below the legal limit allowed by the French standard NF U 44-051 (Afnor, 2006), with the exception of zinc concentration, which exceeded legal limit of 300 mg kg⁻¹. In fact, zinc concentrations are about 313, 303, and 515 mg kg⁻¹ for respectively GW0, GW25, and GW50 (Table 3). The high exceedance for zinc of GW50 is probably related to the GW selection at the beginning of co-composting process (Houot et al., 2002; Gil et al., 2008). In fact, the concentration of zinc in the sediment is fixed at 222 mg kg⁻¹ (Table 2).

From Table 3, the pH values of GW0, GW25, and GW50 are reaching up to 8.0, slightly higher than the recorded value for EEP. This increase in pH is due to the presence of high concentration of calcium and magnesium in comparison with EEP (Alvarenga et al., 2015). Organic matter values recorded in GW0, GW25, and GW50 are lower than EEP and the recommended value for growing media of 15% (Table 3).

Table 3 shows that the average germination rate of plants also the weight of fresh plants in GW0, GW25, and GW50 were at the range of EEP. It can be concluded that GW0, GW25, and GW50 can be used as a growing media.

Finally, GW0, GW25, and GW50 do not comply with a guide value for ecolabel in some criteria: pH, organic matter, weed seed-free, and Rottegrad temperature. The quantification of E. coli does not comply with a guide value in GW25 and GW50. The exceedance of E. coli in GW25 and GW50 is probably due to the presence of GW in the mixture. Therefore, it is necessary to add GW material to enrich the amount of organic matter to validate this criterion.

Assessment of final growing media under real conditions

Pollutants leachability through EN 12457:2

To assess the appropriateness of co-composting of GW0, GW25, and GW50, the European leaching test NF EN 12457(Afnor, 2002b) was performed. At the start of co-composting process, all the measured trace metal contents are below the thresholds prescribed in the European Directive 2008/98/EC relative of storage facilities of inert waste (JOCE, 2008). We also noted that the total content of TOC, sulfates, and soluble fractions for GW0, GW25, and GW50 exceeded the thresholds of inert waste; however, the values recorded in GW0, GW25, and GW50 were lower than the EEP (Table 4). Furthermore, HCT C10–C40 measured exceed the recommended value of 500 mg kg⁻¹ as published in JOCE (2008) for GW0 and GW50.

Table 4.

Physicochemical parameters measured on eluate for inorganic and total content on solid samples.

Parameters (mg kg⁻¹ DM)	t = 0 months; 22th March, 2018				t = 6 months; 30th August, 2018				French thresholds for inert waste storage
Parameters (mg kg⁻¹ DM)	EEP	GW0	GW25	GW50	EEP	GW0	GW25	GW50	French thresholds for inert waste storage
Eluates
Sb	0.051	0.051	0.048	0.049	<0.039	0.046	0.049	0.047	0.06
As	0.06	<0.05	<0.05	<0.05	0.06	<0.05	<0.05	<0.05	0.5
Ba	0.61	0.6	0.64	0.58	0.07	0.31	0.33	0.23	20
Cd	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	<0.004	0.04
Cr	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.037	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	0.5
Cu	0.01	0.093	0.099	0.11	0.13	0.080	0.08	0.1	2
Hg	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	<0.0005	0.01
Pb	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	0.5
Mo	<0.05	0.11	0.12	0.15	<0.05	0.12	0.19	0.21	0.5
Ni	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	0.4
Se	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	<0.039	0.1
Zn	0.79	<0.2	0.34	0.57	<0.2	<0.2	<0.2	0.21	4
Soluble fraction	11,200	6800	8570	3380	1920	2480	2790	1860	4000
Phenol index	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	<0.1	1
Fluoride	2.4	3.4	2.3	3.2	2.6	2.5	2.1	2.8	10
Chloride	120	<10	51	59	<10	<10	<10	<10	800
Sulfate	5360	3900	4510	3770	10.2	1240	1300	505	1000
TOC	200	47	87	110	280	41	70	89	500
pH	7.58	7.99	7.95	7.92	7.49	7.92	7.88	7.88	4–7
Total content
BTEX	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	<0.25	6
∑16PAHs^a	0.78	3.3	2.9	3.5	<0.68	2.4	2.4	2.4	50
∑7 PCBs^b	<14	52	54	72	<14	51	46	67	1
Total hydrocarbons C10–C40	230	660	230	660	220	590	570	520	500
TOC	530,000	35,000	73,000	92,000	510,000	28,000	59,000	47,000	30,000

BTEX: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene; DM: dry matter; EEP: European ecolabel product; GW: green waste; PAH: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; PCB: polychlorinated biphenyls; TOC: total organic carbon.

⅀16 PAHs: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, pyrene, benzo (a) anthracene, chrysene, benzo (b) fluoranthene, benzo (k) fluoranthene, benzo (a) pyrene, dibenzo (ah) anthracene, benzo (ghi) perylene, and indeno (1,2,3-cd) pyrene.

∑7PCB = 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, 180.

Bold entries to illustrate the values which are higher than the guide values of inert waste.

At the end of the co-composting process, the concentration of trace metals are lower than those initial values as illustrated in Table 2. The decrease of TOC after 6 months of treatment was explained by the decomposition of organic carbon by microorganisms as reported by Tandy et al. (2009) and Tangour et al. (2019).

The sulfate showed a decrease in content in comparison with the initial values, but they exceed thresholds of inert waste for sulfate fixed at 1000 mg sulfate kg⁻¹ DM in GW0 and GW25 formulations for 1240 and 1300 mg sulfate kg⁻¹, respectively (Table 4). The soluble fractions are acceptable for all the formulations, which validate the application of GW25 and GW50 as a top coat for the storage installation of the noninert waste classification.

In comparison with the HCT C10–C40 of GW0 and GW50 shown in Table 4 at the beginning of process, the co-composting process is effective for the rapid organic pollutant degradation even before the start of thermophilic phase. In fact, after 6 months of treatment, the concentrations of the HCT C10–C40 in GW0 and GW50 are reduced by 14% and 21%, respectively. Similar results have been reported by Mattei et al. (2016). However, HCT C10–C40 in co-composed GW0, GW25, and GW50 is slightly higher than the recommended values of inert waste fixed at 500 mg kg⁻¹(JOCE, 2008).

The new growing medium can be considered as nonhazardous waste in accordance with the European Directive 2008/98/EC relative to storage facilities of nonhazardous waste (JOCE, 2008). GW0, GW25, and GW50 prepared from the waste can be considered as a growing substrate for the final cover of nonhazardous waste disposal cells.

Evaluation of the quality of final growing media in pot-lysimeter-grown

The results reported in Table 5 shows that the monitoring the agronomic parameters after 6 months under real is noncompliance for organic matter contents, pH values, and total content in zinc, weed seed-free, and Rottegrad temperature values.

Table 5.

Characterization of the final growing media according to Afnor (2006) and EU (2015) standards, respectively. Results report on a dry matter basis.

Sampling date		t = 6 months, 30th August, 2018				Limit values
Parameters	Units	EEP	GW0	GW25	GW50	Limit values
TOC	mg kg⁻¹	445,000	29,600	50,400	55,900	–
TKN	g kg⁻¹	10.1	2.3	3.8	4.7	–
NH₄⁺	mg NH4 kg⁻¹	56.9	<20	<20	<20	–
P₂O₅	mg kg⁻¹	2430	2990	3100	3210	–
K₂O	mg kg⁻¹	1030	4530	4350	3820	–
Ca	mg kg⁻¹	15,700	122,000	93,300	78,100	–
Mg	mg kg⁻¹	1090	4970	4420	3900	–
Cd	mg kg⁻¹	0.43	0.7	0.79	0.83	1^b
Cr	mg kg⁻¹	57.8	25.7	21.4	25.5	100^b
Cu	mg kg⁻¹	16.4	72.3	67.1	62.3	100^a,b
Ni	mg kg⁻¹	3.97	18.2	18.9	20.5	50^b
Pb	mg kg⁻¹	13.7	87.4	72.3	106	100^b
Zn	mg kg⁻¹	65.6	364	312	544	300^a,b
Hg	mg kg⁻¹	<0.11	0.16	0.22	0.24	1^a,b
Organic mater	% DM	83.56	5.89	9.41	9.47	>15
DM	% FM	27.7	71	64.7	63.5	>25
C/N	–	50.9	12.2	11.9	12	–
EC	ms cm⁻¹	0.19	0.78	0.94	0.3	100^b
Chloride	mg L⁻¹	26.2	18.3	22.4	20.2	500^b
pH	–	7.22	7.77	8.1	8.02	4–7^b
PAHs	mg kg⁻¹ DM	<0.26	<1.29	3.07	1.11	6^b
Plastics, glasses, and metals	% DM	0	0.13	0	0.21	0.5^b
Average germination rate	%	82	57	72	77	–
Average fresh weight per plant	g	6.74	4.57	4.66	5.17	–
Escherichia coli	UFC g⁻¹ FM	<23	<23	<23	<23	1000^b
Salmonella	Absent in 25 g FM	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent^b
Rottegrad temperature	C°	–	–	–	–	Maximum 30°C^b
Number of weed seeds	Weeds L⁻¹	–	–	–	–	2^b

EEP: 100% European ecolabel product; GW0: 25% (C&DW) + 75% (WS) + 10% (GWC); GW25: 25% (GW) + 75% (WS) + 10% (GWC); GW50: 50% (GW) + 50% (WS) + 10% (GWC); C&DW: construction and demolition waste; DM: dry matter; EC: electrical conductivity; FM: fresh matter; GW: green waste; GWC: green waste compost; PAH: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon; WS: waterways sediment.

Recommended values for an ideal growing medium (Afnor, 2006).

Limit established as ecological criteria for the EU Ecolabel (EU, 2015).

Bold criterion to mention the values which are not in conformity with the ecolabel values.

The ammonia (NH₄⁺) concentration was decreased to a final value below 0.04% (400 mg kg⁻¹) as reported by Bernal et al. (1998), Sánchez-Monedero et al. (2001), and Zhang et al. (2018) indicating that all growing media have reached the maturity. The decrease of NH₄⁺ is due to the N immobilization during compost degradation (Houot, 2002) (Table 6).

Table 6.

Evaluation of leaching water percentage of trace elements through the experimental lysimeters of EEP, GW0, GW25, and GW50 (mg kg⁻¹ DM).

Elements	EEP			GW0			GW25			GW50
Elements	Total concentration in leachate	Cumulative concentration in leachate	% of leaching	Total concentration in leachate	Cumulative concentration in leachate	% of leaching	Total concentration in leachate	Cumulative concentration in leachate	% of leaching	Total concentration in leachate	Cumulative concentration in leachate	% of leaching
As	3.38	0.916	27.1	7.33	0.335	4.57	7.34	0.295	4.02	7.33	0.304	4.14
Cd	0.44	0.029	6.59	0.8	0.007	0.875	0.73	0.007	0.958	0.73	0.006	0.823
Cr	27.3	0.395	1.446	23.9	0.0147	0.061	19.5	0.038	0.194	24.1	0.059	0.244
Cu	18.7	1.408	7.52	71	3.26	4.59	55.3	0.97	1.75	56.3	2.072	3.68
Ni	4.21	0.713	16.93	19.3	0.736	3.81	17.6	0.63	3.57	19.4	0.669	3.44
Pb	12.7	0.179	1.40	81	0.189	0.233	65.7	0.190	0.289	84.9	0.234	0.275
Zn	65.3	1.859	2.84	316	5.044	1.59	303	5.324	1.757	515	5.012	0.973

The total nutrient contents of P₂O₅ and K₂O in GW0, GW25, and GW50 are in the same order of EEP as reported in Table 5. In fact, the high nutrient contents in GW0 are attributed to the initial composition of raw materials. Therefore, nutrients found in GW0, GW25, and GW50 at the end of process are acceptable.

From Table 5, the pH values are increased reaching up to 8.0, slightly higher the recorded value followed by EU (2015). This increase is due to the consumption of organic acids and degradation of organic nitrogen during co-composting as reported by Bakry et al. (2012) and Dimambro et al. (2007).

The percentage of organic matter was declined in samples in all treatments (Table 5). The organic matter loss was highest in GW50 and lowest in GW0. In fact, the presence of 50% of GW in GW50 could also enhance microbial activity and therefore organic matter decomposition. The recorded values are lower than 15%, stated limit allowed by EU (2015) standard. Moreover, the DM contents of GW0, GW25, and GW50 appear to be acceptable. The C/N ratio increases slightly for all mixtures after 6 months of maturation as shown in Table 5. The increase of C/N is due to the biodegradability in organic matter fractions, leading to the reduction of total nitrogen and slightly increase of the total carbon content as reported by Bernal et al. (1998), López-López and López-Fabal (2016), and Ostos et al. (2008). Therefore, the obtained quality of GW0, GW25, and GW50 is acceptable, since the C/N ratios are at the range of 12, a recommended value for a municipal waste compost as reported by Bernal et al. (1998) and Tangour et al. (2019).

Table 5 shows that the EC values measured for GW0, GW25, and GW50 decrease significantly to award 0.78, 0.94, and 0.3 mS cm⁻¹, respectively. All EC values are lower than 150 mS cm⁻¹, a recommended value followed by the European standard (EU, 2015), which improves the germination and growth of Chinese cabbage (Dimambro et al., 2007).

The content of total PAHs in GW25 (3.0 mg kg⁻¹DM) was higher than GW50 (1.11 mg kg⁻¹ DM) induced by changes in the composition of GW25 and GW50 (Table 5). The recorded values are below the limit guide of 6 mg kg⁻¹ (EU, 2015).

During 6 months of treatment, the average of germination rate and the average of fresh weight per plant of Chinese cabbage are in the same order of the weight reached in EEP (Morales-Corts et al., 2014). In addition, GW25 and GW50 afforded better results than GW0. Therefore, GW25 and GW50 can be used as growing media as demonstrated by López-López and López-Fabal (2016). This is confirmed by the calculation of the coefficients of variation of germination, which are very low as shown in Table 5 demonstrating that both GW25 and GW50 are stable growing media.

Table 5 shows that levels of E. coli and Salmonella spp. recorded in GW0, GW25, and GW50 are lower than values illustrated in commercial ecolabel (EEP). In fact, Singh et al. (2011) have demonstrated that the treatment of GW25 and GW50 during the thermophilic phase of co-composting process (1 hour), in which temperature ranged from 55°C to 60°C, Salmonella spp. and E. coli are destroyed. Hence, GW25 and GW50 present an excellent way to indicate which products are safe to use and commercialized (Maldonado et al., 2008).

In accordance with the requirement of the EU Ecolabel for growing media, it can be concluded that GW0, GW25, and GW50 cannot be used in public spaces due to noncompliance in weed seed-free, Rottegrad temperature, and organic matter values. Certainly there is noncompliance with the ecolabel that sediments must be adopted with the ecolabel, thanks to their performance.

Environmental assessment of growing media using laboratory lysimeter

To monitor the environmental assessment under real conditions, lysimetric tests were performed. We can show from Figure 2 that the pH of eluates collected from GW0, GW25, and GW50 shifted from neutral to slightly alkaline pH. In fact, the recorded values are ranged 7.48–7.88, 7.7–8.06, and 7.76–8.11, respectively. These values are in the range of EEP sample (6.9–7.60). The slightly alkaline pH recorded at the beginning of the test is due to the addition of distillated water to dredged sediment incorporated in GW25 and GW50 as described by Karthikeyan et al. (2008).

The EC values of the leachates collected from EEP, GW0, GW25, and GW50 during percolating process at the beginning and end of lysimetric experiments are varied widely between 5.13 and 0.48 mS cm⁻¹, 3.08 and 1.28 mS cm⁻¹, 3.53 and 1.27mS cm⁻¹, and 3.53 and 1.37 mS cm⁻¹, respectively (Figure 2). The decrease of CE values is due to dilution by distilled water of GW0, GW25, and GW50 as reported by Ahmed et al. (2010) and Karthikeyan et al. (2008). The total volume collected from EEP, GW0, GW25, and GW50 is around 328, 398, 384, and 391l, respectively. This variation in the volume of percolated waters is attributed to the variation in the texture of GW0, GW25, and GW50.

Table 6 shows that the percentage of leaching through percolating water is higher at the beginning of the leaching process as a result of the high rate of mass transfer (Ahmed et al., 2010; Karthikeyan et al., 2008).

We can show from Figure 2 that EEP has trace element losses different from those of GW0, GW25, and GW50.

The concentrations of GW0, GW25, and GW50 are generally lower for trace elements (except for As, Cd, Cr, and Ni), anion (F⁻). In comparison with EEP, the exceedance observed in Pb, Ba, Zn, Mo, and Cu from GW25 and GW50 during lysimetric test was due to the composition and origin of input materials (Figure 2) (Kupper et al., 2014). The leaching percentages of trace elements are very low as reported in Table 6. Therefore, the quality of the formulations is acceptable. GW0 presents a successive dull overshoot of Se, Sb, SO₄²⁻, and NO₃⁻. This overflow is the presence of demolition wastes in GW0. The EEP has higher concentrations in TOC. In fact, this excess in EEP is directly linked their use for crop nutrition.

For the organic pollutants (PAHs, PCBs, and HCT C10–C40), we observed clearly the absence of leaching in EEP, GW0, GW25, and GW50. Furthermore, the release of pollutants through the first leaching test (Afnor, 2002) is below the limits prescribed in the European Directive 2008/98/EC relative of storage facilities of inert waste (JOCE, 2008). Therefore, GW25 and GW50 can be considered as substrates for the final cover of nonhazardous waste storage cells.

Conclusions

The aim of this study was the formulation of novel growing media according to requirements of the EU Ecolabel through co-composting of GW and WS. The agronomic values reveal that the quality of WS is acceptable improving their potential in the field of agronomy. GW was added to improve agronomic properties.

The monitoring of agronomic properties of GW0, GW25, and GW50 shows that it meets the EU Ecolabel requirements of DM, heavy metal contents, EC, PAHs, plastics, glasses, and metals and pathogens and noncompliance in weed seed-free, Rottegrad temperature, and organic matter values, pH, and zinc concentration.

The environmental monitoring of GW0, GW25, and GW50 under the field condition has been validated. Furthermore, GW50 presents the best values in terms of physicochemical and environmental properties, which confirm their suitability as a vegetation substrate for the final cover of nonhazardous waste storage cells. So, further investigations should be performed in the field in order to check the environmental impact and the agronomic values of the three growing media. In fact, growing media will represent a very important potential of economic market in France and other countries.

Certainly, sediments are noncompliance with the ecolabel criteria, but it must be adopted this material as ecolabel, thanks to their performance.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the help of the regional council Haut de France in France for their financial support within framework SEDIMATERIAUX. They would like to thank other partners for VAL’AGRO project for the treatment application at large scale in BAUDELET Environment and NEO-ECO companies and CU Arras for providing sediment.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

by Editor in Chief Arne Ragossnig.

ORCID iD

Afef Zouch

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