Urban Leaf Litters as a Potential Compost Component

Abstract

Trees shed leaf litters throughout the year with varying intensity. In urban areas, due to the regular pruning of tree branches, the leaves which are used as a compost component have dominant share in the litterfall. The amount of nutrients released during composting depends on the abundance of the shed leaves. The research aimed to analyse and determine which of the deciduous tree species provide the highest amount of macronutrients and whether or not the heavy metals contained in them exceed the toxic level. It was found that the leaves of Alnus glutinosa (C/N = 20.57), Tilia cordata (33.31) and Fraxinus excelsior (33.88), which are the source of the highest amounts of nitrogen among the examined deciduous tree species, decompose at the fastest pace in the composting process. The process of decomposition of Quercus rubra (C/N = 64.30), Aesculus hippocastanum (58.16) and Fagus sylvatica (58.06) leaves, which are poorer in nitrogen compounds, takes much longer and is more difficult. It has also been shown that the heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb) contained in leaf litters do not pose any threat to the environment, as they do not exceed the permissible level of contamination.

Keywords

• heavy metals
• compost
• macroelements
• urban area
• litterfall removal