Tropicultura (Jan 2014)
Valorisation des ordures ménagères par compostage dans la ville de Dschang, Cameroun
Abstract
Valorization of Household Waste by Composting Processes in Dschang town, Cameroon. Household waste of Dschang town (Cameroon) was collected, sorted out, and put in heaps for composting. This work was aimed at illustrating the tools and determining the procedure for estimating the dimensions of compost heaps and the quality of the compost. The results show that Dschang household waste contains approximately 90% by volume of the biodegradable matter. A heap should be made with 5 to 6 tons of waste for its temperature to attain 65-70°C at the end of one week of composting. The compost is mature from the 90th day onwards and contains 23 to 25% weight of the raw material. The mature compost has an organic matter content varying between 19 and 25% of dry matter, total nitrogen content of 11 g.kg-1, C/N ratio of about 10, pH of about 8. The water content is between 24 and 28%. These contents meet the average international standards. The sum of exchangeable bases (Ca-Mg-K-Na) is however weak, around 3 to 4 cmol(+)/kg of dry matter. The contents of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Ni and Zn) are lower than the minimum accepted values, except for Cd and Cr which have high contents. The effect of this compost on the soil fertilization and soil properties need to be evaluated by agronomic trials.
