The Legislative Background of the Application of Fermentation Residues to Agricultural Lands in Hungary

Abstract

The broad presence of biogas plants – facilities using organic wastes and by-products to generate energy – now seems to warrant urgent attention to the land application of by-products (fermentation residues) from biogas plants. In Hungary, this activity can be carried out under statutory conditions, subject to official licensing. The protection provided by law is necessary because an adaptable and sustainable agriculture based on effects and interactions also requires such attention, since the most important natural resource of agriculture is soil, which, by nature, is a conditionally renewable natural resource [1] [2]. Protection of soil means primarily protection of quality: sustainable and adaptable agriculture contributes to retain the ecological functions of soil and its role in the ecosystem [3]. This publication analyses the possibilities and challenges of natural resource management by studying the agricultural use of fermentation residues from biogas plants. In order to be used in agriculture, fermentation residue should be classified according to its character and nutritional value, namely as harmless waste from non-agricultural sources. This substance may have the properties of slurry, and in certain cases it may be classified as a substance with characteristics of waste water/sewage sludge or sewage sludge compost.

Main elements of the preparation of the soil protection plan: detailed laboratory tests of the fermentation residue according to standards and regulations; classification of the fermentation residue on the basis of the measured parameters and the field tests corresponding to the character of fermentation residue according to the relevant legislation. Soil protection plan is prepared by expert based on on-site investigation and laboratory reports. This is the basis of the licensing process.

Land application of fermentation residues therefore requires expert analysis to ensure that the ecological functions of soil are not damaged. This, however, requires that the regulations governing the framework for the conditions of such application are carefully studied and interpreted.