Investigation of the spent coffee ground applicability for land phytoremediation via biotesting techniques

Abstract

Phytoremediation technologies combined with natural ameliorants effectively restore soil fertility of man-made and degraded lands. Biohumus, biochar, biosediments, microorganisms, etc. are commonly used as ameliorants in agricultural production technologies and for man-made lands reclamation. The purpose of this article is to prove the effectiveness of the spent coffee ground as potential ameliorant for targeted reclamation of degraded lands. The research methodology is based on the use of a laboratory biotesting technique with focus on determining the correlation between coffee grounds waste in a substrate and plant growth indicators. Typical siderate plants were chosen as test objects: white mustard (Sinapis alba), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and brome grass (Bromopsis inermis). It was established that adding waste coffee grounds as an ameliorant in the amount of 10-15% of the mass of the soil substrate can contribute to the intensification of the plant growth. The results of the laboratory study serve as a justification for the land reclamation technology by siderate plants together with coffee waste to improve soil properties and the content of organic-mineral substances.